Love it or hate it, U.S. News & World Report‘s annual college ranking is back—with a twist.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology snapped Princeton University’s 15-year streak at No. 1. Princeton, Harvard University, Yale University and the California Institute of Technology filled out the top five.
U.S. News (criticized by some for its methodology) is now analyzing graduation and retention rates, social mobility for low-income students and graduates’ earnings.
The new metric, which makes up more than half of a school’s overall score, tracks outcomes by major and focuses solely on financial aid recipients to prevent affluence from skewing the rankings.
The shift reflects rising public concerns over higher education’s ROI, said LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News.
Other historical measures returned, such as peer assessment, financial resources and faculty salaries.
Williams College again earned the top spot among nearly 1,700 liberal arts colleges. The Massachusetts college offers free tuition for students whose families make less than $200,000 through grant-based financial aid. Loans or federal work-study are not required.
Amherst College placed second, while Bowdoin College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College and Swarthmore College tied in third.
Here are some additional rankings:
Public schools: National universities
1 (tie). University of California, Berkeley
1 (tie). University of California, Los Angeles
3. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)
1. Spelman College (Atlanta)
2. Howard University (D.C.)
3. Tuskegee University (Alabama)
Top performers on social mobility: National universities
1 (tie). Florida International University
1 (tie). University of California, Riverside
3. Oakland City University (Indiana)
College leaders have a complicated relationship with U.S. News and broader college ranking lists. Among 213 admissions officers, 70% say rankings have “lost some of their prestige over the last couple of years,” according to global education company Kaplan, an increase from 56% in 2023’s survey.
Nevertheless, 88% plan to continue participating in rankings.
A nontraditional take on college rankings
The Princeton Review’s August ranking took a different route. Students across 400 schools completed a 98-question survey about their campus experience, creating 50 unique ways to crown an institution.
“No school is best overall,” said Rob Franek, report author and editor-in-chief at The Princeton Review.
- Best Classroom Experience: Reed College (Ore.)
- Best Student Support and Counseling Services: Macalester College (Minn.)
- Best Career Services: Bentley University (Mass.)
- Great Financial Aid: Washington and Lee University (Va.)
- Best Quality of Life: University of San Diego (Calif.)
- Lots of Race/Class Interaction: Rice University (Texas)
- Students Most Engaged in Community Service: Marquette University (Wis.)
Check out the full college ranking here.
