MIT moved to first place in the annual 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges national college ranking, ending Princeton's long 15-year reign at the top. The methodology placed greater emphasis on value and graduate earnings, including a new earnings-by-major measure that particularly benefited science, engineering and mathematics institutions. Harvard ranked third, while multiple Massachusetts colleges remained prominent in the top 100.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/09/22/2027-best-colleges-rankings-by-us-news-puts-mit-first-princeton-second/