2 colleges in Colorado among U.S. News & World Report's top 30 liberal arts colleges for 2025

Two schools in Colorado were ranked among the top 30 liberal arts colleges in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s latest annual rankings.

The U.S. Air Force Academy, just north of Colorado Springs, was rated No. 8, and Colorado College, a private school in Colorado Springs, was No. 29 in the 2025 rankings released this week.

The University of Colorado came in tied for No. 98, and Colorado State University was No. 148 in the 40th annual edition of the publication’s Best Colleges Rankings. The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley was tied for No. 188.

Rankings were based on a variety of factors, including academic reputation, cost of attendance, return on investment, classroom resources for students and faculty, the rate at which bachelor’s degrees are conferred and producing graduates who entered the workforce with manageable debt and worthwhile starting salaries, the publication explains in an explanation of its methodology.

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CU and CSU were both ranked among the top 80 among public universities, with CU tied for No. 46 and CSU tied for No. 78.

Rankings were also given for specific areas of study, with CSU ranked No. 2 nationally in veterinary sciences, tied for No. 57 in engineering and tied for No. 80 in biological sciences. CU received top-50 rankings in engineering (tied for No. 23), fine arts (tied for No. 23), education (tied for No. 48) and law (tied for No. 48).

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell and  facebook.com/KellyLyell.news

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 2 Colorado liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's top 30