U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2021 Best Colleges Rankings

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today unveiled the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges. As students and schools across the nation grapple with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. News remains committed to providing data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options.

"The pandemic has affected students across the country, canceling commencement ceremonies and switching classes from in person to remote," said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. "Whether students have slightly altered their college plans or changed them entirely, it remains our mission to continue providing students and their families with the tools they need to help find the right school for them."

This year's edition includes several updates to the Best Colleges methodology that address important issues directly impacting students and their families. These new measures look at timely topics such as student debt, social mobility, and test-blind admissions policies. In this edition, U.S. News:

• Added two ranking indicators measuring student debt. Affordability is often a primary concern for college applicants, as student loan debt can have long-lasting impacts. To provide more data in this area, U.S. News added two new ranking indicators: 1) the average amount of accumulated federal loan debt among full-time undergraduate borrowers at graduation, and 2) the percentage of full-time undergraduates in a graduating class who borrowed federal loans.

• Increased the weight of outcome measures. Resulting from the new graduate indebtedness indicators, outcomes – which also include graduation and retention rates, and social mobility – now account for 40% of the Best Colleges methodology, up from 35% last year. The weights for SAT and ACT scores, high school class standing and alumni giving were reduced.

• New weights and indicators applied to Historically Black Colleges and Universities ranking: For the 2021 HBCU ranking, U.S. News also applied the changes made to the overall rankings, including adding the two graduate indebtedness indicators and reducing the weights for student excellence and alumni giving.

• Ranked test-blind schools. Schools that do not make use of SAT or ACT scores in their admissions process are now included in the rankings, having previously been listed as unranked. While schools still widely accept SAT and ACT scores from applicants, a number of schools have either temporarily or indefinitely discontinued accepting these scores.

• Added a new ranking of computer science programs. The 2021 Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs ranking includes more than 450 schools. In addition, the computer science specialty rankings evaluate schools across nine areas, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and software engineering.

For the 2021 rankings, Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges. For Top Public Schools, the University of California—Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

This 36^th edition of Best Colleges evaluates more than 1,400 colleges and universities on 17 indicators of academic quality. The data used in the 2021 Best Colleges rankings pertains to student and faculty cohorts that predate the pandemic. For more information, visit U.S. News Best Colleges and share what makes your school the best fit for you using #BestColleges on Facebook and Twitter.

2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges

National Universities – Top 3
1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Columbia University (NY)

National Liberal Arts Colleges – Top 3
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)

Top Public Schools

National Universities – Top 3
1. University of California—Los Angeles
2. University of California—Berkeley
3. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

National Liberal Arts Colleges – Top 3
1. United States Naval Academy (MD)
2. United States Military Academy (NY)
3. United States Air Force Academy (CO)

Top Performers on Social Mobility

National Universities – Top 3
1. University of California—Riverside
2. University of California—Irvine
3. Rutgers University—Newark (NJ)

National Liberal Arts Colleges – Top 3
1. College of Idaho
2. Lake Forest College (IL)
3. Thomas Aquinas College (CA)

A new feature this year for those with free U.S. News accounts is access to our College Admissions Calculator. Among other things, this tool enables users to see how their high school GPA, SAT and ACT scores stack up with other individuals who were reportedly accepted, waitlisted and rejected at different schools. On schools' profile pages, prospective students can see ratings and reviews by current students, faculty and alumni. Alongside the reviews are Q&A sections for each school, answering questions on topics like extracurricular activities and campus culture.

Throughout the year, U.S. News also publishes editorial content related to the college experience. This includes tips for prospective students, such as how to apply to college via the Common App and ways to cut college costs, and timely information for current students about what to expect on campus due to the pandemic and changes to visa guidelines for international students.

To learn more about the U.S. News College Compass, or to order a copy of the "Best Colleges 2021" guidebook (ISBN 978-1-931469-96-8), visit the online U.S. News store.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and News, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. 

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

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