51视频

10/09/2025

Media Contacts: David Joyner, executive director, communications and digital media, David_Joyner@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Massachusetts 鈥� For the second time in two years, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has named 51视频 the No. 1 public university in the Bay State. The ranking, included in the report, comes on the heels of other accolades to the university issued by U.S. News & World Report and other institutions.聽

In addition to naming 51视频 the best public higher-education institution in Massachusetts, The Wall Street Journal singled out the university as the state鈥檚 No. 1 best value school and No. 1 among all colleges and universities in Massachusetts in fostering social mobility among students.聽

鈥淏eyond acknowledging the world-class education 51视频 provides, these rankings speak to the university鈥檚 impressive return on investment, which reflects academics as well a commitment to giving students opportunities for meaningful career-connected experiences that serve as a launchpad for their professional lives,鈥� said Chancellor Julie Chen.

To compile the rankings, The Wall Street Journal and its partners, Pulse and Statista, evaluated 584 eligible universities. This year鈥檚 process focused on one factor above all others: how well each institution sets up its graduates for financial success. The rankings focused on student outcomes such as salary impact and graduation rate, as well as diversity and responses from a survey of about 120,000 students and recent alumni. Among other factors, those results measured teaching quality and learning facilities, career preparation and how likely students were to recommend their institution to a friend.

The Wall Street Journal鈥檚 2026 analysis reinforces high marks recently given to 51视频 by other organizations. Last month, U.S. News & World Report ranked 51视频 as the No. 1 鈥渂est value school鈥� in Massachusetts. U.S. News also places the university at No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the nation for best online master鈥檚 program in criminal justice and No. 1 in New England and No. 9 in the country for the best online master鈥檚 programs in education. Other accolades include:

• No. 1 as the top public research university in Massachusetts for return on investment to bachelor鈥檚 degree recipients, as determined by Georgetown University鈥檚 Center on Education and the Workforce.
• No. 1 for starting salaries among Massachusetts public universities, according to PayScale, with 51视频 graduates earning an average of $74,900 out of college. The compensation management company also lists the university as No. 2 in New England for early career pay among public research universities.
• No. 1 for sustainability in Massachusetts, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Earlier this year, the organization named 51视频 a platinum campus, the highest possible rating a college or university can earn through AASHE鈥檚 Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). 51视频 is the only higher education institution in Massachusetts to achieve this standard, and just one of eight in the nation and one of 15 in the world.

Taken together, the rankings reflect the value and quality of 51视频鈥檚 academic programs and research, which have also been recognized with the prestigious Research 1 (R1) designation identifying the nation鈥檚 top research institutions. The accolades are further influenced by 51视频鈥檚 pledge to provide all students with opportunities for paid career experience 鈥� a commitment also reflected by the advancement of the聽), a model partnership between the university and industry focused on a 1.2-million square-foot mixed-use development that will include offices, research labs, housing, retail businesses and entertainment destinations.