- MIT has replaced Princeton at the top of the 2027 US News national university rankings, ending Princeton's 15-year run at No. 1.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken the top spot in the latest US News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, replacing Princeton University after 15 consecutive years at No. 1. Princeton fell to No. 2, while Harvard University remained No. 3. The 2027 rankings were released Sept. 22 and cover nearly 1,700 institutions.
The change represents the first time since the 2012 edition that Princeton has not held the top position in the National Universities category.
MIT takes the top spot
MIT's rise coincides with a significant change in how US News calculates its rankings. The 2027 edition introduced an "Earnings by Major" measure that evaluates graduate earnings four years after graduation using data from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard. The metric replaced the previous graduate-indebtedness factor.
US News said the new measure is designed to give greater weight to post-college economic outcomes as families increasingly examine the cost and potential financial return of higher education.
MIT performed particularly strongly under the new measure. The university also ranked No. 1 in undergraduate engineering, computer science, and economics, according to MIT. Its undergraduate business program ranked No. 2.
Princeton falls to No. 2
Princeton's move to No. 2 does not represent a large change in the underlying numerical score. The Princetonian reported that MIT received a score of 100, compared with 99 for Princeton and 96 for Harvard under the new rankings.
Princeton also remains highly rated in other measures. US News placed the university No. 1 among national universities for best value, according to reporting on the new rankings.
The methodology change appears to have played an important role in reshaping the top of the list. Princeton had historically performed strongly on the graduate-debt measure that was removed, while MIT performed particularly well on earnings-related outcomes.
The University of Chicago and Northwestern University both moved into a three-way tie for ninth. Last year, Chicago ranked sixth and Northwestern seventh.
Why the rankings changed
US News has continued to modify its methodology in recent years, meaning year-to-year changes don't necessarily represent changes in the overall quality of an institution. The 2027 rankings place greater emphasis on student outcomes, including earnings by major. US News also expanded eligibility following changes to the Carnegie Classification framework, with some institutions moving into different ranking categories.
The Boston Globe noted that the rankings remain controversial among higher-education observers because reducing universities to a single ranking can overlook differences in academic programs, affordability, and student priorities.
That makes the new No. 1 designation useful as a snapshot of the US News methodology, but not a comprehensive measure of every factor a prospective student might consider. For students and families, factors such as the specific academic program, financial aid, graduation outcomes, location, and total cost can produce very different comparisons from the overall national ranking.