Top Universities in the US 2018

Click here to view the latest version of this article, based on the QS World University Rankings® 2020.

Unsurprisingly for the world’s most popular study destination, US universities consistently dominate the QS World University Rankings®, and the 2018 edition is no exception – with 31 top US universities featuring in the top 100 and a further 28 institutions in the global top 300. Read on to discover the top 10 universities in the US this year, plus the ranking positions of the remaining 147 universities.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is ranked first, both in the world and in the US for the sixth year in a row. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is highly selective, with only 8% of undergraduate applicants receiving a place in 2016.

2. Stanford University

Continuing to rank second in both the QS World University Rankings and the US this year is Stanford University. Stanford is based in the heart of Silicon Valley in California and is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and business courses. Its alumni include many successful entrepreneurs such as the founders or co-founders of Netflix, YouTube, WhatsApp and Google.

3. Harvard University

Harvard University retains its position of third in the QS World University Rankings this year. The oldest university in the country, dating back to 1636, Harvard now has around 22,000 students at its large, residential campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard is well respected in a broad range of fields, including law, business and medicine.  

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Up one place this year to rank fourth in the world, California Institute of Technology, commonly known as Caltech, concludes the uninterrupted quartet of US universities at the top of this year’s QS World University Rankings. Known as a leading tech school, Caltech is located in the city of Pasadena, California and is the smallest university in the US top 10, with only 2,240 students.

5. University of Chicago

Also up one place in the QS World University Rankings® 2018, the University of Chicago is now ranked ninth in the world overall. Established in 1890, the university is known for its strong focus on research. For example, the university’s physics department is known for developing the world’s first man-made, self-sustaining nuclear reaction.

6. Princeton University

Ranked 13^th in the world this year, Princeton University is another of the country’s oldest universities (founded in 1746) and is considered especially prestigious for the arts and humanities, a broad subject area for which its ranked seventh in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.

7. Cornell University

Cornell University is up two places this year to rank 14^th in the world. Based in Ithaca, New York, Cornell was the first university in the US to award a veterinary medicine degree, and is currently ranked second for veterinary science in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.

8. Yale University

Ranked 16^th in the world, Yale University is known for its highly selective law school. Yale was established in 1701 and awarded the first PhD in the US in 1861. Today, around 20% of its 12,300 students come from outside the US.

9. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University retains its position of 17^th in the world this year. Founded in 1876, it’s considered the US’ first research university, and is particularly highly regarded for its education and research in life sciences and medical subjects (achieving sixth place for this broad subject area in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017).

10. Columbia University

Overtaking the University of Pennsylvania as the 10^th highest ranked US university this year is the New-York based Columbia University, up two places to rank 18^th. Columbia was established in 1754 and has produced many notable alumni, including three US presidents: Barack Obama, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt.

The remaining 20 top universities in the US this year are…

11. University of Pennsylvania (ranked 19^th in the world)

=12. Duke University (ranked joint 21^st in the world)

=12. University of Michigan (ranked joint 21^st in the world)

14. University of California, Berkeley (UCB) (ranked 27^thin the world)

15. Northwestern University (ranked joint 28^th in the world)

16. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (ranked 33^rd in the world)

17. University of California, San Diego (UCSD) (ranked joint 38^th in the world)

18. Carnegie Mellon University (ranked joint 47^th in the world)

19. New York University (NYU) (ranked 52^nd in the world)

20. Brown University (ranked 53^rd in the world)

The next 55 top US universities all achieved positions in the global top 400:

21. University of Wisconsin-Madison (ranked 55^th in the world)
22. University of Washington (ranked 61^st in the world)
23. University of Texas at Austin (ranked 67^th in the world)
24. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (ranked 69^th in the world)
25. Georgia Institute of Technology (ranked 70^thin the world)
26. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (ranked 80^th in the world)
27. Boston University (ranked 81^stin the world)
28. Ohio State University (ranked 86^th in the world)
29. Rice University (ranked 89^th in the world)
30. Pennsylvania State University (ranked joint 93^rdin the world)
31. Washington University in St. Louis (ranked 100^th in the world)
32. Purdue University (ranked 105^th in the world)
33. University of California, Davis (UCD; ranked joint 105^th in the world)
34. University of Maryland, College Park (ranked 129^th in the world)
35. University of Southern California (ranked 132^ndin the world)
36. University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB; ranked 134^thin the world)
37. University of Pittsburgh (ranked joint 142^nd in the world)
38. Emory University (ranked joint 147^th in the world)
39. Michigan State University (ranked joint 149^thin the world)
40. University of Minnesota (ranked 163^rd in the world)
41. University of California, Irvine (UCI) (ranked joint 164^thin the world)
42. Dartmouth College (ranked 169^thin the world)
43. University of Virginia (ranked joint 173^rd in the world)
44. University of Florida (ranked joint 178^th in the world)
45. University of Colorado at Boulder (ranked joint 182^nd in the world)
46. University of Rochester (ranked 186^th in the world)
47. Texas A&M University (ranked joint 195^th in the world)
48. University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) (ranked joint 207^th in the world)
49. Arizona State University (ranked 209^th in the world)
50. Vanderbilt University (ranked 212^th in the world)
51. Case Western Reserve University (ranked 213^th in the world)
52. University of Notre Dame (ranked 216^th in the world)
53. Georgetown University (ranked 227^th in the world)
54. University of Arizona (ranked joint 230^th in the world)
55. Tufts University (ranked joint 243^rd in the world)
56. University of Massachusetts, Amherst (ranked 249^th in the world)
57. University of Miami (ranked 252^nd in the world)
58. North Carolina State University (ranked 263^rd in the world)
59. Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick (ranked joint 283^rd in the world)
60. University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) (ranked joint 301^st in the world)
61. Indiana University Bloomington (ranked 304^th in the world)
62. University at Buffalo Suny (ranked 318^th in the world)
63. University of California, Riverside (UCR) (ranked joint 323^rd in the world)
64. Yeshiva University (ranked joint 325^th in the world)
65. Boston College (ranked joint 339^thin the world)
66. University of Hawaii at Mānoa (ranked joint 341^st in the world)
67. Northeastern University (ranked joint 346^th in the world)
68. George Washington University (ranked joint 352^nd in the world)
69. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(ranked joint 364^th in the world)
70. Virginia Polytechnic Institute (ranked joint 367^th in the world)
71. Stony Brook University (ranked joint 382^nd in the world)
72. University of Kansas (ranked joint 386^th in the world)
73. University of Utah (ranked joint 391^st in the world)
74. University of Colorado at Denver (ranked 394^th in the world)
75. Illinois Institute of Technology (ranked joint 395^th in the world).

The following 18 US universities are all ranked in the global top 500:

76. Washington State University (ranked 401-410 in the world)

=77. Brandeis University (ranked 411-420)

=77. Wake Forest University (ranked 411-420)

=79. The University of Georgia (ranked 421-430)

=79. University of Connecticut (ranked 421-430)

=79. University of Delaware (ranked 421-430)

=79. University of Iowa (ranked 421-430)

=79. University of Texas Dallas (ranked 421-430)

84. Florida State University (ranked 431-440)
85. Oregon State University (ranked 441-450)

=86. Tulane University (ranked 451-460 – up from 501-550 last year)

=86. University of Tennessee (ranked 451-460)

=88. University of New Mexico (ranked 461-470)

=88. Wayne State University (ranked 461-470)

=90. American University (ranked 471-480)

=90. Iowa State University (ranked 471-480)

=92. Colorado State University (ranked 481-490)

=92. University of Maryland, Baltimore County (ranked 481-490)

The ranking now continues in a wider range, grouping universities in bands of 50:

Click here to find out more.
=94. City University of New York (ranked 501-550 in the world)

=94. Clark University (501-550)

=94. Drexel University (501-550)

=94. Lehigh University (501-550)

=94. Syracuse University (501-550)

=94. University of Cincinnati (501-550)

=94. University of Nebraska (501-550)

=94. University of Oklahoma (501-550)

=94. University of South Florida (501-550)

=103. College of William & Mary (551-600)

=103. Howard University (551-600)

=103. Michigan Technological University (551-600)

=103. University of Kentucky (551-600)

=103. University of Oregon (551-600)

=103. University of Vermont (551-600)

=109. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (new this year, ranked 601-650)

=109. New School University (601-650)

=109. University of Houston (601-650)

=109. University of Massachusetts, Boston (601-650)

=109. University of Missouri, Columbia (601-650)

=109. University of South Carolina at Columbia (601-650)

=115. Clarkson University (651-700)

=115. Louisiana State University (651-700)

=115. Missouri University of Science and Technology (651-700)

=115. Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey, Newark (651-700)

=115. Stevens Institute of Technology (651-700)

=115. Temple University (651-700)

=115. University at Albany Suny (651-700)

=115. University of Alabama (651-700)

=115. Virginia Commonwealth University (651-700)

=115. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (651-700)

The following 14 US universities are all ranked between 701^st and 800^th in the world.

=125. Clemson University (701-750)

=125. Smith College (701-750)

=125. Southern Methodist University (701-750)

=125. Texas Tech University (new this year, ranked 701-750)

=125. University of Central Florida (701-750)

=125. University of Denver (701-750)

=125. University of Wyoming (701-750)

=132. Brigham Young University (751-800)

=132. Florida International University (751-800)

=132. Georgia State University (751-800)

=132. Kansas State University (751-800)

=132. Loyola University Chicago (751-800)

=132. University of New Hampshire (751-800)

=132. University of Tulsa (751-800)

The remaining 19 top US universities are all ranked in the 801-1000 range, making them joint 139^th in the US:

=139. Auburn University (801-1000)

=139. Baylor University (801-1000)

=139. Binghamton University Suny (801-1000)

=139. Fordham University (801-1000)

=139. George Mason University (801-1000)

=139. Kent State University (801-1000)

=139. Marquette University (801-1000)

=139. Miami University (801-1000)

=139. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT; 801-1000)

=139. Ohio University (801-1000)

=139. Oklahoma State University (801-1000)

=139. San Diego State University (801-1000)

=139. University of Arkansas (801-1000)

=139. University of Mississippi (801-1000)

=139. University of Montana Missoula (801-1000)

=139. University of San Diego (801-1000)

=139. University of San Francisco (801-1000)

=139. University of the Pacific (801-1000)

=139. Utah State University (801-1000)

Find out more about studying in the US with our complete guide, which includes advice on applications, visas, costs, funding and more.  

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