This browser does not support the Video element.
America’s top colleges
Forbes has released their 2024 list of America’s Top Colleges.
NEW YORK - U.S. News & World Report released its annual ranking of the best colleges and universities in the country, and six schools from the Tri-State Area made it into the top 20.
The publication looked at nearly 1,500 schools using up to 17 measures of academic quality, including graduation rates, first-year retention rates, graduation rate performance, and student debt.
Here's a look at where some of the top schools in the Tri-State area landed in the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.
Top 10 National Universities
- Princeton University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- California Institute of Technology (tie)
6. Duke University (tie)
6. Johns Hopkins University (tie)
6. Northwestern University (tie)
10. University of Pennsylvania
Best colleges in New York
New York missed the top 10 with Cornell University at #11, but had four schools in the top 50.
- #11 Cornell University
- #13 Columbia University
- #44 University of Rochester
- #30 New York University
Best colleges in New Jersey
New Jersey came out on top with Princeton ranked #1 among the best national universities and The College of New Jersey ranked #1 in the best regional universities north. Also, worth noting, Rutgers University came in at #41 among national universities.
- #1 Princeton University
- #41 Rutgers University
Best colleges in Connecticut
Connecticut's United States Coast Guard Academy
- #5 Yale University
Massachusetts had two colleges in the top 10, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology #2 and Harvard University at #3. California fared well with Stanford University at #4 and California Institute of Technology tied with Duke University at #6.
Top 20 national universities
1. Princeton University
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University
4. Stanford University
5. Yale University
6. California Institute of Technology (tie)
6. Duke University (tie)
6. Johns Hopkins University (tie)
6. Northwestern University (tie)
10. University of Pennsylvania
11. Cornell University (tie)
11. University of Chicago (tie)
13. Brown University (tie)
13. Columbia University (tie)
15. Dartmouth College (tie)
15. University of California, Los Angeles
17. University of California, Berkeley
18. Rice University (tie)
18. University of Notre Dame (tie)
18. Vanderbilt University (tie)
Click here for the full list.