Rankings and Awards
Simmons University’s rich tradition of excellence in higher education spans 125 years — and continues to this day. The University continues to be recognized for delivering renowned professional and academic programs that cultivate leadership and career readiness in students. Simmons regularly lands on lists for best national universities and colleges, best value schools, nursing and psychology programs, top performers on social mobility, and more.
Recent Rankings
Best Colleges in the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal ranked Simmons in the 2025 list of the Best Colleges in the U.S.
#33
Best Value Schools
U.S. News & World Report ranked Simmons #33 for Best Value Schools, a distinction that takes into account a school's academic quality and the net cost of attendance.
Best 390 Colleges
The Princeton Review ranked Simmons among the 390 Best Colleges for 2025.
University Rankings and Awards News
Simmons Announces 2025–2026 Clare Boothe Luce Scholars
Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, Simmons has awarded six scholarships to sophomores pursuing accelerated dual-degree engineering and STEM-related bachelor’s degrees.
Simmons SLIS Ranked as a Top 10 Library School
In the U.S.News & World Report’s “Best Library and Information Studies Programs” for 2025, Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) comes in as number nine (tied with Indiana University, Bloomington). This ranking encompasses the nation’s 56 master’s degree...
Announcing the 2024-25 Graduate Student Research Winners
Eight doctoral and master’s degree candidates have been selected for the academic year 2024-25 Graduate Student Research Fund Award.
President Wooten Featured in Boston Business Journal
Celebrating the pivotal importance of mentorship, the Boston Business Journal featured fifteen women in the city who have served as mentors, including Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten.
MassLive Celebrates President Wooten’s Leadership
To honor Black History Month 2025, MassLive featured Black leaders throughout the state of Massachusetts who are performing significant and meaningful work. Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten is among the ten individuals spotlighted.
Simmons Receives Mellon Grant for Information Literacy
With funding from the Mellon Foundation, Simmons will establish the Center for Information Literacy, which aims to promote informed decision-making and nurture civic participation.
Simmons Awarded Grant Funding from Luce Foundation
Funding from the Henry Luce Foundation will support Simmons’ efforts to advance student success, retention, and confidence in STEM-related fields as well as a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship.
Simmons Linked to 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards
The 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Ceremony was held on November 24 at the Boston Public Library, where Cathryn Mercier, Professor and Graduate Program Director of Children's Literature, reflected on her role as a judge.
About Simmons
Simmons University is a nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston.
Student Awards in the News
Simmons Undergraduate Makes Voting Honor Roll
Committed to civic engagement and the democratic process, Helena Saldivar-Mieres ’25, along with students from other US universities, was honored for supporting nonpartisan student voter engagement during the 2024 election.
Six Students Selected for the 2025 Senior Scholar Award
Ginjer Doherty ’25, Aviva Foster ’25, CJ Haggard ’25, Theo Hatfield ’25, Lili Malatinszky ’25, and Grace Walters ’25 have been selected for the prestigious Senior Scholar Award at Simmons University. Sponsored by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Research and Fellowships, the Senior Scholar Award recognizes outstanding scholarly research across different disciplinary fields.
Simmons Welcomes New Cohort of Bonner Community Leaders
The Bonner Community Leaders Program is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. We spoke with Ellie Foss ’28, Jocelyn Miranda Landaverde ’28, Bridget Swezey ’28, and Soraya Timas ’28 about what drew them to the program.
Celebrating the 2024-25 Passionate Leaders Scholars
Six Simmons undergraduate scholars from different disciplines have been selected to join the 2024-2025 Passionate Leaders Project cohort.
Simmons Library and Information Science Student and Indigenous Archives Enthusiast Receives Mosaic Scholarship
Graduate student Sage Loyema Innerarity ‘25MS, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, is the 2024 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship given by the Society of American Archivists.
Simmons Students Receive American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship
Five students in Simmons School of Library and Information Science were selected among the American Library Association’s 2024-2025 Spectrum Scholars.
SLIS Student and Alumni Win Law Library Internship
School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) alum Mary Hogan l’85MS and SLIS student Hannah Gershone have been selected for the Summer 2024 Creative Digital Projects Internship at the Law Library of Congress.
SLIS Student Receives Scholarship from the Society of American Archivists
Sage Loyema Innerarity ’25MS is the 2024 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship, offered by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and awarded to promising students in the Archives field who demonstrate a commitment to advancing diversity within the profession.
Faculty Awards in the News
Two Simmons Faculty Members Receive North Star Fellowships
Samuel Odom from the School of Social Work and Don Simmons from the School of Library and Information Science, have been named fellows by the North Star Collective Faculty Fellowship, which is designed to promote supportive community and racial healing for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) faculty members across New England.
Professor Visits University of Johannesburg as Fulbright Specialist
Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason received a Fulbright Specialist Award this year. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist awards are "selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad."
2024 Simmons Faculty Awards Celebrates Stellar Researchers and Educators
Simmons faculty from various disciplines received awards in undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, service, and a commitment to DEI at the 2024 Faculty Awards.
Gerontological Society of America Selects School of Social Work Chair as Editor-in-Chief
The GSA — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has named Michelle Putnam, Professor and Jennifer Eckert ’08 Chair of Simmons’ School of Social Work, as the next editor-in-chief of the journal Innovation in Aging.
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National Science Foundation Grant Aims to Retain STEM Students
Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, was recently awarded a four-year $496K grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the funded project is to tackle high attrition rates in biology education at the undergraduate level by improving assessment and feedback practices.
SLIS Professor Wins LIS Education Award
Professor and Associate Dean of SLIS Laura Saunders has been selected the 2024 Winner of the Award for Professional Contribution to Library and Information Science Education granted annually by the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE).
SLIS Professor to Receive Information Science and Technology Service Award
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) recently announced that Simmons Library and Information Science Professor Naresh Agarwal is the recipient of the 2024 Watson Davis Award for Service. This award “recognizes an individual member of the Association who...
Children’s Literature Professor Helps Select Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners
The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards “recognize and reward excellence in literature for children and young adults.” As the School Library Journal reported, Professor and Graduate Program Director of Children’s Literature Cathryn Mercier chaired a group of judges who determined the 2024 awardees.