Rankings and Awards
Simmons University’s rich tradition of excellence in higher education spans 125 years — and continues to this day. The University continues to be recognized for delivering renowned professional and academic programs that cultivate leadership and career readiness in students. Simmons regularly lands on lists for best national universities and colleges, best value schools, nursing and psychology programs, top performers on social mobility, and more.
Recent Rankings
Best Colleges in the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal ranked Simmons in the 2025 list of the Best Colleges in the U.S.
#33
Best Value Schools
U.S. News & World Report ranked Simmons #33 for Best Value Schools, a distinction that takes into account a school's academic quality and and the net cost of attendance.
Best 390 Colleges
The Princeton Review ranked Simmons among the 390 Best Colleges for 2025.
University Rankings and Awards News
Simmons Named Among The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges 2025
The Princeton Review recently revealed The Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition. The overall list, which is unranked, is determined by student surveys that address campus life, academics, administration, personal experience, etc. Simmons University, as well as 25 other Massachusetts institutions, are recognized among the nation’s best colleges.
Simmons Named Among Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in the U.S.
The WSJ rankings take into account student experience, graduation rates, career-preparedness, starting salaries post-graduation, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Simmons Awarded Prestigious Carnegie Designation for Leadership for Public Purpose
This designation recognizes our institutional commitment to the pursuit of leadership and the collective public good. Most exciting, this honor is a national recognition of the unique brand of leadership we have developed and advanced at Simmons – a group of everyday leaders committed to doing well and doing good.
Simmons School of Nursing Joins National Campaign for Health Workforce Well-Being
The Simmons University School of Nursing was accepted as part of the inaugural cohort in the National Academy of Medicine's Change Maker Campaign for Health Workforce Well-Being.
Susan MacKenty Brady Will Receive Honorary Degree from Marietta College
On May 4, Susan MacKenty Brady, the CEO of the Simmons University Inclusive Leadership Institute, will receive the Marietta College Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, at the College’s 2024 Commencement ceremony. (She is a Class of 1994 Marietta alumna). “It...
School of Library and Information Science Director Visits University of Osijek in Croatia as Fulbright Specialist
In October of 2023, School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Dean Sanda Erdelez traveled to her native Croatia as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program, which offers opportunities for U.S. professionals and academics to share expertise and collaborate with institutions around the world.
Simmons University Library Receives National Award in Recognition of DEI Efforts
The Simmons University Library has received the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine. The LEAD Award honors academic libraries’ programs and initiatives that encourage and support DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) across their campus.
Simmons University Receives more than $400,000 in a grant from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Simmons University has received grant funding from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to address health needs in the communities the hospital serves. The $416,000 grant awarded to Simmons University will help support mental and behavioral health at Fenway High School located in Mission Hill.
About Simmons
Simmons University is a nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston.
Student Awards in the News
Simmons Library and Information Science Student and Indigenous Archives Enthusiast Receives Mosaic Scholarship
Graduate student Sage Loyema Innerarity ‘25MS, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, is the 2024 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship given by the Society of American Archivists.
Simmons Students Receive American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship
Five students in Simmons School of Library and Information Science were selected among the American Library Association’s 2024-2025 Spectrum Scholars.
SLIS Student and Alumni Win Law Library Internship
School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) alum Mary Hogan l’85MS and SLIS student Hannah Gershone have been selected for the Summer 2024 Creative Digital Projects Internship at the Law Library of Congress.
SLIS Student Receives Scholarship from the Society of American Archivists
Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS is the 2024 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship, offered by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and awarded to promising students in the Archives field who demonstrate a commitment to advancing diversity within the profession.
Incoming Simmons Undergrad Selected for Journalism Initiative
Incoming Simmons student Tristan Ortiz ’28 was accepted into the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Class of 2024, a project sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Connecticut.
STEM Student Receives Research Scholarship from American Chemical Society
Biochemistry major and Literature and Writing minor Reagan Cleversey ’26 received the competitive James Flack Norris / Theodore William Richards Summer Research Scholarship from the American Chemical Society. She spoke with us about her passion for medicinal chemistry and the importance of mentorship.
School of Nursing Students Train to Work with Children with Developmental Disorders
Simmons School of Nursing students Rachel Takes ’24MSN and Elizabeth Strager ’19 ’21MSN, FNP- C, ’25DNP were recruited into the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (LEND Boston) at Boston Children's Hospital’s Institute for Community Inclusion.
Chemistry/Physics Student Accepted into Research Experience at UPenn
Annabelle Hannah ’25, a double-major in Chemistry and Physics, was accepted into the 2024 summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The 10-week program is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
Faculty Awards in the News
Gerontological Society of America Selects School of Social Work Chair as Editor-in-Chief
The GSA — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has named Michelle Putnam, Professor and Jennifer Eckert ’08 Chair of Simmons’ School of Social Work, as the next editor-in-chief of the journal Innovation in Aging.
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National Science Foundation Grant Aims to Retain STEM Students
Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, was recently awarded a four-year $496K grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the funded project is to tackle high attrition rates in biology education at the undergraduate level by improving assessment and feedback practices.
SLIS Professor Wins LIS Education Award
Professor and Associate Dean of SLIS Laura Saunders has been selected the 2024 Winner of the Award for Professional Contribution to Library and Information Science Education granted annually by the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE).
SLIS Professor to Receive Information Science and Technology Service Award
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) recently announced that Simmons Library and Information Science Professor Naresh Agarwal is the recipient of the 2024 Watson Davis Award for Service. This award “recognizes an individual member of the Association who...
Children’s Literature Professor Helps Select Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners
The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards “recognize and reward excellence in literature for children and young adults.” As the School Library Journal reported, Professor and Graduate Program Director of Children’s Literature Cathryn Mercier chaired a group of judges who determined the 2024 awardees.
Nutrition Professor Receives Award from Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation
Recognizing the professional achievements of Assistant Professor of Nutrition Dr. Jacqueline Beatty, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation honored her with the 2024 Margene Wagstaff Award for Innovation in Dietetics Education.
Professor Hamilton-Mason Honored by Haymarket People’s Fund
The Haymarket People's Fund has described Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason as “an interdisciplinary researcher” and honored her for her work in support of the Fund.
SLIS Dean Sanda Erdelez Receives Croatian Women of Influence Award
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Dean Sanda Erdelez was selected as a winner of the Croatian Women of Influence Award, a recognition of leadership, innovation, and community impact of Croatian women around the world.