RANKINGS
Note: If links on this page are broken, please let me know via my contact page. I’ll check them and make sure they are removed or changed if needed. Sometimes a different browser or machine (phone vs. computer, for example) will lead to different results. If links really don’t work, try searching for articles you want to read using the reference info here. Links often change but titles and publishers shouldn’t.​
This page of my college search resources hierarchy includes various rankings published by a wide variety of sources. Some focus on research quality, some on outcomes for students, and some on the cost of attendance. All may be helpful in making your decision about what kind of school you want to attend. None of these resources are written or ranked by me.
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Rankings can be somewhat deceptive, such as those focusing on the number of patents or billionaires per campus. Remember: per capita rates for things like this (or for crimes) are more indicative of what your outcomes may look like than the raw numbers these rankings are often based on.
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Whichever rankings you read, it is essential you remember the priorities of the people doing the ranking may not be the things important to you.
As with other pages in this hierarchy, most of these resources are free to access. Some are not available without a subscription. I have marked the ones likely to require a subscription with “Possible Paywall.” Your school or local public library may have free access if you don’t through your parents, neighbors, or mentors.
​Rankings
Please note: In all cases with Rankings you should review their methodology to see if the factors used by those making the rankings are important to you. In some cases the parts of a college that are seen as important by whatever group is doing the rankings may be more or less important to you than they are to the group doing the ranking.
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“Opinion | College rankings leave out the most important factor: teaching quality,” The Washington Post: Oct 9, 2024. Note: The author is absolutely correct. However, as he notes, addressing this won’t be easy.
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“50 universities making an outsize impact on business,” Fast Company: Sept 24, 2024. Note: An interesting and unusual ranking of schools where startups and other opportunities are promoted. Check to see if you agree with their methodology and what they value.
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“Colleges with the Happiest Students,” The Princeton Review: late summer 2024. Note: An interesting read. As always check their methodology to understand what is valued here.
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“2025 College Free Speech Rankings,” The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression: late summer 2024. Note: This is a ranking of students’ perceived ability to speak on issues important to them.
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“Princeton Review: The 10 colleges where students study the most,” CNBC: Sept 5, 2024. Note: Most of these are technology focused schools.
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[possible paywall] “Best U.S. Colleges 2025,” The Wall St. Journal: Sept 5, 2024. Note: There is a lot of churn in this relatively new ranking. Check the WSJ methodology to see if what they value is important to you. You can also find last year’s ranking further down on this page.
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“Forbes America's Top Colleges List 2025 - Best US Universities Ranked,” Forbes: Aug 26, 2024. Note: Forbes ranking looks at many campuses and has multiple sub-rankings, some of which are touched on across my resources hierarchy. As always with rankings, check their methodology to see if what they value is important to you.
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“A Different Kind of College Ranking,” Washington Monthly Magazine: Aug 25, 2024. Note: this describes the logic behind the WMM rankings immediately linked below.
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“Our 2024 College Rankings Are Out: See How Your School Did,” Washington Monthly Magazine: Aug 25, 2024. Note: Washington Monthly focuses on Social Impact more than on traditional measures such as amounts of research funding, admissions rates, yield, or reputation. Their rankings are therefore a bit different than most traditional systems. Read their methodology (above) to understand how they do what they do. As with all rankings check to see if what they value is of importance to you.
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“America’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges | Washington Monthly Magazine: Aug 25, 2024. Note: WMM has several sub-rankings. This one seemed worth highlighting for its relatively unique perspective. As always with all rankings, ensure that what they value is what is important to you.
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“2025 Best Colleges in America ,” Niche: Aug 25, 2024. Note: As with all rankings, this considers a variety of factors. You can see how Niche calculates rankings here. As always, consider whether what they value is what is important to you
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“The World’s 15 Best College Cities,” MentalFloss: Aug 2, 2024. Note: An interesting ranking that shows the importance of the environment to campus life. See if what they value is important to you.
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“The 10 Best UK Universities For Value for Money Have Been Revealed,” timeout UK: July 23, 2024 Note: This ranking seems to be closer to the Wall St. Journal than U.S. News. As always check what they value to se if it matters to you.
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“U.S. News Best Global Universities,” U.S. News and World Report: Jun 25, 2024. Note: This is relatively heavily research focused. As with all rankings be sure what they value is what you care about.
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“University Of California System Again Tops List For Most U.S. Patents,” Forbes: Jun 4, 2024. Note: As with last year, my concern with this (useful) ranking is that there is no accounting for per capita patents which may leave people thinking work in patent winning labs is easier to get in the UCs than it really is.
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“Top 100 U.S. Universities List,” National Academy of Inventers: Spring 2024. Note: Unfortunately, they don’t rank patent success by per capita scientists or PIs. This can lead to people thinking that work in patent winning labs is either too easy or too hard to get depending on the school.
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“Top Colleges For Billionaires,” Forbes: Jun 9, 2024. Note: As with other rankings like this, there is no accounting for per capita factors but this is still a fun read.
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“World University Rankings 2024 | Global 2000 List,” the Center for World University Rankings: June 2024. Note: As always with rankings, check the methodology to see if what they value is important to you.
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“The top 20 universities in the UK,” The Week: June 4, 2024. Note: this is drawn from the CWUR ranking immediately above this entry. Same advice on using rankings as above.
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“These 10 colleges may be as good as the Ivy League, according to Forbes,” CNBC: May 4, 2024.
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“Best Universities and Colleges,” Payscale: late Winter 2024. Note: Payscale ranks 1510 colleges on earnings at various points in graduates’ careers. If earnings are important, this data is worth a look.
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“The 15 Safest Colleges in America" | Academic Influence: Mar 5, 2024. Note: Along with their list they discuss what safety is and why its important. A very helpful read.
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“The Top 25 Universities For R & D Spending; Johns Hopkins #1 Again,” Forbes: Dec 5, 2023. Note: See the entry from the National Science Foundation below for further information.
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“Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey 2022,” National Science Foundation: Nov