School Among Top 20 in U.S. News & World Report's Best Schools in Public Health

The Rutgers School of Public Health has been ranked No. 16 among the 2025 Best Schools in Public Health by U.S. News & World Report.

Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Schools rankings evaluate programs in various disciplines, including business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and public health.

The Rutgers School of Public Health is New Jersey’s premier research, teaching, and service institution guided by the principles of health equity and social justice. Founded in 1983 within the former UMDNJ, the school has locations in Newark and New Brunswick, as well as global learning sites and online and hybrid degree options. Under the leadership of Dean Perry N. Halkitis, the school has become a leader in numerous areas, including cancer health disparities, planetary health, infectious disease prevention and care, modern statistical methods, pharmacoepidemiology, sexual and reproductive health, population aging and mental health and addiction, and gun violence prevention.

“Since I arrived in 2017, I’ve often pointed to our significant rise in national rankings—a reflection of how our peers view the quality of our work,” said Halkitis.

The Rutgers School of Public Health went from a peer assessment score of 2.3 out of 5 in 2017 to 3.70 out of 5 in this year’s rankings.

“Our meteoric rise and recognition by our peer institutions is due to the tireless collective efforts of our faculty, staff, students, and community partners, who are integral to every aspect of our work – we should all be very proud.”

In the past year, the Rutgers School of Public Health achieved significant milestones, including receiving a 7-year Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) reaccreditation —a testament to its ongoing commitment to excellence in public health education. The school’s faculty, staff, and students also secured numerous grants to support groundbreaking research. With a focus on the evolving discipline of public health, the school launched two fully online Master of Public Health degree programs and expanded global study abroad opportunities in Greece, St. Lucia, and Colombia.

As public health and science continue to come under attack, Halkitis reminds us that “our nation's health depends on well-trained public health professionals, students, researchers, and activists who can respond with evidence-based solutions. At the Rutgers School of Public Health, we take pride in advancing our communities’ ability to do this through research, rigorous education, and community engagement.”

By collecting graduate school data annually, U.S. News is able to present the most current figures on enrollment, job placement, faculty, and other critical quality indicators that help prospective students make informed decisions. Prospective students can see how the Rutgers School of Public Health compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on USNews.com.