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Top U.S. Universities

Each year, US News and World Report ranks the top US universities. Even though it's completely arbitrary and wrong, try to guess the top 50.
2025–26 school year
This quiz will be updated every three years
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Last updated: October 2, 2025
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First submittedSeptember 17, 2012
Times taken144,655
Average score48.0%
Rating4.15
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School
1
Princeton
2
MIT
3
Harvard
4
Stanford
Yale
6
Chicago
7
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Penn
11
Caltech
12
Cornell
13
Brown
13
Dartmouth
15
Berkeley
Columbia
17
Rice
UCLA
Vanderbilt
20
Carnegie Mellon
Michigan
Notre Dame
Washington (St. Louis)
24
Emory
Georgetown
26
North Carolina
Virginia
28
USC
29
UCSD
30
Florida
Texas
32
Georgia Tech
NYU
UC Davis
UC Irvine
36
Boston College
Illinois
Tufts
Wisconsin
40
UC Santa Barbara
41
Ohio State
42
Boston University
Maryland
Rutgers
Washington
46
Georgia
Lehigh
Northeastern
Purdue
Rochester
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102 Recent Comments
sillie
+1
Level 75
Nov 11, 2014
Damn. Didn't know there was Penn and Penn State separetely.
samiamco
+10
Level 68
Aug 7, 2016
"Penn" refers to University of Pennsylvania, a private, Ivy League school in Philadelphia. Penn State is a HUGE public university, located in the boonies a couple hours west of Philadelphia, and is well-known for its successful football program under Joe Paterno (and the unfortunate Jerry Sandusky child rape scandal).
divantilya
+3
Level 36
May 17, 2019
Is Penn State the one located in a town called "State College"?
samiamco
+1
Level 68
Sep 16, 2019
Yep, that’s the one. There’s not much else out there except the school.
JWatson24
+3
Level 71
Sep 13, 2022
As a State College resident, I feel like I should be offended by someone saying that there's nothing else out here... but you're probably right. Still, if you're ever anywhere in the area I recommend it--it's a nice little town (and we have great ice cream!).
ander217
+2
Level 73
Jan 8, 2015
I typed in NY for NYU but it wasn't accepted. Other schools didn't require adding university as part of the name so I assumed NYU wouldn't either.
123454321
+1
Level 51
Oct 21, 2025
But NYU is not stony brook university
dakgrl
+1
Level 60
Sep 11, 2015
didn't take south Carolina or RIT
Will10
+6
Level 55
Sep 12, 2015
USC is Southern Cal, not South Carolina
charlie07
+4
Level 73
Feb 2, 2025
RIT refers to Rochester Institute of Technology, which is a different school than the (University of) Rochester included in this list
CorkSpork
+1
Level 71
Sep 15, 2015
Missed two of the colleges I applied to. Oddly enough, I ended up going to the one ranked lowest on this list out of the bunch
slimpasty
+4
Level 65
Sep 15, 2015
Please accept "University of" before several of the state schools and some others such as University of Rochester. Thanks!
texasforever
+2
Level 58
Jan 4, 2016
I find it quite strange that the University of Florida made it and UT Austin didn't.
IronDerBear
+1
Level 66
Aug 7, 2016
Same. When I first saw public institutions on the list, I was all like "Oh, Texas is probably on there," but then nothing worked- Texas, University of Texas Austin, UT Austin, Austin, Texas Austin. Nothing.
Algernon
+1
Level 74
Oct 1, 2016
Can you not accept "Mellon" or "Carnegie" for Carnegie Mellon? I tried both separately but no go.
Algernon
+1
Level 74
Aug 11, 2018
Second time around, and apparently you can't accept them as type ins. Oh well.
Algernon
+1
Level 74
Sep 13, 2022
Third time and I did it again.
Yankee
+2
Level 50
Jun 5, 2017
O-H!
AmyD85
+2
Level 74
Jun 28, 2017
I-O!
cornflakesfu
+8
Level 89
Sep 13, 2019
They're not on there anymore . . . OH-NO!
sillie
+4
Level 75
Sep 14, 2017
I know why, but still find it really funny that you have 51 universities in the top-50 ranking.
cornflakesfu
+1
Level 89
Sep 13, 2019
53 now :)
chondrichthyess
+2
Level 60
Sep 14, 2017
By "North Carolina", I'm assuming they mean Chapel Hill, not NCSU?
ninjastar9
+1
Level 58
Sep 22, 2017
It has only been five years since I was applying to colleges, and yet these rankings have changed considerably.
loganite
+4
Level 93
Nov 8, 2017
Boy, these folks love the University of California system...
rleitne
+11
Level 89
Aug 11, 2018
Given that UCLA and UCSB were acceptable answers, when I typed UCI, and it didn't work, I reasonably concluded that UC-Irvine didn't make this. UCI certainly should be an acceptable abbreviated form, as I know that is how my California friends always referred to it.
bestanford
+3
Level 73
Apr 21, 2021
Interesting, I'm from the East Coast and have heard UCB (rarely but sometimes), UCLA, UCSD and UCSB but never UCI - always "UC Irvine."
pillbug
+5
Level 67
Oct 4, 2022
My daughter goes there, and everyone calls it UCI.
interopia
+1
Level 90
Sep 29, 2018
My alma mater is in the five least guessed.
IsleAuHaulte
+5
Level 92
Oct 4, 2018
Seems quite random. I was almost expecting University of Phoenix Online.
stankyC
+5
Level 64
Oct 12, 2018
First year my alma mater, Georgia, cracked this list. Go mfcking dawgs, that free tuition was a good investment
Coyuznik
+3
Level 85
Sep 25, 2019
I always check UGA on lists like these. So glad our Alma Mater is up here!
Elan
+5
Level 66
Nov 21, 2018
Can you please accept "UIUC" for Illinois?
Sibawayh
+1
Level 45
Nov 22, 2018
My school, Rutgers, ranks 56. Close enough lol
kalbahamut
+2
Level 79
May 17, 2019
I went to George Mason (currently #136) and UVA (currently #25). But I graduated from GMU in '07. Not sure what it was ranked back then. I know it had one of the top law schools in the country but I wasn't studying law.
jmellor13
+3
Level 68
Oct 21, 2025
They renamed the law school shortly after Scalia's death to "the Antonin Scalia School of Law," which led to the unfortunate acronym "A.S.S.Law." It stayed that way for about five glorious days before they renamed it "Antonin Scalia Law School" and robbed us all of our cheap thrills. I will never forgive them.
mightythor
+5
Level 68
Feb 13, 2019
Tried CMU several times before considering you might be making us spell it out.
samiamco
+2
Level 68
Sep 16, 2019
Someone asked for “Carnegie” and “Mellon” to be accepted for Carnegie Mellon which I thought is a big “nah”, but “CMU” definitely should be!
Fergy586
+2
Level 80
Nov 11, 2024
We all know the real and important CMU is Central Michigan
TravelingMama
+1
Level 72
May 19, 2019
"Arbitrary and wrong" sums it up.
Tomtrific
+3
Level 80
Jun 28, 2019
Hard to believe U of Washington isn't on there. Go Huskies!!!
kapulani3
+1
Level 75
Sep 14, 2019
Depending on your career, the majority of these should not be on the list in regards to cost to value. Unless you are going into the sciences or law, I would bet at least 75% of these would never pay for themselves.
samiamco
+2
Level 68
Sep 16, 2019
Law and medical schools have different lists.
Kevss
+2
Level 68
Sep 29, 2019
Im suprised USNA isn't on here
MaryxJayson
+1
Level 71
Feb 23, 2020
This list is bad :(
mlisman
+1
Level 45
Jul 5, 2020
time for an update!

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges

Quizmaster
+5
Level ∞
Jul 11, 2020
Not going to update this until people start going to classes in real life again. Or the US News and World Reports puts Khan Academy on the list....
DonTheLamplighter
+1
Level 87
Sep 4, 2020
"Even though it's completely arbitrary and wrong...

LOL!!!

punkybrewster
+4
Level 85
Oct 24, 2020
No matter how many times I attempt the annual update, I will never learn to spell Renesme Polytechnic correctly.
mlisman
+1
Level 45
Oct 29, 2020
Will you update this for 2021?
bestanford
+4
Level 73
Apr 21, 2021
Please accept CMU for Carnegie Mellon, thanks!
Murphster45
+1
Level 97
Dec 1, 2021
You should make one for the Liberal Arts colleges as well, as this one is only National Colleges
trevor1919
+1
Level 63
Jan 2, 2022
No Military Academies?
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 92
Sep 14, 2022
U.S. military academies are liberal arts colleges. Small colleges are usually ranked separately from big schools even if they may be considered more prestigious.
LouVegas
+2
Level 40
Jan 27, 2022
Where's Purdue?
kogatora
+9
Level 96
Apr 2, 2022
Indiana
JustPunk
+2
Level 34
Sep 14, 2022
and Illinois.
cpgatbyu
+1
Level 88
Sep 13, 2022
This quiz got beat to the punch by two essentially identical user-submitted quizzes yesterday. Sorry that I haven't forgotten the answers there!
IsleAuHaulte
+6
Level 92
Sep 13, 2022
Boston getting 7 out of 50.
quizzicalguy
+5
Level 69
Sep 14, 2022
Boston's wicked smaht
kapulani3
+2
Level 75
Sep 15, 2022
Considering Boston University gave AOC a degree in economics and she doesn't understand the first thing about economics, I wouldn't put much stock in this list. In fact, if I had kids I would consider the majority of these a waste of money. They could get as good or better of an education for a fraction of the cost for what the majority of college graduates are going to end up doing with their lives.
IsleAuHaulte
+15
Level 92
Sep 15, 2022
Phoenix University Online advertises to you.
hiathere
+2
Level 45
Oct 4, 2022
Big difference between a bachelor of sciences in Economics, which requires you to actually learn actual economics, and a bachelor of arts in economics, which is what she has.
French2010
+4
Level 96
Oct 4, 2022
Nah, she just studied the same economics all politicians have studied - if I can take from a small number of productive people and give to a larger number of people who will vote for me, I will maximize my economic utility.
jmellor13
+10
Level 68
Oct 4, 2022
You disagreeing with her is not the same as her not knowing anything about economics. Plenty of economic experts have philosophies that disagree radically from each other. I'm not saying she's an expert, but she certainly understands a lot more than you want to give her credit for.
JWC1202
+3
Level 76
Sep 27, 2022
Funny seeing this one pop up with the recent scandal exposing how corrupt and fake the rankings are.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/22/opinions/columbia-ranking-inaccurate-data-thaddeus

CaptainUnderpant
+2
Level 81
Oct 2, 2025
"U.S. News, too, has much to answer for in this scandal. While it casts the college rankings as a consumer service, the product it peddles has done enormous harm to American higher education. Its conception of academic merit is simplistic and distorted. U.S. News claims to determine the 'Best Colleges,' but all it really does is add up a series of somewhat extraneous variables, such as alumni giving and administrative spending.

It makes no attempt to assess the quality of teaching and scholarship directly. For how could it? A good education is a subtle thing that is far too complex to be reduced to a single number. The one-size-fits-all approach of the U.S. News ranking ignores the reality that different students have different interests and needs. Some favor the arts, for example, while others prefer the sciences, but the ranking makes no such distinction. Students are ill advised to rely on an arbitrary rating assigned by others rather than choosing thoughtfully for themselves."

ecrucard
+2
Level 85
Sep 27, 2022
As others have stated, CMU should be an accepted write in for Carnegie Mellon. Especially since things like MIT, USC, and UNC are allowed.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Oct 4, 2022
I was asking for about 5 years before he finally took UVA for Virginia. Really should just add all such abbreviations to be consistent.
hiathere
+1
Level 45
Oct 4, 2022
Them including any non-Vanderbilt SEC schools just shows how arbitrary and wrong these lists are, they didn't go to "play school" they went to drink and party.
orange3472
+2
Level 72
Apr 22, 2024
I attend a "non-Vanderbilt SEC school" and it's not all partying. But FLORIDA and GEORGIA...come on
zayd05
+1
Level 55
Oct 21, 2025
Florida has been a top 10 public school in the nation for almost a decade now. Let me guess, you go to Tennessee?
akipopopopooon
+1
Level 81
Oct 4, 2022
It's wild how low Georgia and Georgia Tech are in this ranking
French2010
+7
Level 96
Oct 4, 2022
It's wild how Georgia is included at all.
ctleng76
+1
Level 65
Oct 4, 2022
So many ways to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars just to be told what to think and believe. Not to mention the tens of thousands of young adults who will choose a major that leads to no career options. Don't get me wrong, I think college can be a great option for some, but many of the schools on this list, especially the top ivy league schools aren't really contributing much to our society other than a whole generation of adults with more debt than they can handle.
jmellor13
+13
Level 68
Oct 4, 2022
Sounds like you haven't actually spent much time in a university classroom.
PumpkintheNerd
+2
Level 39
Oct 4, 2022
Haven’t heard of most of these…
TheCaptain
+2
Level 64
Oct 4, 2022
Villanova and Lehigh > Florida, Georgia, etc...
Saphyra
+1
Level 44
Oct 4, 2022
uhh where's UW? University of Washington State in Seattle, Washington.
uranianlightning
+1
Level 71
Oct 2, 2025
There is no University of Washington State in Seattle. Campuses are Pullman, Spokane, Vancouver, Everett, Tri-Cities and an online “Global Campus”.
Tisco
+5
Level 67
Oct 4, 2022
"UCI" should be sufficient to get UC Irvine.
JohnnyYeet
+3
Level 66
Oct 7, 2022
Okay, UPENN needs to be accepted
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Oct 8, 2022
"Penn" is
fluffcats
+1
Level 65
Jul 23, 2023
Reed doesn't play that game.
can72287
+3
Level 58
Dec 3, 2023
Is the second sentence necessary?
akipopopopooon
+3
Level 81
Oct 2, 2025
yeah
EmadAB
+3
Level 48
Mar 1, 2024
Fun fact: Andy Bernard went to Cornell
IkeLek
+2
Level 66
Oct 15, 2024
UPenn and CWRU should be accepted.
LEEKMEBAULSAC
+1
Level 44
Oct 18, 2024
How are none of the academies on this?
jmellor13
+1
Level 68
Oct 21, 2025
Wondered that myself. They must be excluded for some technical reason, otherwise I expect all three would be here.
ld1618
+1
Level 54
Jan 5, 2026
they are associated with the liberal arts college ranking list on us news
Adu04
+1
Level 56
Dec 10, 2024
I typed Vandy for Vanderbilt and it didn't show up so I moved on ;;(
JohnnyYeet
+2
Level 66
Oct 2, 2025
UT Austin should be allowed for Texas, OSU for Ohio State, and maybe UIUC for Illinois
uranianlightning
+3
Level 71
Oct 2, 2025
Suggest accepting BC for Boston College and BU for Boston University. Those are standard abbreviations.

The web pages are www.bc.edu/ and www.bu.edu/, respectively.

tschutzer
+3
Level 93
Oct 2, 2025
Rutgers making the leap from safety school to top 50 is one of the more stunning developments of my adult life.
Tisco
+1
Level 67
Oct 2, 2025
I typed "UCI" and was not given credit for UC Irvine. Please fix.
michaelngwa
+2
Level 62
Oct 2, 2025
UCI, OSU, UMD, BC, BU, and UGA really should all be acceptable type-ins
mf3
+2
Level 90
Oct 3, 2025
Hopkins should be enough.
MK411
+2
Level 70
Oct 4, 2025
No way JHU, WUSTL, UIUC, gatech (website name) are not accepted
jmellor13
+1
Level 68
Oct 21, 2025
"Best school" depends largely on what you want to study. Sure, you can depend on Princeton being really good at everything, but if you want to study English, does it matter how good the Chemistry department is? No, it doesn't. If you want to study journalism, Syracuse is a top-three school. For creative writing, it's Iowa. So, if these lists are to have any real value, it's really a ranking of "Which school has the best administrators," rather than "which school is the best for your student (or potential employee)." I'll also add, as someone with degrees from two schools listed in the top 30, that I have met plenty of the dumbest people I've ever come across at both of them. There's a lot to be said for graduating from your local state school with a 3.9 and very little debt, instead of graduating from an "elite" school with 3.1 and $280,000 in debt.
123454321
+1
Level 51
Oct 21, 2025
Please accept UMD for University of Maryland (college park)
JudgeRudy
+1
Level 67
Oct 22, 2025
Cal Tech was not accepted. I guess if there were a time to get hyper-technical...
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