By Kenya Godette
For the seventh consecutive year, Old Dominion University is recognized in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings as a top institution among 1,500 national colleges and universities, and a top ten university in Virginia. ODU was also named a leader in social mobility.
The University saw gains in two key programs: Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science programs.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are a key component of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, recently established following the integration of Eastern Virginia Medical School. Housed in the Ellmer School of Nursing, these programs provide hands-on learning in clinical settings for students, expand health research opportunities and create a talent pipeline for the Hampton Roads healthcare workforce and beyond.
The University’s status as the region's only Carnegie R1 institution, recognized for its high level of research activity, is further enhanced by its undergraduate computer science programs. Facilitating research projects with faculty in leading industry areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and machine learning, these programs position students and faculty to be at the forefront of innovation and big data.
“To once again be acknowledged as a nationally ranked university and a top-performing public institution committed to social mobility is a true testament to our collective commitment to everyday excellence,” said President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “The forward momentum in key programs like nursing and computer science reflect the unwavering commitment of our world-class faculty in providing cutting-edge educational opportunities and creating impactful research opportunities for our talented students.”
ODU was also ranked in several other academic categories:
- Undergraduate business programs
- Undergraduate engineering programs
- Undergraduate psychology programs
The University was identified as a top performer in social mobility and recognized as a top public national university.
To see the complete 2025 Best Colleges rankings, visit U.S News & World Report. Information about the 17 key measures of academic quality used to generate this year’s rankings are available in the Methodology Handbook.
This year’s Best Colleges rankings add to a growing list of achievements received by the University.
In April, six programs and three schools were nationally recognized in the Best Graduate School U.S. News & World Report rankings. In the same month, the University also earned a gold ranking as a Military Friendly School in the 2024-2025 Military Friendly® School awards from militaryfriendly.com.
In July, ODU was ranked among 152 universities from 125 countries for pursuing sustainable development, inclusion and equity goals in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings – increasing scores in three categories.