Published on September 25, 2026 at 12 p.m.  
Samford Main Gate Entrance

 

Samford University ranks among the top private national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s list of 2027 Best Colleges.

The ranking places Samford 93rd in the nation and among the top three national universities affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). It is the highest-ranked comprehensive Christ-centered university in the South.

“Samford continues to grow as a national brand in higher education, known for academic quality, exceptional student outcomes and faithfulness to our Christ-centered mission,” said Samford President Beck A. Taylor. “The Samford experience involves small class sizes in which students are known to their professors and their classmates. On a residential campus where they are nurtured academically, emotionally and spiritually, students flourish amid that whole-person approach to education.”

For the second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Samford as the Best Value among all Alabama four-year universities.

These rankings affirm the growing national reputation of Samford, which is regularly recognized among the leading Christian universities in the United States. Samford recently garnered three top 10 rankings in The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges list, highlighted by a #3 national ranking for quality of career preparation. Samford ranked #5 among Most Recommended Colleges and placed #7 nationally for colleges with the strongest Learning Opportunities.

This month the university announced a record-setting enrollment of 6,522 students, bolstered by the largest freshman class in Samford’s 185-year history.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,522 students from 46 states, Puerto Rico and 12 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.