Ranked: The Top 100 US Universities

Ranked: The Top 100 US Universities

Craig OCallaghan

Updated September 11, 2021 Updated September 11

The university or college you choose to go to can have a major impact on the rest of your life, so it's probably a good idea to do some research first. To help with the process, we've compiled a ranking of the best 100 US universities and colleges, according to the QS World University Rankings® 2020. Also, for the first time ever, we've broken down the complete list of top US universities by state, so you can find a leading study destination that's close to home (and probably more affordable than expensive out-of-state options).

Top 100 US universities

Rank

University

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2

Stanford University

3

Harvard University

4

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

5

University of Chicago

6

Princeton University

7

Cornell University

8

University of Pennsylvania

9

Yale University

10

Columbia University

11

University of Michigan

12

Johns Hopkins University

13

Duke University

14

University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

15

Northwestern University

16

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

17

New York University

18

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

19

Carnegie Mellon University

20

University of Wisconsin-Madison

21

Brown University

22

University of Texas at Austin

23

University of Washington

24

Georgia Institute of Technology

25

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

26

Rice University

27

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

28

Pennsylvania State University

29

Boston University

30

The Ohio State University

31

University of California, Davis

32

Washington University in St. Louis

33

Purdue University

34

University of Southern California

35

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

36

University of Maryland, College Park

37

University of Pittsburgh

38

Michigan State University

=39

Emory University

=39

University of Minnesota

41

University of Florida

42

University of Rochester

43

Case Western Reserve University

44

Texas A&M University

45

University of Virginia

46

Vanderbilt University

47

University of Colorado Boulder

48

Dartmouth College 

49

University of Notre Dame

50

Arizona State University

51

University of California, Irvine

52

Georgetown University 

53

University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)

54

Tufts University

55

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

=55

The University of Arizona

57

University of Miami

58

North Carolina State University

59

University of Massachusetts Amherst

60

Indiana University Bloomington

61

University of Hawai'i at Mañoa

62

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

63

George Washington University

64

University at Buffalo SUNY

65

Northeastern University

66

University of Utah

=67

Stony Brook University, State University of New York

=67

The Katz School at Yeshiva University

69

University of California, Santa Cruz

70

University of Kansas

71

University of Connecticut

72

Rensselaer Polytechnic University

73

University of Colorado, Denver

74

Wake Forest University

75

Washington State University

76

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

77

Tulane University

=78

Illinois Institute of Technology

=78

University of Iowa

80

Boston College

81

Colorado State University 

82

Florida State University

83

University of California, Riverside

84

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

85

Oregon State University

86

Brandeis University

87

The University of Georgia

88

Wayne State University

89

University of Delaware

90

University of Texas Dallas 

91

Iowa State University

92

Clark University 

=93

Lehigh University

=93

University of Missouri, Columbia

=95

Drexel University

=95

The New School

=95

University of Cincinnati

=95

University of Nebraska

=95

University of South Carolina at Columbia

=99

University of Massachusetts, Boston

=99

University of Oklahoma

=99

University of Vermont

 

Top US universities by state

Alabama - 2 (University of Alabama, Auburn University)

Alaska - 0

Arizona - 2 (Arizona State University (above), The University of Arizona)

Arkansas - 1 (University of Arkansas)

California - 15 (Stanford University (below), Caltech, UCB, UCLA, UCSD, University of California Davis, University of Southern California, UCSB, University of California Irvine, University of California Santa Cruz, University of California Riverside, San Diego State University, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, University of the Pacific)

Colorado - 4 (University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, Colorado State University, University of Denver)

Connecticut - 2 (Yale University, University of Connecticut)

Delaware - 1 (University of Delaware)

Florida - 7 (University of Florida (below), University of Miami, Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Miami University)

Georgia - 4 (Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University)

Hawaii - 1 (University of Hawai'i at Mañoa)

Idaho - 0

Illinois - 6 (University of Chicago (below), Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UIC, Illinois Institute of Technology, Loyola University Chicago)

Indiana - 3 (Purdue University, University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianopolis)

Iowa - 2 (University of Iowa, Iowa State University)

Kansas - 2 (University of Kansas, Kansas State University)

Kentucky - 1 (University of Kentucky)

Louisiana - 2 (Tulane University (above), Louisiana State University)

Maine - 0

Maryland - 3 (Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore County)

Massachusetts - 12 (MIT, Harvard University, Boston University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Northeastern University, Boston College, Brandeis University, Clark University, University of Massachusetts Boston, Smith College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Michigan - 4 (University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Michigan Technological University)

Minnesota - 1 (University of Minnesota (above))

Mississippi - 1 (University of Mississippi)

Missouri - 3 (Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri University of Science and Technology)

Montana - 1 (University of Montana Missoula)

Nebraska - 1 (University of Nebraska)

Nevada - 0

New Hampshire - 2 (Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire)

New Jersey - 5 (Princeton University (above), Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Rutgers University - Newark, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology)

New Mexico - 1 (University of New Mexico)

New York - 15 (Cornell University, Columbia University, NYU, University of Rochester, University at Buffalo SUNY, Stony Brook University, The Katz School at Yeshiva University, Rensselaer Polytechnic University, New School University, Syracuse University, City University of New York, Clarkson University, University at Albany SUNY, Binghamton University SUNY, Fordham University)

North Carolina - 4 (Duke University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Wake Forest University)

North Dakota - 0

Ohio - 5 (Ohio State University (above), Case Western Reserve University, University of Cincinnati, Kent State University, Ohio University)

Oklahoma - 3 (University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma State University)

Oregon - 2 (Oregon State University, University of Oregon)

Pennsylvania - 7 (University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, Drexel University, Temple University)

Rhode Island - 1 (Brown University)

South Carolina - 2 (University of South Carolina at Columbia, Clemson University)

South Dakota - 0

Tennessee - 2 (Vanderbilt University (above), The University of Tennessee)

Texas - 8 (University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Texas A&M University, University of Texas Dallas, University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, Baylor University, Texas Tech University)

Utah - 3 (University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah State University)

Vermont - 1 (University of Vermont)

Virginia - 5 (University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, College of William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University)

Washington - 2 (University of Washington, Washington State University)

Washington D.C. - 4 (Georgetown University, George Washington University, Howard University, American University)

West Virginia - 0

Wisconsin - 2 (University of Wisconsin-Madison (above), Marquette University)

Wyoming - 1 (University of Wyoming)

Hopefully, this ranking will be able to help you make a decision about where to study. For more information about US universities, sign up to our site (it's free and takes less than two minutes) and enjoy exclusive member benefits, including access to helpful tips and guides.

This article was originally published in April 2017 and was updated in June 2019 to reflect the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings.

This article was originally published in April 2017 . It was last updated in September 2021

Written by

As editor of TopUniversities.com, Craig oversees the site's editorial content and network of student contributors. He also plays a key editorial role in the publication of several guides and reports, including the QS Top Grad School Guide.

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