Top US colleges and universities: The US News & World Report for the Best Colleges Rankings 2024 have been released. As a comprehensive guide for prospective students and their families to make well-informed decisions, these rankings assess 1,500 colleges and universities, utilising up to 19 distinct measures of academic quality.
The highlight of this year’s rankings puts an increased emphasis on social mobility and student outcomes upon graduation, marking the most substantial methodological shift in the history of the rankings.
Revised Approach to Ranking Colleges : More than fifty percent of an institution’s placement now comprises different outcome measures concerning the success in enrolling and graduating students from diverse backgrounds, alongside manageable student debt and success after graduation.
Consequently, five parameters, namely class size, faculty with terminal degrees, alumni giving, high school class standing and the proportion of graduates borrowing federal loans, were eliminated from the evaluation process.
The 2024 Best Colleges methodology is calculated using 19 key measures of academic quality applied to National Universities, and 13 for National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges.
The formula utilises universally reported data by colleges or obtained from reliable third-party sources, ensuring that an institute’s likelihood of being ranked does not hinge on participating in US News’ surveys.
New Additions to Ranking : In a significant advancement, the Best Colleges rankings now also includes undergraduate economics and psychology degrees. Furthermore, this release features specialised rankings that emphasise highlighting the most innovative colleges, alongside institutions with a significant commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Top US colleges and universities in 2024
Top National Universities 2024
1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University (MA) (tie)
3. Stanford University (CA) (tie)
Top National Liberal Arts Colleges 2024
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. United States Naval Academy (MD)
Top Public Schools: National Universities 2024
1. University of California, Berkeley (tie)
1. University of California, Los Angeles (tie)
3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
5. University of Virginia
Top Public Schools: National Liberal Arts Colleges 2024
1. United States Naval Academy (MD)
2. United States Air Force Academy (CO)
3. United States Military Academy at West Point (NY)
Top Performers on Social Mobility: National Universities 2024
1. California State University, Long Beach
2. California State University, Fullerton (tie)
2. California State University, Riverside (tie)
4. California State University, San Bernardino (tie)
4. University of California, Merced (tie)
Top Performers on Social Mobility: National Liberal Arts Colleges 2024
1. Lake Forest College (IL)
2. Agnes Scott College (GA) (tie)
2. Salem College (NC) (tie)
2. Spelman College (GA) (tie)
Top Ivy League Schools: National Universities 2024
1. Princeton University
2. Harvard University
3. Yale University
4. University of Pennsylvania
5. Brown University
Top Undergraduate Engineering Programmes (with doctorate) 2024
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. Georgia Institute of Technology (tie)
3. University of California, Berkeley (tie)
Top Undergraduate Engineering Programmes (without doctorate) 2024
1. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
2. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (tie)
2. Harvey Mudd College (tie)
Top Undergraduate Business Programmes 2024
1. University of Pennsylvania
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (tie)
2. University of California, Berkeley (tie)
4. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
5. New York University (tie)
5. University of Texas at Austin (tie)
Top A-Plus Schools for B Students 2024
1. Michigan State University
2. Marquette University
3. University of South Florida
4. University of Iowa
5. Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Top US colleges and universities
| US rank 2024 | World University Rank 2024 | World University Rank 2023 | University | City | State |
| 1 | 2 | =3 | Stanford University | Stanford | California |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | Harvard University | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
| 4 | 6 | 7 | Princeton University | Princeton | New Jersey |
| 5 | 7 | 6 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena | California |
| 6 | 9 | 8 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley | California |
| 7 | 10 | 9 | Yale University | New Haven | Connecticut |
| 8 | 13 | 13 | The University of Chicago | Chicago | Illinois |
| 9 | 15 | 15 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | Maryland |
| 10 | 16 | 14 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| 11 | 17 | =11 | Columbia University | New York City | New York |
| 12 | 18 | 21 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles | California |
| 13 | 20 | 20 | Cornell University | Ithaca | New York |
| 14 | 23 | 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Michigan |
| 15 | 24 | 28 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| 16 | 25 | =26 | University of Washington | Seattle | Washington |
| 17 | 26 | 25 | Duke University | Durham | North Carolina |
| 18 | 27 | 24 | New York University | New York City | New York |
| 19 | 28 | =26 | Northwestern University | Evanston | Illinois |
| 20 | 34 | 32 | University of California, San Diego | San Diego | California |
| 21 | 36 | 38 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 22 | 42 | 48 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Illinois |
| 23 | 52 | 50 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Texas |
| 24 | 59 | 63 | University of California, Davis | Davis | California |
| 25 | 63 | 81 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison | Wisconsin |
| 26 | =64 | 61 | Brown University | Providence | Rhode Island |
| 27 | 68 | 57 | Washington University in St Louis | St Louis | Missouri |
| 28 | 69 | 64 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | California |
| 29 | 72 | 69 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
| 30 | 74 | 65 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | California |
| 31 | 78 | =71 | Boston University | Boston | Massachusetts |
| 32 | 85 | =101 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| 33 | 86 | 127 | Purdue University West Lafayette | West Lafayette | Indiana |
| =34 | =92 | =95 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine | California |
| =34 | =92 | 98 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Tennessee |
| 36 | =99 | 112 | Ohio State University (Main campus) | Columbus | Ohio |
| 37 | =106 | =82 | Emory University | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 38 | 114 | =104 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park | Maryland |
| 39 | =116 | 106 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | Michigan |
| 40 | 118 | 181 | Texas A&M University | College Station | Texas |
| 41 | =119 | 147 | Rice University | Houston | Texas |
| 42 | 122 | =151 | Penn State (Main campus) | State College | Pennsylvania |
| 43 | =123 | 191 | University of Massachusetts | Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, Worcester | Massachusetts |
| 44 | 132 | =151 | University of Florida | Gainesville | Florida |
| 45 | 133 | 154 | University of Rochester | Rochester | New York |
| 46 | =138 | =148 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder | Colorado |
| 47 | =145 | 144 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| 48 | =155 | 180 | University of Arizona | Tucson | Arizona |
| 49 | =161 | 123 | Dartmouth College | Hanover | New Hampshire |
| 50 | =164 | 134 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland | Ohio |
