Using US News & World Report’s 2026 Best National Universities ranking of 434 schools, we list the highest-ranking school in each U.S. state, along with the national rank, overall score, and standout categories highlighted in the methodology.
When families try to map out college costs. academic fit. and future earnings. the choice can quickly feel like a high-stakes balancing act.. In the middle of a debate over whether higher education still pays off in an AI-shaped economy. one set of numbers continues to attract attention: a national ranking that evaluates schools on multiple measures of academic quality.
For this guide. MISRYOUM pulled the highest-ranking school in each state from US News & World Report’s 2026 Best National Universities ranking.. The list covers 434 institutions and relies on up to 17 measures, using data reported by schools and third-party sources.. The ranking looks at graduation and retention rates. graduates’ debt loads and earnings. faculty and financial resources. and admissions selectivity. among other factors.
Even within the same national framework. the results vary sharply—some states land at the very top of the overall ranking. while others appear at the bottom of the 434-school list.. The ranking itself also comes with caveats: it does not include liberal arts colleges focused on undergraduate education. such as Amherst College or Pomona College. nor does it include regional universities with limited doctoral programs.. And over the years. the methodology has drawn criticism for potentially pushing schools toward measurable categories that may not reflect every aspect of “fit.”
US News has defended its rankings as a useful resource for students and families.. “Our rankings don’t capture every nuance. ” executive chairman and CEO Eric Gertler wrote in a 2023 Wall Street Journal op-ed after a coalition of law and medical schools decided to boycott the list by not submitting their data.. “Academic institutions aren’t monolithic or static; comparing them across a common data set can be challenging,” Gertler added.. “But we reject our critics’ paternalistic view that students are somehow incapable of discerning for themselves from this information which school is the best fit.” The rankings have also been tied to legal controversy. including a case where the former dean of Temple University’s business school was convicted of fraud after prosecutors said false and manipulated data was submitted to boost the school’s online MBA ranking.
For students and families shopping in the real world. though. the immediate question is simpler: which institution shows up as the top pick in each state when these measures are applied.. Here are the highest-ranking schools by state on the 2026 Best National Universities list. with the national rank. overall score (out of 100). and the standout features highlighted in the ranking write-ups.
ALABAMA: Auburn University in Auburn. National rank: #102 (tie). Score (out of 100): 64. Tied for 49th among top public schools and ranked in the top 50 for first-year experiences, innovation, and nursing.
ALASKA: University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fairbanks. National rank: #395-434 (The school ranked at the bottom of the list of 434 schools, but wasn’t given a specific rank). Score (out of 100): Bottom 25%. Ranked 161st for undergraduate engineering and placed 213th-225th among top public schools.
ARIZONA: Arizona State University in Tempe.. National rank: #117 (tie).. Score (out of 100): 62.. Ranked first for innovation and second for supply chain management/logistics. plus top 20 marks for undergraduate teaching. co-ops/internships. analytics. management information systems. and production/operations management.
ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. National rank: #183 (tie). Score (out of 100): 53. Ranked 11th in supply chain management/logistics, 74th in nursing, and 96th in undergraduate engineering.
CALIFORNIA: Stanford University in Stanford. National rank: #4 (tie). Score (out of 100): 95. Tied for fourth nationally with Yale University, and ranked first in economics and second in undergraduate engineering and computer science in the US News & World Report rankings.
COLORADO: Colorado School of Mines in Golden. National rank: #80 (tie). Score (out of 100): 68. Tied for 40th among the top public schools and ranked fourth nationwide in petroleum engineering.
CONNECTICUT: Yale University in New Haven. National rank: #4 (tie). Score (out of 100): 95. Ranked second in economics, fifth in psychology, and sixth in undergraduate research.
DELAWARE: University of Delaware in Newark. National rank: #88 (tie). Score (out of 100): 66. Ranked 43rd among top public schools and ranked fourth-best in the US for chemical engineering.
FLORIDA: University of Florida in Gainesville. National rank: #30 (tie). Score (out of 100): 82. Tied for seventh among top public schools and ranked in the top 10 for biological/agricultural engineering, real estate, accounting, and marketing.
GEORGIA: Emory University in Atlanta. National rank: #24 (tie). Score (out of 100): 86. Tied for second place nationwide in nursing and placed in the top 30 for best value, undergraduate teaching, and innovation.
HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. National rank: #169 (tie). Score (out of 100): 55. Ranked 92nd among top public schools, 118th in nursing, and 150th in undergraduate engineering.
IDAHO: University of Idaho in Moscow. National rank: #183 (tie). Score (out of 100): 53. Tied for the 100th place among top public schools and ranked 62nd for best value nationwide.
ILLINOIS: University of Chicago in Chicago. National rank: #6. Score (out of 100): 94. Named the best college for veterans, placed second in economics, and ranked eighth for best value.
INDIANA: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame. National rank: #20 (tie). Score (out of 100): 87. Tied for fourth place in service learning and ranked 10th for both undergraduate teaching and accounting.
IOWA: University of Iowa in Iowa City. National rank: #102 (tie). Score (out of 100): 64. Tied for 49th among the top public schools and ranked in the top 10 for nursing and insurance.
KANSAS: University of Kansas in Lawrence. National rank: #143 (tie). Score (out of 100): 58. Ranked 74th among top public schools, 40th for nursing, and 86th for undergraduate engineering.
KENTUCKY: University of Kentucky in Lexington. National rank: #143 (tie). Score (out of 100): 58. Placed within the top 100 in nursing, undergraduate engineering, economics, and best colleges for veterans.
LOUISIANA: Tulane University in New Orleans. National rank: #69 (tie). Score (out of 100): 71. Ranked fourth in service learning and placed within the top 100 in undergraduate teaching, undergraduate engineering, economics, and best value.
MAINE: University of Maine in Orono. National rank: #257 (tie). Score (out of 100): 45. Tied for 145th among top public schools, 161st for undergraduate engineering, and 135th for nursing.
MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.. National rank: #7 (tie).. Score (out of 100): 93.. The ranking named Johns Hopkins the best school in the country for biomedical engineering and placed it in the top 10 for undergraduate research. innovation. and biocomputing/bioinformatics/biotechnology.
MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.. National rank: #2.. Score (out of 100): 98.. Ranked as the best for undergraduate engineering. computer science. undergraduate research. artificial intelligence. computer systems. theory. business programs. production/operations management. quantitative analysis. and several engineering specialties.
MICHIGAN: University of Michigan—Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor. National rank: #20 (tie). Score (out of 100): 87. Ranked third among public schools and in the top 10 for undergraduate engineering, business programs, nursing, learning communities, and best colleges for veterans.
MINNESOTA: University of Minnesota—Twin Cities in Minneapolis. National rank: #59 (tie). Score (out of 100): 73. Ranked within the top 10 for nursing and management information systems, 12th for chemical engineering and quantitative analysis, and 28th in undergraduate engineering.
MISSISSIPPI: University of Mississippi in University. National rank: #169 (tie). Score (out of 100): 55. Tied for 92nd place among top public schools and ranked in the top 150 for nursing, undergraduate engineering, and best colleges for veterans.
MISSOURI: Washington University in St. Louis. National rank: #20 (tie). Score (out of 100): 87. Ranked 11th for best value, 10th for quantitative analysis, 27th for economics, and 42nd for undergraduate engineering.
MONTANA: Montana State University in Bozeman. National rank: #318 (tie). Score (out of 100): 40. Tied for 74th place in nursing, 161st for undergraduate engineering, and 170th among top public schools.
NEBRASKA: Creighton University in Omaha. National rank: #117 (tie). Score (out of 100): 62. Ranked within the top 50 schools for nursing, first-year experiences, undergraduate teaching, and undergraduate research/creative projects.
NEVADA: University of Nevada—Reno in Reno. National rank: #192 (tie). Score (out of 100): 52. Tied for 104th among top public schools, 150th for undergraduate engineering, and 186th for nursing.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College in Hanover. National rank: #13 (tie). Score (out of 100): 90. Ranked third nationwide for undergraduate teaching and placed it in the top 15 for best value and study abroad.
NEW JERSEY: Princeton University in Princeton. National rank: #1. Score (out of 100): 100. Placed first for best value and senior capstone, ranked second for economics and psychology, and third for undergraduate teaching.
NEW MEXICO: New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. National rank: #222 (tie). Score (out of 100): 48. Tied for 87th place in social mobility, ranked 122nd among top public schools, 135th in undergraduate engineering, and 160th in nursing.
NEW YORK: Cornell University in Ithaca. National rank: #12. Score (out of 100): 91. Ranked second among schools for veterans and in the top 10 for computer science, business programs, undergraduate engineering, writing in the disciplines, and co-ops/internships.
NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University in Durham. National rank: #7 (tie). Score (out of 100): 93. Ranked first in nursing, second in writing in the disciplines, and third in service learning and biomedical engineering.
NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota State University in Fargo. National rank: #232 (tie). Score (out of 100): 47. Placed 160th for nursing, 161st for undergraduate engineering, and 216th for economics.
OHIO: The Ohio State University in Columbus. National rank: #41 (tie). Score (out of 100): 78. Ranked fourth in nursing, fifth in supply chain management/logistics, and 15th among top public schools.
OKLAHOMA: The University of Oklahoma in Norman. National rank: #110 (tie). Score (out of 100): 63. Ranked within the top 100 for undergraduate engineering and as one of the best colleges for veterans, and ranked fourth nationwide in petroleum engineering.
OREGON: University of Oregon in Eugene. National rank: #110 (tie). Score (out of 100): 63. Ranked 54th among top public schools, 66th in economics, and 73rd among the best colleges for veterans.
PENNSYLVANIA: University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. National rank: #7 (tie). Score (out of 100): 93. Tied for first place in business programs, placed first in finance, and second in nursing, management, marketing, quantitative analysis, and real estate.
RHODE ISLAND: Brown University in Providence. National rank: #13 (tie). Score (out of 100): 90. Ranked as the best school for writing in the disciplines, second-best for undergraduate teaching, and third-best in the ranking of colleges for veterans.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Clemson University in Clemson. National rank: #75 (tie). Score (out of 100): 69. Tied for 36th place among top public schools and ranked 15th for co-ops/internships.
SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota State University in Brookings. National rank: #257 (tie). Score (out of 100): 45. The state’s largest university tied 145th place among top public schools.
TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University in Nashville. National rank: #17 (tie). Score (out of 100): 88. Ranked seventh for best value, fifth for learning communities, 11th for undergraduate teaching, and 15th for both first-year experiences and innovation.
TEXAS: Rice University in Houston. National rank: #17 (tie). Score (out of 100): 88. Ranked fifth nationwide for best value, eighth for undergraduate teaching, and ninth for biomedical engineering; also ranked in the top 15 for entrepreneurship, undergraduate research, and innovation.
UTAH: Brigham Young University in Provo. National rank: #110 (tie). Score (out of 100): 63. Ranked third nationwide for accounting and 17th for best value.
VERMONT: University of Vermont in Burlington. National rank: #132 (tie). Score (out of 100): 60. Tied for 68th place among top public schools, 59th for nursing, and 91st for best colleges for veterans.
VIRGINIA: University of Virginia in Charlottesville. National rank: #26 (tie). Score (out of 100): 85. Tied for fourth place among top public schools and ranked eighth for best colleges for veterans, ninth for management, 12th for finance, and 13th for nursing.
WASHINGTON: University of Washington in Seattle. National rank: #42 (tie). Score (out of 100): 77. Ranked 9th in computer science, 8th in nursing, 21st in undergraduate engineering, third nationwide in biocomputing/bioinformatics/biotechnology, and seventh in artificial intelligence.
WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia University in Morgantown. National rank: #222 (tie). Score (out of 100): 48. Tied for 122nd place in the top public schools nationwide, and tied for 135th in undergraduate engineering and nursing.
WISCONSIN: University of Wisconsin—Madison in Madison. National rank: #36 (tie). Score (out of 100): 80. Ranked 12th among the best public schools in the US and first for real estate, third for insurance, and eighth for nursing.
WYOMING: University of Wyoming in Laramie. National rank: #222 (tie). Score (out of 100): 48. Ranked 122nd among top public schools, 160th in nursing, and 176th in undergraduate engineering.
Across the 434-school field. the highest-state picks range from Princeton University’s #1 national spot with a 100 score to the University of Alaska Fairbanks sitting at the bottom of the list without a specific rank—while schools’ highlighted strengths often appear as category-specific leaders such as nursing. innovation. petroleum engineering. or biomedical engineering.
For families making a decision right after high school. that spread matters: it underscores how the same ranking framework can surface radically different outcomes by state. even while the ranking’s own limitations—its exclusion of certain types of schools and its susceptibility to debate—remain part of the package.
college rankings 2026 Best National Universities US News & World Report Princeton MIT Stanford state-by-state higher education nursing programs innovation
Why is Princeton so high like it’s not even fair.
So they’re picking the best school in each state from US News right? I thought US News was like… always cooked numbers. Still, I get it I guess. Auburn being mentioned sounds like clickbait though.
Misryoum?? lol anyway I read that it’s based on up to 17 measures and includes “earnings” and debt. But doesn’t that just mean rich people colleges win every time? Like if you have good networking you earn more, so the algorithm just rewards that. Also AI economy?? My cousin already says college is a scam so idk.
None of this matters if the tuition keeps going up. They say it’s about retention and graduation and admissions selectivity and all that, but I swear the national rank is basically vibes. If Princeton is top in NJ then cool but what about the actual job placements in year 1, not “future earnings.” Half these schools are feeding students into tech anyway, so it’s kinda weird they act like it’s some neutral study. Also “Princeton to Auburn” sounds like a sports bracket not a school list.