![Where Indiana University ranks on U.S. News & World Report’s new \](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/06/07/NHEN/d850f1fb-62f0-410e-a4d0-1ecf3c529166-Indiana_University_Sample_Gates_Stockpic.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1999,1125,x0,y62&format=pjpg&width=1200 "Where Indiana University ranks on U.S. News & World Report’s new \")
Indiana University Bloomington is the 34th best public university in the U.S. and the 73rd best college overall for the second year in a row, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report “Best College” rankings released Tuesday.
The Kelley School of Business’ undergraduate business program ranked ninth in the nation in the 2025 report, down one spot from 2024. IU also fell from No. 16 for best study abroad programs last year to No. 18 in 2025, and from No. 41 in economics in 2024 to No. 51 in 2025.
IU jumped four spots for “best value schools” between 2024 and 2025, from No. 165 to No. 161, and jumped 59 spots in “social mobility,” which assesses the graduation rates and graduation performance of students who receive Pell Grants (from No. 376 in 2024 to No. 317 this year).
IU’s rankings hold steady as Big Ten peers see changes
IU has held relatively steady in its rankings for the past three years, after a decade of significant changes in rankings that saw the flagship fall from No. 75 in 2015 to No. 90 in 2018.
In recent years, IU has pulled ahead of the University of Iowa, which fell from No. 71 in 2015 to No. 98 in the 2025 report. Last year, IU was surpassed by Michigan State University, which rose from No. 77 in 2023 to No. 60 in 2024.
Earlier this year, IU was ranked the best global university in Indiana, and the 135th best global university overall. IU’s Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs also ranks No. 2 in the nation for public affairs programs.
The U.S. News and World Report rankings themselves have been the subject of controversy in recent years. In 2022, the report unranked Columbia University — ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time — after a Columbia mathematics professor raised questions about the validity of the university’s data.
The controversy intensified long-standing critiques that the rankings unfairly favor highly selective, private institutions. The rankings have put a greater emphasis on “social mobility” rankings, one of the metrics in which IU has risen in recent years.
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @brianwritesnews.