Rankings and Recognition
Christopher Newport University continues to earn high marks in respected college rankings, for the quality and rigor of academic programs and the solid value students receive.
Christopher Newport is ranked third among public regional universities in the South and seventh among all regional universities in the South.
The university also appears in the 2024 U.S. News rankings in the following lists:
- Best Value Schools
- Top Performers on Social Mobility
- Best Undergraduate Business Programs
- Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs
- Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
- Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs
Christopher Newport University has been named a College of Distinction by a top national guide to colleges that highlights innovative learning opportunities at top schools.
The Colleges of Distinction guide is used by over 40,000 guidance counselors and thousands of parents and students across the country as they decide where to go to college. Christopher Newport was named a College of Distinction because of its variety and quality of high-impact student success initiatives.
Christopher Newport is listed as one of America's Top Colleges, including a No. 308 overall ranking, as well as the following:
- No. 101 among public colleges
- No. 60 in the South
Christopher Newport is included in Money magazine's Best Colleges listing, which recognize educational quality, affordability and alumni success.
Christopher Newport is ranked one of the nation’s best 389 colleges, one of the best in the Southeast and one of the nation’s best values. It is also ranked among the nation’s top 10 universities in these categories:
- Making an Impact, Public (#9)
- Internships, Public (#7)
Christopher Newport is featured in the The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings 2019, a comprehensive list of nearly 1,000 colleges and universities evaluated on their educational impact and the lifetime benefit to students.
Additional Rankings
The undergraduate program at the Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business was included in the Bloomberg Businessweek Best Undergraduate Business Schools rankings. The program is ranked No. 93 among all undergraduate business schools, based on what students want most from business schools, specifically the brightest possible career path.
Business First's nationwide listing of the best 499 public colleges in the U.S. ranks CNU as No. 126. The study’s objective was to identify the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students. The highest marks went to schools with:
- Highly selective admissions processes
- Strong retention and graduation rates
- Impressive earnings by alumni
- Generous resources
- Affordable tuition and housing costs
- Diverse faculties and student bodies
- Economically robust communities
College Choice lists CNU in its Best Colleges rankings. They account for three central factors: student body diversity, academic quality and return on investment, which they analyze using data from IPEDS, a database on higher education statistics available through the National Center for Education Statistics.
Poets and Quants ranks the Luter School of Business No. 7 when graduates were asked whether their degree was worth its cost in time and resources, and No. 10 when they were asked about the quality of teaching. Overall, Luter’s undergraduate degree program is ranked No. 63 and among the top four in Virginia.
CNU's master's degree programs in elementary education rank No. 5 in the nation according to Top Master's in Education, which uses evidence-based research to provide objective rankings and critical reviews of master's in education degree programs and colleges of education, both traditional and online.
Christopher Newport is one of nine colleges and universities nationwide honored in the Summer 2016 Models of Excellence program, which recognizes innovative approaches to encouraging and nurturing student success on campus.
In addition, CNU’s campus design and buildings have been featured multiple times in Design Develop Construct Journal, a leading construction industry publication.