The latest list places Princeton University second, Harvard third, Yale fourth, while Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology share fifth place|@Princeton|X

Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top spot in US News & World Report’s 2027 ranking of national universities, pushing Princeton, which had held No. 1 since 2012, down to second.

The shift comes after US News changed how it evaluates colleges. For its 2027 rankings, the publication gave greater weight to factors tied to students’ financial outcomes, including a new measure tracking graduates’ earnings four years after they leave college.

The changes also increased the importance of research-related measures, reshaping the competition among top universities.

Why MIT moved ahead
MIT benefited from strong results in faculty research, incoming students’ standardized test scores, and graduates’ earnings. Princeton’s overall data changed little, but other universities narrowed the gap as the methodology changed and after US News incorporated faculty research metrics in 2023.

Harvard and Yale came in third and fourth, while Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology share fifth place.

The movement at the top is not limited to overall university rankings. Recently, Stanford reclaimed the No. 1 position in the country’s best business schools. 

College rankings can influence where students apply and how families compare universities. High rankings can also help schools attract students, faculty, and donations.

However, the listings cannot capture every factor that affects a student’s experience. Campus culture, teaching quality, financial aid, location, and a university’s fit with an individual student can be difficult to measure through rankings.

Colleges have also criticized the publication for reducing reputation to a single number and relying on reviews from administrators at rival schools.

But schools still need US News?
They use its rankings to market themselves while supplying data, and the company makes millions licensing ranking badges that universities display to prospective students.

US News says more than 100 million people visit its website each year. This year, it expanded its coverage to include undergraduate economics programs and additional value-focused rankings.

The top of the list remains dominated by private universities. Among public institutions, UC Berkeley and UCLA ranked highest, tying Notre Dame for 20th place overall.