UMSL students celebrate after receiving diplomas during commencement ceremonies last May at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. The university received high marks in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings, climbing to No. 135 on the list of top public universities and finishing first in Missouri and among the top 100 nationally on the publication’s list of “Top Performers on Social Mobility.” (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

For more than 60 years, the University of Missouri–St. Louis has served as an institution of opportunity, providing students from different backgrounds the chance to brighten their futures and lift their socioeconomic status by earning a college degree.

U.S. News & World Report once again recognized UMSL for its success in that important role. The publication ranked the university first in Missouri and No. 92 nationally on its list of “Top Performers on Social Mobility” in its 2025 “Best Colleges” rankings, unveiled on Tuesday.

The “Top Performers on Social Mobility” rankings highlight how well universities have graduated students who receive federal Pell Grants. UMSL has made the list every year since it debuted in 2020, and it has been first in the state each of the past three years.

“Making college education accessible and attainable has been a core part of our mission at the University of Missouri–St. Louis since our founding, and we work hard to eliminate barriers so that our students can pursue their academic dreams and prepare themselves for future success,” Chancellor Kristin Sobolik said. “Those efforts are reflected in U.S. News & World Report’s social mobility rankings, and we are proud we continue to be recognized as a leader in our state and nationally.”

More than 40% of UMSL students were Pell Grant-eligible in the 2023-24 academic year. Those recipients come from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually, though most Pell Grants are awarded to students with a total family income below $20,000. A college degree can be instrumental in helping them increase their earning potential and improve their socioeconomic status.

UMSL continues to provide all students a high-quality education with strong programs in a wide array of academic disciplines. It remained a Tier 1 research university in U.S. News & World Report’s overall rankings and also climbed six places to No. 135 on the list of top public universities.

Several academic programs were singled out for their strength in this year’s rankings.

Notably, UMSL’s undergraduate international business program scored a No. 20 national ranking. The rankings reflect the judgment of deans and senior faculty members at other Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business member institutions who participate in a peer assessment survey. UMSL has landed in the top 25 in 21 of the past 22 years.

“I think this shows the continuing excellence of the investment that was made in International Business 25 years ago when we first started,” said Joseph Rottman, director of UMSL’s International Business Institute and chair of the College of Business Administration’s Strategic Planning & Innovation Committee. “To be recognized by other AACSB schools as having a top 25 program 21 separate times – to be in that rare air – is really gratifying.

“We’ve got great faculty who produce top-tier research in internationally focused journals, a great advisory board, great donors who help support a scholarship and then an international business team that has worked together to keep the quality of the IB program really high and the visibility really high for more than two decades.”

UMSL’s overall undergraduate programs in business, as well as engineering and nursing, all continued to be ranked among the top 200 nationally, and the BSN program climbed 24 places to No. 130 in the latest rankings.