Upstate university ranks highest in the state, among highest in US

Furman University has again been recognized as one of the most innovative universities in the country with one of the best experiences for first-year students, according to the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2026 rankings.

According to a news release from Furman, among national liberal arts and sciences universities, the university ranks:

• 45th overall, the same place as last year. Furman has been ranked 45th or 46th in six of the last seven years
• 11th “Most Innovative”
• 21st for “Best Undergraduate Teaching”

Among all universities in the country — liberal arts and large research schools — Furman ranks:

• 18th for “Best First-Year Experience,” above schools including Duke, Notre Dame and Bucknell, and
• 44th for “Best Undergraduate Research,” above such schools as Rhodes College, the University of Georgia and the University of Virginia

Furman again has the highest overall rank of any university in South Carolina, the release stated. It is the 8th ranked liberal arts university in the South.

The overall ranking is a calculation of multiple factors, including graduation rate, student-faculty ratio and reputation. The category rankings are decided by university presidents, provosts and deans of admissions who are asked to list the top schools that come to mind in the respective categories.

Furman has gained national attention in several areas recently, according to the release. In 2024 the Pathways Program, the only two-year advising program in the country, won the Advising Innovation Award from NACADA, the global community for academic advising in higher education.

In 2024, Furman opened Blackwell Hall, a new residence for first-year students that provides open, airy spaces designed to encourage community. In 2025, the university completed renovations of all first-year student housing.

Also this year, Furman’s Malone Center for Career Engagement won the National Association of Colleges and Employers Award for small colleges.

Niche ranked Furman 32nd among liberal arts colleges, 34th among small colleges and 14th among colleges with no application fee, according to the release. The campus was included in Travel & Leisure’s “25 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the U.S.”