U.S. News & World Report Ranks Embry-Riddle Prescott Best in the West, No. 1 in Aerospace Engineering Without a Ph.D. Option

Photo: Prescott Human Lander Challenge Team

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s undergraduate Aerospace Engineering program at the Prescott, Arizona, campus ranked No. 1 in the nation among programs without a doctoral option, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Among regional colleges in the West, the campus was awarded three top-5 honors by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026 Best Colleges review of residential campuses. This included the No. 1 Overall Rank for the fourth consecutive year and No. 1 in the Best for Veterans category, a recognition the campus has earned for five years in a row.

“We are honored that U.S. News & World Report has once again ranked Embry-Riddle among the very best,” said Dr. Ken Witcher, chancellor of the Prescott Campus. “These results reflect our dedication to students, and our ongoing commitment to delivering an exceptional education that prepares graduates to lead in aviation, aerospace and space.”

The Prescott Campus, which serves some 3,000 undergraduates, also ranked No. 2 among the Best Value Schools in the same region, jumping two spots from 2025. The classification examines academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid.

Additionally, the campus ranked No. 9 in the Top Performers on Social Mobility category. This recognizes schools that graduate large proportions of disadvantaged students who receive Pell Grants, which are awarded mainly to students from households earning under $50,000 per year.

For the second consecutive year, the Prescott Campus earned the No.1 national ranking among non-doctoral granting programs in the Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical category.

“Being recognized as the nation’s number one program in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering is a tremendous point of pride,” said Dr. Kathy Wood, Interim Dean of Embry-Riddle’s Prescott College of Engineering. “Here, students gain hands-on, industry-ready experience from day one — developing the mindset to shape the future of flight and space exploration.”

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About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aviation business, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in unmanned and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more. Visit the Embry-Riddle Newsroom for story ideas.

Embry-Riddle educates over 30,000 aspiring aerospace and aviation professionals at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, and across more than 115 Worldwide Campus locations and online degree programs. In 2024, U.S. News & World Report named Embry-Riddle Worldwide the nation’s No. 1 provider of online bachelor’s degree programs among private universities. Our residential campuses hold multiple Top 10 rankings. All of our campuses have been ranked Best for Veterans.