U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2021 Best Colleges Rankings

New edition ranks test-blind schools and includes measures of student debt at graduation.
Sept. 14, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today unveiled the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges. As students and schools across the nation grapple with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. News remains committed to providing data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options.

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This year's edition includes several updates to the Best Colleges methodology that address important issues directly impacting students and their families. These new measures look at timely topics such as student debt, social mobility, and test-blind admissions policies. In this edition, U.S. News:

Added two ranking indicators measuring student debt. Affordability is often a primary concern for college applicants, as student loan debt can have long-lasting impacts. To provide more data in this area, U.S. News added two new ranking indicators: 1) the average amount of accumulated federal loan debt among full-time undergraduate borrowers at graduation, and 2) the percentage of full-time undergraduates in a graduating class who borrowed federal loans.

Increased the weight of outcome measures. Resulting from the new graduate indebtedness indicators, outcomes – which also include graduation and retention rates, and social mobility – now account for 40% of the Best Colleges methodology, up from 35% last year. The weights for SAT and ACT scores, high school class standing and alumni giving were reduced.

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For the 2021 rankings, Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges. For Top Public Schools, the University of California—Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

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