The Best Urban Colleges in the U.S.

Choosing the right college can be a challenge, and location often plays a big role. For many students, rural and suburban colleges and universities are simply not the best fit.

Instead, some students seek a school in an urban area with opportunities for vast social and cultural experiences that can be found off campus.

In this report, we look at 15 urban-located and urban-serving colleges in major U.S. cities and provide a primer on what students can expect to find at these schools.

The institutions listed in this guide focus on meeting the needs of first-generation and low-income students. Though many of the institutions we chose rank highly on a national scale, this list also factors in the utility of more affordable urban schools with a reputation for helping graduates achieve social mobility.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

An urban college is generally any postsecondary institution that is located in a large metropolitan area or city.

But an urban-serving institution is a little different. According to the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU), these schools are not just in the city, but of the city.

There is a mission [for USUs] to be a part of the metropolitan area and to be an active member of the ecosystem of that city, said the coalition’s vice president Jennifer Keup, Ph.D.

Additionally, the makeup of urban-serving institutions tends to cater to nontraditional students—now known as new traditional students — rather than traditional ones.

You’re going to find much larger proportions of students who are … students of color, multiracial students, low-income and working students, adult learners, and students returning, Keup said.

More often, [these students are] from the surrounding region and will stay in the region [post graduation], she said. They will contribute to the economies, businesses, and civic landscape.

To create this ranking, we used data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and College Scorecard to look at factors like affordability, graduation rates, and employment opportunities across 36 urban-serving institutions.

Urban schools provide many practical benefits. For some students, attending an urban school near their home may be convenient and allow them to commute by bus, subway, or car.

Urban learning environments can be full of job opportunities before and after graduation. For example, students who move to New York City to attend a school in the City University of New York system may find it easier to network or get a job while enrolled.

While urban schools offer abundant opportunities, these institutions can also have a few drawbacks. For example, many urban schools focus on serving commuter students who do not live on campus.

Additionally, an urban college campus may span a wide area within a city, which can make it difficult for incoming students who live on campus to meet new people or become part of student culture. Ultimately, students may find themselves lost in this environment.

Fortunately, many urban schools provide resources to help cultivate student involvement in campus culture.

Either way, choosing to attend any school is all about finding the right place for you.

All students going to college really have to think about a multitude of factors, said Keup. This type of institution is an incredible fit for students that have civic-mindedness, who have that sense of place-based education.

To create this ranking, BestColleges used data from the NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), NCES’s College Navigator, and the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Each variable we considered was weighted by level of importance as follows: total cost of attendance (30%), percentage of students awarded Pell Grant aid (30%), graduation rate (15%), graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients (15%), and percentage of graduates who are working and earning 150% above the poverty threshold one year after graduating (10%).