Monmouth University was recently featured in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide and rankings, which evaluates colleges on their contributions to the public good by measuring access, affordability, outcomes, and public service. Monmouth was ranked nationally and among colleges and universities in the Northeast on the 2026 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars.
Washington Monthly’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars ranking evaluates colleges on four equally weighted measures: access, affordability, outcomes, and service. The ranking considers factors including access for low-income and Pell Grant students, net price relative to student debt, graduation and earnings outcomes, and participation in public service.
Monmouth received its strongest ranking in the outcomes category, which considers graduation rates, differences in graduation rates between wealthy and non-wealthy students, graduates’ early-career earnings, and the number of graduates who go on to earn Ph.D.s.
For 2026, Washington Monthly has reorganized its college rankings, replacing its previous institutional rankings and Best Bang for the Buck lists with a broader regional ranking that combines four-year colleges and universities. The new list is designed to identify institutions that provide value to both students and taxpayers. Washington Monthly also introduced new rankings for colleges serving rural America and Hispanic students, as well as a separate ranking of research universities.
View the complete rankings for the 2026 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars: Northeast list and explore Washington Monthly’s full methodology.