GA has 3 of most beautiful US college campuses in 2026, US News & World Report says. One is top 5
U.S. News & World Report just released the 30 Most Beautiful College Campuses, and three Georgia schools made the list, with Berry College in Rome landing in the top five.
The rankings were based on “stunning architecture, picturesque settings and spectacular landscaping,” and first impressions have been known to sway students’ decisions about where to attend.
#5 Berry College, Rome
Berry students receive an acorn when they arrive and an oak sapling when they graduate.
Other features of note:
- Largest contiguous college campus in the world at 27,000+ acres
- Features Lavender Mountain (1,500+ feet) with forest, fields, wetlands and hiking/biking trails
- English Gothic architecture, reflecting pools, fountains and the historic Old Mill waterwheel
- Campus materials, like timber, clay and limestone, are sourced from the land itself
- Filming location for “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Remember the Titans”
#18 Mercer University, Macon
This is Mercer University’s second consecutive year on the list because of the gorgeous spring flowers and vibrant fall foliage.
Other features of note:
- Oldest continuously operating university in Georgia since 1833
- Victorian Gothic-style architecture
- Blooming azaleas, Yoshino cherry trees and magnolias
- Walter F. George School of Law building is modeled after Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed
#26 Spellman College, Atlanta
Spelman was also ranked number one in the 2026 Best Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) by U.S. News & World Report and was also ranked second on the list of Top Performers in Social Mobility and remains among the top 40 Best National Liberal Arts institutions at number 37.
Other features of note:
- Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary
- All-women’s college featuring a mix of historic and contemporary architecture
- Rockefeller Hall (1886) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Newest addition: the $86 million Center for Innovation and the Arts
- 84,000 square feet of connected research and collaboration spaces
The #1 most beautiful college campus in the US
Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon
This campus in Portland, Oregon, is a 137-acre forested campus with Willamette River views and Mount Hood in the distance, and that’s before you get to the mansions.
- Formal gardens, hiking trails and largely forested grounds with river and mountain views
- Frank Manor House: a 35-room Tudor mansion (1925), originally a private estate
- Corbett House: late-1920s Georgian/French chateau hybrid with bay windows, fireplaces and verandas
- 188-foot mass timber pedestrian bridge spanning a campus ravine
- Experimental Arts Research Forest: an outdoor acoustic lab with programmable speakers along a forest path for soundwalks and live performances
Georgia holding three of the 30 slots is genuinely worth noting. So which campus do you think should be on the list? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "GA has 3 of most beautiful US college campuses in 2026, US News & World Report says. One is top 5."