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Best Colleges & Universities 2026-2027

Best Universities helps students and families compare U.S. colleges with clear rankings, school profiles, and expert answers. We score schools on cost, completion, earnings, and access using federal education data, then publish letter grades you can scan before you shortlist campuses.

Start with our college rankings, look up a school in school profiles, or ask a practical question in our FAQ. For how grades and ranks are built, see the Best Universities methodology.

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Contents

Best Colleges & Universities in the U.S.

Our national four-year ranking compares 1,437 U.S. colleges on cost after aid, completion, earnings, and access using federal education data. Below are the top 10 schools on that list. Letter grades come from the Best Universities methodology.

Top 10 at a glance

Scan rank, grade, and typical net price before you open the school cards.

Rank, grade, and typical net price for the top 10 schools on our national four-year ranking.
RankSchoolGradeTypical net price
1CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeA-$3,033
2Princeton UniversityA-$6,128
3University of California-San DiegoA-$12,470
4University of California-BerkeleyA-$13,481
5Stanford UniversityB+$13,807
6University of Florida-OnlineB+$4,815
7United States Merchant Marine AcademyB+$6,174
8University of FloridaB+$6,541
9Rice UniversityB+$13,370
10University of California-Los AngelesB+$12,548

Top 10 school cards

Each card shows the overall letter grade plus category scores for affordability, outcomes, career, and access within this national cohort.

#1

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

National four-year ranking

New York, NY
Public
Overall grade A-
Affordability88.4
Outcomes67.9
Career88.1
Access94.4
More Details

Ranks #1 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of A-. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $3,033 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#2

Princeton University

National four-year ranking

Princeton, NJ
Private nonprofit
Overall grade A-
Affordability87.6
Outcomes79.7
Career98.7
Access53.4
More Details

Ranks #2 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of A-. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $6,128 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#3

University of California-San Diego

National four-year ranking

La Jolla, CA
Public
Overall grade A-
Affordability80.1
Outcomes76.1
Career92.6
Access71.1
More Details

Ranks #3 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of A-. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $12,470 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#4

University of California-Berkeley

National four-year ranking

Berkeley, CA
Public
Overall grade A-
Affordability78.4
Outcomes78.4
Career95.2
Access64.2
More Details

Ranks #4 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of A-. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $13,481 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#5

Stanford University

National four-year ranking

Stanford, CA
Private nonprofit
Overall grade B+
Affordability77.7
Outcomes78.1
Career99.5
Access52.8
More Details

Ranks #5 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $13,807 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#6

University of Florida-Online

National four-year ranking

Gainesville, FL
Public
Overall grade B+
Affordability87.2
Outcomes79.5
Career82.3
Access55.3
More Details

Ranks #6 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $4,815 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#7

United States Merchant Marine Academy

National four-year ranking

Kings Point, NY
Public
Overall grade B+
Affordability87.8
Outcomes69.9
Career99.1
Access44.7
More Details

Ranks #7 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $6,174 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#8

University of Florida

National four-year ranking

Gainesville, FL
Public
Overall grade B+
Affordability86.5
Outcomes78.5
Career82.3
Access55.4
More Details

Ranks #8 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $6,541 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#9

Rice University

National four-year ranking

Houston, TX
Private nonprofit
Overall grade B+
Affordability78.9
Outcomes78.8
Career95.6
Access50.3
More Details

Ranks #9 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $13,370 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

#10

University of California-Los Angeles

National four-year ranking

Los Angeles, CA
Public
Overall grade B+
Affordability80.5
Outcomes78.2
Career86.1
Access63.0
More Details

Ranks #10 among U.S. four-year colleges on this national list with a letter grade of B+. Category scores below are percentiles within the same national cohort (0 to 100). Typical net price is about $12,548 after grants. Confirm current costs, aid, and programs on the college site.

Browse more four-year lists in our college rankings hub, including state, regional, and specialty rankings.

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How we rank schools

  • Affordability
  • Completion
  • Earnings
  • Access

We rank schools inside defined cohorts so you compare like with like. Weights favor affordability, completion, career outcomes, and access using public U.S. Department of Education fields. Tables show a letter grade from the Best Universities methodology, not a single “best school for everyone” claim.

Read the full recipe on our methodology page. Always confirm current tuition, aid, and program details with the school before you apply. For practical Q&A, see our FAQ.