College Rankings
The modern human brain craves the simplicity of a ranking system, particularly when it comes to selecting one college from an ocean of thousands. Seeing that one school comes in 21st and another 37th convinces many readers that the higher-ranked school is a superior institution. Unfortunately, this is flawed thinking on a number of levels, the first of which is that the algorithms that drive any rankings system are inherently imperfect and also, ultimately, no matter one鈥檚 best intentions鈥攕omewhat arbitrary. However, if you view a number of reputable ranking models side-by-side, a more useful picture starts to emerge. Many publications consider different factors when ranking colleges and weight those factors in varying ways. On this page, you can view how almost 400 of the top colleges in the United States fared across five of the most influential publications that issue annual postsecondary rankings.
For more on how each of those rankings were calculated, see the formulas below:
Forbes Ranking
A college鈥檚 ranking by Forbes, which is determined via the following formula: salary (20 percent), debt (20 percent), student experience (20 percent), American leaders list (15 percent), academic success (12.5 percent), and graduation rate (12.5 percent).
Money Ranking
A college鈥檚 ranking by Money, which is determined via the following formula: six-year graduation rate (30 percent), value-added graduation rate (30 percent), peer quality (10 percent), instructor quality (10 percent), financial troubles (15 percent), and Pell Grant recipient outcomes (5 percent).
US News & World Report Ranking
A college鈥檚 ranking by US News & World Report (US News), which is determined via the following formula: outcomes (35 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), expert opinion (20 percent), financial resources (10 percent), student excellence (10 percent), and alumni giving (5 percent).
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education Ranking
A college鈥檚 ranking by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (THE), which is determined via the following formula: resources (30 percent), engagement (20 percent), outcomes (40 percent), and environment (10 percent).
Washington Monthly Ranking
A college鈥檚 ranking by Washington Monthly, which is determined via the following formula: social mobility (33.3 percent), research (33.3 percent), and community and national service (33.3 percent).
| Institution | Forbes | Money | US News | Wall Street Journal/THE | Washington Monthly |
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Colleges Worth Your Money
2025 Edition
A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do for You
