St. Joseph’s University gained two spots on the Best Colleges of 2021 list from U.S. News & World Report’s, the school reported in September.

Previously ranked No.10, the university now is in the eighth place, the higher-education institution said in a Sept. 14 release. The rankings include 176 educational institutions and earning a place carries a level of prestige. 

“The newly released U.S. News rankings and other national rankings further solidify Saint Joseph’s University as a leader in academic excellence, all while preparing students for purposeful lives in the ever-changing world,” University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D said in the release. “The exceptional talent of our faculty, staff and students is reflected in our ranking.” 

The university also has earned recognition in other rankings by U.S. News, including being the #3 for Best Colleges for Veterans, No. 11 for Best Undergraduate Teaching and No. 24 for Best Value Schools. 

SJU also made it onto the Princeton Review’s annual list four years in a row, which assesses the top 386 best colleges. This level of recognition from Princeton makes SJU in the top 13% of four-year universities in the 2021 guide. 

The ranking that SJU earned is due to several factors, including “data collected from the different schools and also from annual surveys of students, who rate and report on various aspects of their college experiences,” the school reported. 

Students were also asked about the sense of community on the campus, which many stated was an asset. The convenient location to Hawk Hill also gives students plenty of access to arts, culture and various diversions located in the Philadelphia area. 

St. Joseph’s University has been working on improving their enrollment strategy and the student body’s diversity and quality throughout recent years, the release stated. 

SJU has also made it to several other Best Colleges lists for the year of 2021.