(NEXSTAR) – For the “work hard, play hard” students out there, this one is for you.
Education research and ranking site Niche has released its round up of the top party schools in the United States for 2025, and for the third straight year, the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) takes the top spot.
Using a database of over 500,000 student reviews of U.S. colleges, Niche’s data scientists assigned scores based on the following factors: student surveys, access to bars, athletics grade, Greek life grade and access to restaurants.
Reviews from a number of current and former students mentioned UCSB’s “stunning” beachfront campus, mountainous backdrop and the social aspect of the university, but also addressed its reputation as a “party school.”
“It is literally heaven on Earth for an 18-21 year old as long as you don’t overdo it,” wrote a UCSB junior student in late July. “You need to prioritize school over partying because the academic load is quite rigorous.”
An unsanctioned, annual beachfront event dubbed “Deltopia” has become infamous in recent years, with the 2023 street party resulting in 151 citations, 23 arrests and a flood of medical emergency calls.
In second place among the nation’s top party schools is the University of Oklahoma, according to Niche, where the social scene is closely tied to the Sooners’ athletic programs. In an unofficial poll, more than half of OU students (57%) said the biggest social event of the year was “every gameday,” with 95% of students saying that varsity sports were either a big part of campus life, or that “almost everything on campus revolves around them.”
Rounding out the top five are the University of Cincinnati, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Southern California.
See the list of the top 25 party schools in America, according to Niche:
UniversityMetro AreaState
University of California – Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara AreaCA
University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City AreaOK
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati AreaOH
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Springfield, MA AreaMA
University of Southern California
Los Angeles AreaCA
Syracuse University
Syracuse AreaNY
Howard University
Washington, D.C. AreaDC
University of Georgia
Athens AreaGA
Vanderbilt University
Nashville AreaTN
The University of AlabamaAL
The Ohio State University
Columbus AreaOH
Florida State University
Tallahassee AreaFL
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL
University of Texas – Austin
Austin AreaTX
West Virginia UniversityWV
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Minneapolis-St. Paul AreaMN
University of Florida
FL
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Detroit AreaMI
San Diego State University
San Diego AreaCA
Temple University
Philadelphia AreaPA
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison AreaWI
Tulane University
New Orleans AreaLA
Southern Methodist University
Dallas-Fort Worth AreaTX
University of California – Los AngelesLos Angeles AreaCA
Penn StatePA(Credit: Niche)
Niche’s annual college rankings span a variety of topics that include athletics, campus reviews, academic programs, admissions and more.
