Best Universities in United States 2026
891 universities in United States ranked on real data — QS reputation, admission rate, graduation & graduate earnings. How we rank.
Which are the best universities in United States in 2026? We rank 891 United States universities on real published data — QS World reputation, admission selectivity, graduation rates and graduate earnings — never opinion.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops the ranking with an independent grade of A+ (5% acceptance, $143,372 median graduate earnings), ahead of Stanford University and Harvard University. Every university carries an independent ScholarshipsAds grade, so you can compare quality, selectivity, tuition and graduate outcomes at a glance.
Filter by field of study below, or open any university for its full review, programs, tuition and scholarships.
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1
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyA+
Cambridge, Massachusetts · United States · Global #1 · QS #1
5% acceptance 96% graduation $143,372 median earnings $82,730/yr 4,535 students
2
Stanford UniversityA+
Stanford, California · United States · Global #3 · QS #3
4% acceptance 92% graduation $124,080 median earnings $87,833/yr 7,554 students
3
Harvard UniversityA+
Cambridge, Massachusetts · United States · Global #5 · QS #5
4% acceptance 98% graduation $101,817 median earnings $85,540/yr 7,601 students
4
California Institute of TechnologyA
Pasadena, California · United States · Global #6 · QS #6
56% graduation $39,831/yr 2,112 students
5
University of ChicagoB+
Chicago, Illinois · United States · Global #9 · QS #10
77% acceptance 62% graduation $68,740 median earnings $27,521/yr 22,170 students
6
University of PennsylvaniaA+
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States · Global #12 · QS #13
5% acceptance 97% graduation $111,371 median earnings $89,028/yr 10,650 students
7
Yale UniversityA
New Haven, Connecticut · United States · Global #13 · QS #15
4% acceptance 96% graduation $100,533 median earnings $88,300/yr 6,758 students
8
Columbia UniversityA
New York, New York · United States · Global #17 · QS #19
4% acceptance 96% graduation $102,491 median earnings $89,472/yr 8,973 students
9
Princeton UniversityA+
Princeton, New Jersey · United States · Global #18 · QS #20
5% acceptance 98% graduation $110,066 median earnings $84,040/yr 5,709 students
10
Cornell UniversityA+
Ithaca, New York · United States · Global #19 · QS #21
$104,043 median earnings
11
University of MichiganA+
Ann Arbor, Michigan · United States · Global #22 · QS #24
16% acceptance 93% graduation $83,648 median earnings $34,654/yr 34,177 students
12
Johns Hopkins UniversityA
Baltimore, Maryland · United States · Global #23 · QS #25
6% acceptance 94% graduation $87,555 median earnings $85,947/yr 5,693 students
13
Northwestern UniversityC+
Evanston, Illinois · United States · Global #28 · QS #30
93% acceptance 43% graduation $47,021 median earnings $25,431/yr 5,519 students
14
New York UniversityB
New York, New York · United States · Global #37 · QS #42
62% acceptance 72% graduation $58,073 median earnings $28,428/yr 6,086 students
15
Duke UniversityA
Durham, North Carolina · United States · Global #45 · QS #53
6% acceptance 97% graduation $97,800 median earnings $87,072/yr 6,442 students
16
Carnegie Mellon UniversityA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · United States · Global #46 · QS #54
12% acceptance 94% graduation $114,862 median earnings $83,654/yr 7,304 students
17
University of Texas at AustinA-
Austin, Texas · United States · Global #56 · QS #67
27% acceptance 89% graduation $75,121 median earnings $31,247/yr 42,855 students
18
University of Wisconsin–MadisonA-
Madison, Wisconsin · United States · Global #64 · QS #76
45% acceptance 90% graduation $73,792 median earnings $28,679/yr 36,902 students
19
University of WashingtonB-
Bellingham, Washington · United States · Global #72 · QS #86
93% acceptance 65% graduation $62,569 median earnings $30,359/yr 13,544 students
20
Georgia Institute of TechnologyA+
Atlanta, Georgia · United States · Global #75 · QS #89
14% acceptance 94% graduation $102,772 median earnings $28,167/yr 18,785 students
21
Rice UniversityA-
Houston, Texas · United States · Global #81 · QS #95
8% acceptance 95% graduation $89,718 median earnings $79,788/yr 4,776 students
22
Pennsylvania State UniversityC
University Park, Pennsylvania · United States · Global #83 · QS #97
95% acceptance 28% graduation $63,435 median earnings $26,863/yr 416 students
23
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillA-
Chapel Hill, North Carolina · United States · Global #87 · QS #101
15% acceptance 91% graduation $72,200 median earnings $26,055/yr 20,752 students
24
Boston UniversityB+
Boston, Massachusetts · United States · Global #97 · QS #114
11% acceptance 89% graduation $83,238 median earnings $86,285/yr 18,248 students
25
University of Southern CaliforniaC+
Los Angeles, California · United States · Global #99 · QS #116
62% acceptance 57% graduation $59,541 median earnings $52,665/yr 1,933 students
27
Ohio State UniversityB-
Columbus, Ohio · United States · Global #104 · QS #121
43% graduation $60,409 median earnings $24,595/yr 464 students
28
University of California DavisB+
Davis, California · United States · Global #119 · QS #140
42% acceptance 86% graduation $80,838 median earnings $41,238/yr 32,253 students
29
University of RochesterC-
Rochester, New York · United States · Global #133 · QS #155
98% acceptance 44% graduation $48,707 median earnings $41,787/yr 792 students
30
Michigan State UniversityB-
East Lansing, Michigan · United States · Global #136 · QS #158
85% acceptance 81% graduation $67,253 median earnings $32,198/yr 40,922 students
31
Emory UniversityB+
Atlanta, Georgia · United States · Global #138 · QS #161
11% acceptance 91% graduation $80,137 median earnings $83,622/yr 7,298 students
32
Case Western Reserve UniversityB
Cleveland, Ohio · United States · Global #139 · QS #162
37% acceptance 87% graduation $87,989 median earnings $85,851/yr 6,437 students
33
University of PittsburghB
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · United States · Global #142 · QS #165
58% acceptance 86% graduation $66,125 median earnings $38,105/yr 20,370 students
35
University of MinnesotaC+
Moorhead, Minnesota · United States · Global #156 · QS #188
59% acceptance 57% graduation $50,527 median earnings $25,197/yr 3,072 students
36
Dartmouth CollegeA-
Hanover, New Hampshire · United States · Global #160 · QS #192
5% acceptance 96% graduation $97,434 median earnings $87,793/yr 4,541 students
38
Arizona State UniversityB-
Show Low, Arizona · United States · Global #181 · QS #217
$62,668 median earnings
39
Vanderbilt UniversityB+
Nashville, Tennessee · United States · Global #183 · QS #219
6% acceptance 94% graduation $91,565 median earnings $89,590/yr 7,208 students
40
University of VirginiaA-
Charlottesville, Virginia · United States · Global #189 · QS #230
17% acceptance 96% graduation $86,863 median earnings $39,926/yr 17,597 students
41
U
University of Massachusetts AmherstB-
Amherst, Massachusetts · United States · Global #200 · QS #248
60% acceptance 83% graduation $71,631 median earnings $34,549/yr 23,671 students
42
Georgetown UniversityB+
Washington, District of Columbia · United States · Global #201 · QS #249
13% acceptance 95% graduation $103,494 median earnings $88,741/yr 7,569 students
43
U
University of Colorado BoulderC+
Boulder, Colorado · United States · Global #203 · QS #252
78% acceptance 74% graduation $69,738 median earnings $37,684/yr 31,939 students
44
University of ArizonaC+
Tucson, Arizona · United States · Global #214 · QS #270
86% acceptance 68% graduation $59,979 median earnings $29,423/yr 42,537 students
45
North Carolina State UniversityB
Raleigh, North Carolina · United States · Global #234 · QS #301
42% acceptance 85% graduation $68,758 median earnings $26,425/yr 27,371 students
46
I
Indiana University BloomingtonB-
Bloomington, Indiana · United States · Global #244 · QS #312
78% acceptance 80% graduation $63,742 median earnings $28,801/yr 37,806 students
47
University of MiamiC-
Coral Gables, Florida · United States · Global #246 · QS #314
76% acceptance 40% graduation $41,544 median earnings $28,344/yr 287 students
48
Northeastern UniversityB
Boston, Massachusetts · United States · Global #263 · QS #343
17% acceptance $92,538 median earnings $85,418/yr 464 students
50
University of KansasC+
Lawrence, Kansas · United States · Global #286 · QS #388
93% acceptance 69% graduation $61,945 median earnings $26,751/yr 21,217 students
51
U
University at BuffaloB-
Buffalo, New York · United States · Global #287 · QS #389
74% acceptance 75% graduation $70,814 median earnings $30,785/yr 20,112 students