As an erstwhile Prince of the Queen City and semi-proud graduate of Xavier University (“Home of the Musketeers”), which I attended while doing a seven-year stretch in Ohio, I’ve long kept an eye on that bastion of Jesuit learning in Cincinnati.

(Nutshell educational bio: For my first eight years I had the misleadingly named Sisters of Charity, followed by eight years of the Jesuits, followed by eight years of occupational spasms ended only upon finding a decent job and meeting the Missus. So all’s well that ends well, yeah?)

Anyway, during the past few years I’ve faithfully tracked the fate of XU in the Wall Street Journal’s College Rankings, starting with Xavier’s ranking at 330 in 2020.

As I noted at the time, “It’s a bitter pill to be bested by Alma College, but boy, did we kick Pacific Lutheran’s ass.”

Sadly, XU dropped to #359 in 2022, then disappeared altogether from the Top 500 in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Kissin’ cousin shoutout: Xavier University of Louisiana – the only historically Black, Catholic university in the United States – did rank 405 in WSJ’s 2025 bakeoff. (The Gold Nuggets – mascot: Gold Digga – copped #412 in the 2026 rankings, for those of you keeping score at home.)

In addition, this year’s bakeoff gave the other XU what good Jesuits eternally pray for – restoration and redemption.

Not only did Xavier crack the Top 500 again, it zoomed to its highest ranking yet.

Eat your heart out, St. John Fisherniks.