Slippery Rock University was recognized in the Washington Monthly's 2021 College Guide and Rankings, a publication whose editors rank four-year schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research and providing opportunities for public service. The publication also ranked SRU on its list of “Best Bang for the Buck” colleges, measuring them by how well non-wealthy students obtain marketable degrees at affordable prices.

Washington Monthly ranked colleges based in four categories: National Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Master's Universities and Bachelor's Colleges. SRU was ranked 58th out of more than 600 schools on the Master's Universities rankings, which are schools that “award a significant number of master's degrees but few or no doctoral degrees.”