This year’s college rankings by US News & World Report are officially out! In this blog post, you’ll find out what changed and how to leverage the rankings to your advantage for your college applications.
Rank | University |
---|---|
1 | Princeton University (NJ) |
2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA) |
3 | Harvard University (MA) |
4 | Stanford University (CA) |
5 | Yale University (CT) |
6 (tie) | California Institute of Technology (CA), Duke University (NC), Johns Hopkins University (MD), Northwestern University (IL) |
10 | University of Pennsylvania (PA) |
11 (tie) | Cornell University (NY), University of Chicago (IL) |
13 (tie) | Brown University (RI), Columbia University (NY) |
15 (tie) | Dartmouth College (NH), University of California, Los Angeles (CA) |
17 | University of California, Berkeley |
18 (tie) | Rice University (TX) , University of Notre Dame (IN), Vanderbilt University (TN) |
US News & World Report, September 2024
Last year, US News & World Report made dramatic changes to their ranking criteria. The new methodology prioritizes social mobility and related outcomes instead of traditional metrics of status and prestige: test scores, class sizes, and institutional wealth. Many have criticized the new rankings, pointing out that they tend to favor public universities over private ones.
This year, US News & World Report made only slight revisions to their ranking criteria to further emphasize social mobility. The changes are as follows:
Notable observations from last year’s rankings to this year include:
The remaining schools in the Top 20 for National Universities — ranks 11-20 — experienced small changes but remain in the Top 20. No new schools were added to or dropped from the Top 20 for the year 2025.
A change in rank from one year to the next does not necessarily indicate a meaningful change for the university. To look at longer-term trends, we need to zoom out a bit.
Over the period from 2018-2025:
As mentioned above, US News & World Report recently overhauled its ranking methodology to prioritize social mobility and related metrics — such as income after graduation.
Given these changes, schools that have improved in rankings over the last two years could be making efforts to increase social mobility, academic support, or post-graduation success. If these qualities are important to you, then a school’s improved ranking could be a sign that it would be a good fit for you. These areas can also be good to focus on when crafting your application. To demonstrate fit, highlight how your own experiences contribute to these factors.
College rankings, like those from U.S. News & World Report, still hold a fair amount of influence — but their importance can be a matter of debate.
At Crimson, we see the rankings as a tool to learn general information about universities. Here are some of the ways in which rankings can be useful:
We never recommend creating your school list solely based on university rankings. But a rankings list can be a helpful starting point to explore options and narrow down your choices based on specific criteria.
That said, it’s a good idea to use caution when looking at university rankings. Some potentially negative aspects of rankings to be aware of are:
College rankings still matter in shaping perceptions and guiding decisions, but aren’t the whole picture. We recommend factoring in things like personal fit, program strengths, campus environment, and career support when choosing a college.
For more guidance on creating your school list, check out this blog post: Creating The Perfect University List: Learn Your Safety, Target & Reach.
Given the potential shortcomings of ranking systems used by the likes of US News and Forbes, we at Crimson have developed a straightforward new method that produces less biased and more relevant rankings. We believe this method truly reflects which colleges are the best options for ambitious students.
Learn about cross-yield ranking and see our results here: Redefining College Rankings: The 2023/24 Top 25 US Colleges
While college rankings like those from US News & World Report can provide valuable insights, they should be just one piece of the puzzle when deciding where to apply. The most important factor is finding the school that fits you best, both academically and personally.
If you need help building your ideal school list, Crimson’s Academic Advisors can guide you through the process. Our experts have helped thousands of students thoughtfully build their school lists and get into Top 20 universities at 6.75x the rate of those who apply on their own.
Book a free consultation today to get your personalized application strategy!