Webb Institute has once again been recognized as one of the nation’s best undergraduate institutions, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features Webb in the 2026 edition of its highly selective annual guide, The Best 391 Colleges, released by Penguin Random House.
Only 15% of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year colleges are included in The Princeton Review guidebook. Selection is based on surveys of 2,000 college administrators about their institutions’ academic offerings, as well as feedback from students who rated their schools on dozens of topics and shared details about their campus experience.
“This recognition from The Princeton Review affirms the extraordinary academic experience and close-knit community we foster here at Webb,” said Mark Martecchini, President of Webb Institute. “Our students’ passion for naval architecture and marine engineering, coupled with our faculty’s dedication, creates a truly unique and world-class educational environment.”
In its profile of Webb Institute, The Princeton Review editors praise the institution for being “a very niche school that is very good at what it does,” where “each student graduates with a dual degree” in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. The profile highlights Webb’s distinctive Winter Work Term, during which every student completes a paid internship in the maritime industry, from yacht design to work aboard an Antarctic icebreaker.
Students surveyed describe Webb as a place where “so many people collaborate on homework,” professors are “invested” and “accessible,” and the community is “accepting of absolutely everything: we love our school and each other.” And while Webb is the nation’s only college devoted solely to naval architecture and marine engineering, students don’t have to know anything about ships—they just have to be motivated to study engineering.
“Webb Institute has outstanding academic programs, and the feedback we received from its students was very impressive,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of The Best 391 Colleges. “We are delighted to name Webb one of our Best Colleges for 2026 and to recommend it to students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”
Webb received rating scores of 93 in Academics, 85 in Quality of Life, and 98 in Fire Safety. The Institute maintains a 100% job placement rate for graduates, a hallmark of its rigorous program and strong alumni network.
