U.S. News & World Report has just released its 2025 Best Colleges rankings, with a continued focus on key measures that matter most to students and families: social mobility and post-graduate success. This year, over 50% of each institution's ranking is determined by how well they help students graduate with manageable debt and secure promising post-graduate earnings.
2025 U.S. News College Rankings
Evaluating nearly 1,500 colleges and universities, the 2025 edition uses up to 17 measures of academic quality for National Universities and 13 indicators for National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. The formula relies on data that is either universally reported by schools or sourced from third parties, and participation in U.S. News’ surveys is not required for a school to be eligible for ranking. With these factors in mind, the 2025 rankings continue to serve as a critical resource for those making informed decisions about their higher education options.
Top 10 Best National Universities 2025 | Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges 2025 |
|
| 1. Princeton University | 1. Williams College | 1. University of California--Los Angeles |
| 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2. Amherst College | 2. University of California, Berkeley |
| 3. Harvard University | 3. Swarthmore College | 3. University of Michigan--Ann Arbor |
| 4. Stanford University | 4. United States Naval Academy | 4. University of Virginia |
| 5. Yale University | 5. Bowdoin College (tie) | 5. University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill |
| 6. California Institute of Technology (tie) | 5. Pomona College (tie) | 6. University of California, San Diego |
| 6. Duke University (tie) | 7. Wellesley College | 7. University of Florida (tie) |
| 6. Johns Hopkins University (tie) | 8. Carleton College (tie) | 7. The University of Texas--Austin (tie) |
| 6. Northwestern University (tie) | 8. Claremont McKenna College (tie) | 9. Georgia Institute of Technology (tie) |
| 10. University of Pennsylvania | 8. United States Air Force Academy (tie) | 9. University of California, Davis (tie) |
| 8. United States Military Academy at West Point (tie) | 9. University of California--Irvine (tie) | |
| 9. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (tie) |
The 2025 Best Colleges Overall Ranking criteria for National Universities involves a variety of indicators that measure different aspects of institutional performance, with specific weightings assigned to each factor based on whether the school reports usable SAT/ACT scores.
2025 Best Best National University Rankings Criteria and Weights
| Indicator | 2025 National Universities Weight for Schools With Usable SAT/ACT | 2025 National Universities Weight for Schools Without Usable SAT/ACT |
| Graduation rates | 16% | 21% |
| First-year retention rates | 5% | 5% |
| Graduation rate performance | 10% | 10% |
| Pell graduation rates | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| College grads earning more than a high school grad | 5% | 5% |
| Borrower debt | 5% | 5% |
| Peer assessment | 20% | 20% |
| Financial resources per student | 8% | 8% |
| Faculty salaries | 6% | 6% |
| Full-time faculty | 2% | 2% |
| Student-faculty ratio | 3% | 3% |
| Standardized tests | 5% | 0% |
| Citations per publication | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Field-Weighted Citation Impact | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Publication share in the Top 5% of Journals by CiteScore | 1% | 1% |
| Publication share in the Top 25% of Journals by CiteScore | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Understanding the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings is an essential step in making well-informed decisions about your child's college journey. These rankings offer valuable insights into how colleges compare in terms of student experience and future success, highlight important factors like academic quality, financial investment, and career outcomes. While they shouldn’t be the only consideration, they can help guide your decision-making as you explore options. By combining this information with campus visits and your child's personal goals, you can make a more informed choice about which college will provide the best fit for their future.
At 7EDU, we recognize the importance of individualized support in each student's college selection process. We offer a range of services including college admissions counseling, test preparation, essay support, and guidance on extracurricular planning, all tailored to help students make well-rounded decisions for their future. We focus not only on academics but also on extracurricular planning and emotional well-being, helping students make informed decisions at every stage of their educational path.
Discover how 7EDU can support your college admissions journey today.
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