Denison continues to earn recognition for a student experience that combines strong career preparation and rigorous academics with a thriving campus community.
New rankings place Denison among the country’s top colleges across a broad range of measures, including career preparation, happiest students, top facilities, and classroom experience. In total, Denison earned top 10 results in 13 ranked categories in The Princeton Review’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings, which analyzed 2,400 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.
Denison remains a leader in career preparation, ranking in the top 3 nationally for career services for the second year in a row and #6 for internships. Through the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration and its robust career ecosystem embedded across the university, students have access to individualized career coaching, internships, alumni and professional mentors, career exploration, and professional development opportunities.
Students also continue to give high marks to their broader campus experience, reflecting Denison’s reputation for relationships and a thriving community. In addition to ranking #3 for happiest students, Denison is #6 for quality of life, #6 for friendliest students, and #9 among colleges whose students love their school. Denison ranked #9 for best classroom experience and #10 for most accessible professors.
Denison’s focus on innovation, athletic excellence, and access to professional-grade technology is reflected in high marks for its facilities. Denison rose from #6 to #4 for athletic facilities — a result underscored by its four NCAA championships the previous year in women’s basketball, baseball, men’s swimming and diving, and tennis doubles — and from #12 to #7 for science lab facilities. Denison also received top marks for its library (#13) and theater (#14). Completed in fall 2026, Knobel Hall and the King Center for Data & Innovation position Denison as the first liberal arts college with a dedicated center for integrating data and AI literacy across the student experience.
The rankings also affirm Denison’s responsible and prudent management of its business affairs and partnerships, including significant year-over-year gains. Denison climbed from #17 to #4 among the nation’s best-run colleges and is now the nation’s #1 university for town-gown relations, recognizing its strong relationship with Granville, Columbus, and the State of Ohio. Denison is backed by an engaged alumni network, whose ongoing generosity and strong belief in its direction have helped the university continue to thrive and build an endowment worth more than $1 billion.
Known for its popular annual college guide, The Princeton Review’s 2027 rankings are based on surveys of more than 172,000 students nationwide about their academics, professors, campus life, career services, facilities, financial aid, and overall college experience.
To learn more and to see Denison’s full list of rankings, visit princetonreview.com.
