U.S. News Announces 2026 Best Colleges Rankings

The 41st edition serves as a year-over-year benchmark for students and families.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today announced the 2026 Best Colleges rankings.

Serving as a guide for prospective students and their families, the national and regional rankings evaluate nearly 1,700 colleges and universities using up to 17 measures of academic quality. In a show of continued excellence, eight of the top-ranked schools in the ten ranking categories retained their No. 1 position, with the remaining two finishing a strong second.

"For over four decades, Best Colleges has served as a trusted and data-backed resource for students and families navigating the complex college search process," says LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "Over the years, Best Colleges has evolved into a comprehensive tool that reflects the changing landscape of higher education, providing prospective students with a crucial starting point to identify schools that align with their academic and personal goals."

Core methodology and weighting factors remained the same this year, but small portions of underlying data were adjusted to reflect evolving admissions considerations, cohort representation and student involvement.

"While the general scoring weights and factors remained consistent, the 2026 rankings made a few small adjustments to ensure the results accurately reflect the evolving landscape of higher education," says Jones. "By considering students' credit hours and increasing the minimum number of students for a cohort, the rankings deliver a view of institutional investment in students, and graduation and retention rates." 

This edition of the rankings also includes specialized rankings, such as the best value schools, most innovative colleges, top performers on social mobility and historically Black colleges and universities, as well as universities with the greatest commitment to undergraduate teaching. Additionally, students can find Programs That Enhance Student Experience, including first-year experiences, co-ops/internships, service learning, study abroad and undergraduate research/creative projects.

Supporting the rankings, U.S. News publishes content related to college affordability. This year, advice includes topics such as "See the Average College Tuition in 2025-2026," " 8 Types of Part-Time Jobs That Pay for College," and "10 Most and 10 Least Expensive Private Colleges."

The 2026 Best Colleges methodology is calculated using up to 17 key measures of academic quality for National Universities and 13 indicators for the National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges. The formula uses data universally reported by schools or obtainable from third-party sources. Schools' eligibility to be ranked is not contingent on participation in U.S. News' surveys. Institutions and media wishing to learn more about this year's updates to the ranking methodologies can register for our upcoming webinar on October 9.

2026 Best National Universities – Top 3

1. Princeton University
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University

2026  Best National Liberal Arts Colleges – Top 3

1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. United States Naval Academy

2026 Top Public Schools: National Universities – Top 3

1. University of California, Berkeley
2. University of California – Los Angeles
3. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

2026 Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Top 3

1. Spelman College
2. Howard University
3. Morehouse College

2026 Top Performers on Social Mobility: National Universities – Top 3

1. Florida International University
2. University of California, Riverside
3. California State University, Long Beach 

2026 Top Schools for Veterans: National Universities – Top 3

1. University of Chicago
2. Cornell University
3. Brown University

2026 Best Regional Universities: North – Top 3

1. Bentley University
2. Providence College
3. Rhode Island School of Design

2026 Best Regional Universities: South – Top 3

1. Citadel Military College of South Carolina
2. Rollins College
3. Appalachian State University

2026 Best Regional Universities: Midwest – Top 3

1. Butler University
2. John Carroll University
3. Milwaukee School of Engineering

2026 Best Regional Universities: West – Top 3

1. California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo
2. University of Portland
3. California State Polytechnic University – Pomona

U.S. News' education portfolio of resources includes the Scholarship Finder tool which provides potential and current undergraduate students with access to financial aid options and more than 18,000 scholarships. In addition, U.S. News recently launched "Getting In," a new newsletter for parents about the college admissions process that delivers smart strategies, insider information and stress-reducing guidance.

To order a copy of the "Best Colleges 2026" guidebook (ISBN 979-8-9864591-4-1), visit the online U.S. News store.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.