LEXINGTON, Va. Sept. 23, 2025 — VMI maintained its reputation as one of the nation’s best colleges, according to the 2026 Best Colleges rankings released Sept. 23 by U.S. News and World Report.

Among public liberal arts colleges, the Institute ranked fourth behind only the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Military Academy. VMI ranked No. 65 among more than 200 national liberal arts colleges.

Unlike many other publications that issue college rankings, U.S. News also ranks certain programs found at numerous colleges and universities. This year, VMI moved up to No. 29 out of more than 280 institutions nationwide that have an accredited engineering program but do not offer a doctorate degree. The Institute’s undergraduate economics program was also recognized in this year’s rankings.

The application for the Corps of Cadets is open for the next academic year and the admissions staff is available for any questions. More than 97% of VMI graduates are employed or enrolled in a graduate program within five months of commencement. U.S. News reports the median salary of a VMI alumnus is $63,545 six years after graduation. 

U.S. News analysts work to enable students and their families to identify colleges that meet their needs, using a wide variety of data sources. With only slight changes reported by U.S. News regarding the methodology this year, more than half of a school’s rank is made up of outcome measures related to a school’s success in enrolling and graduating students with manageable debt and post-graduation success.

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