The best university or college in every US state

Princeton University was ranked as the best college in the US in 2026 by US News & World Report.

Oleg Kovtun/Getty Images Students' options for colleges and universities in the US can vary from state to state.

US News & World Report ranks colleges and universities across the country every year.

Princeton, MIT, and Harvard were ranked as the top three schools in 2026.

Choosing where to go for college can be one of the biggest financial and personal decisions teenagers and their families make.

It can shape their access to alumni networks , research opportunities, and internships, as well as their careers going forward.

For some, moving away for a stronger academic program or better long-term earnings potential is worth the cost and the distance.

For others, the sticker shock of tuition at out-of-state schools and the costs of moving away from home make in-state options much more appealing.

The good news for both kinds of students is that quality education is available across the US, whether it's in the big cities or tucked away in charming college towns .

Every year, US News & World Report ranks universities across the US and compares the quality of their offerings to students in categories such as academic disciplines and overall value.

For this story, Business Insider consulted the publication's 2026 Best National Universities ranking, which evaluated 434 schools using up to 17 measures of academic quality.

The ranking looked at school-reported and third-party data like graduation and retention rates, graduates' debt loads and earnings, faculty and financial resources, and admissions selectivity, among others.

The list, while broad, doesn't include liberal arts colleges focused on undergraduate education, like Amherst College or Pomona College, or regional universities with limited doctoral programs.

Critics of US News & World Report's lists have said they can put pressure on schools to perform well in certain categories to boost their perceived prestige, and that important non-quantifiable factors that determine how good a school is may not be well represented in the publication's method.