Full Breakdown
2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings Unveiled
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Rankings Release Highlights
On September 22, U.S. News & World Report published its 2027 Best Colleges rankings, evaluating roughly 1,700 institutions across 10 categories. MIT placed No. 1 among national universities, ending Princeton’s 15-year run. Caltech tied for No. 5 with Stanford, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was the top public university in Tennessee, ranking 14th among public institutions nationally. North Carolina A&T was identified as the nation’s No. 1 public HBCU.
Background & Context: Methodology Updates
The 2027 edition added several new metrics aimed at answering “Is college worth it?” Key changes include:
- A “graduate earnings by major” factor using College Scorecard data to compare earnings of graduates within the same field.
- Adoption of the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, reshuffling 17 % of category assignments.
- A Best Value Schools for In-State Students ranking that blends tuition, need-based aid, and average scholarships.
- Expanded emphasis on social-mobility outcomes, measuring enrollment and graduation of economically disadvantaged students.
These adjustments were intended to provide clearer data on post-graduation outcomes and affordability.
Data & Statistics: Top Movers and New Categories
- MIT – No. 1 national university; also No. 3 for Pell-Grant recipient share.
- Caltech – Tied for No. 5 overall; first in per-student financial resources, faculty publication share, graduate earnings relative to high-school peers, and standardized test scores; second in earnings-by-major metric.
- NC A&T – No. 1 public HBCU; rose 13 spots to No. 116 among public universities and No. 219 overall; its engineering programs lead the nation in bachelor’s degrees awarded to Black engineers.
- Virginia Tech – Tied for No. 52 overall and No. 19 among public universities; its College of Engineering tied for No. 15 nationally.
- UT Knoxville – No. 14 in the Best Value category for public universities; overall rank 50 among public institutions.
- University of Indianapolis – Jumped 66 spots to No. 171 in Top Performers on Social Mobility; its nursing program rose 83 spots to No. 135.
- Ashland University – Ranked No. 49 among Midwest regional universities, placing in the top 30 % for the fourth consecutive year.
- Quinnipiac University – Ranked No. 91 among Best Value Schools and entered the top-100 private universities at No. 78.
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. UT Knoxville provost John Zomchick described the ranking as “gratifying” recognition of the university’s commitment to accessible, high-quality education.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It has no meaning unless you’re looking solely for cocktail party banter, if you’re looking to brag: ‘My child is going to a college that US News says is number one,’” — Larry Ladd, college finance expert
- “With families increasingly scrutinizing the true cost and return on investment of a college degree, our goal is to provide clear, actionable data,” — LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at US News
- “This year’s ranking reflects the strength of our faculty and staff and the quality of education we provide,” — Dr. Brent Arnold, dean of the College of Health Sciences
- “Our responsibility as a public, land-grant HBCU is to bring academic excellence and opportunity together,” — Chancellor James R. Martin
- “Quinnipiac’s ranking among the nation’s top 100 private universities and top 100 best-value schools reflect the quality of our academic programs and, most importantly, the outcomes our students achieve.” — Provost Debra Liebowitz.