Brenau University has been ranked one of the best schools for undergraduate instruction in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings.
Brenau is ranked No. 16 in the Undergraduate Teaching Programs – Regional Universities (South) category. The category focuses on schools whose faculty and administrators are committed to delivering high-quality undergraduate instruction, according to U.S. News. Only the top schools are included on the list; not all eligible schools are ranked.
“The recognition from U.S. News for undergraduate instruction is a reflection of our faculty’s expertise and deep commitment to our students,” Brenau President David L. Barnett said. “For nearly 150 years, Brenau has empowered students to pursue lives of personal and professional fulfillment. This ranking validates our approach to achieve that: maintaining small class sizes, fostering personalized support, providing experiential learning, and offering a comprehensive curriculum that blends liberal arts, scientific inquiry and global awareness.”
Among Regional Universities in the South, Brenau is ranked No. 47 on the 2027 Top Private Colleges list and No. 88 overall. The rankings put Brenau at No. 102 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.
The 2027 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success. U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings, which date back to 1983, offer detailed information on the institutions and data on factors such as graduation rates and post-graduate earnings.
“Higher education is an investment in a student’s future, and we’re proud to recognize the institutions that continue to raise the bar for academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News. “The Best Colleges rankings celebrate schools that demonstrate outstanding commitment to student success, providing prospective families with a roadmap to discover high-performing institutions that align with their specific academic, career and personal goals.”
This undergraduate recognition builds on Brenau’s recent momentum.
This summer, two programs in Brenau University’s Ivester College of Health Sciences were recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the Best Graduate Schools 2026. Brenau’s School of Occupational Therapy was listed in a tie at No. 59 on the publication’s list of OT schools. The Department of Physical Therapy is tied at No. 139 on the list of PT schools.
The Best Graduate Schools 2026 list ranked programs in multiple disciplines. Business, education, engineering, health, law, medicine and nursing rankings were based on collected data, while rankings in public affairs, computer science and fine arts were based on surveys from peer programs on a 1-to-5 scale of academic quality.
