208 best universities in the United States in 2026
Ranking based on the average of the three main global rankings: Shanghai (ARWU), Times Higher Education and QS.
Harvard University
Average rank: #2
No. 25University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Public Illinois university, strong in engineering, computer science, and agriculture.
No. 26University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Public Texas medical center, specialized in medicine and biomedical research.
No. 27Brown University
Ivy League university renowned for liberal arts and medicine.
No. 28University of Southern California
Private California university leading in cinema, medicine, and engineering.
No. 29Carnegie Mellon University
Private Pennsylvania university leading in computer science, engineering, and arts.
No. 30University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Public Minnesota university, strong in medicine, engineering, and agriculture.
No. 31University of Maryland, College Park
Public Maryland university, leader in engineering, computer science, and business.
No. 32University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Public Texas medical center, global leader in oncology and medical research.
No. 33University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Public North Carolina university, leader in medicine, law, and liberal arts.
No. 34Rice University
Private Texas university leading in engineering, science, and arts.
No. 35University of California, Davis
Public California university, leader in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and engineering.
No. 36Michigan State University
Public Michigan university, leader in agriculture, medicine, and engineering.
No. 37University of Florida
Public Florida university, leader in medicine, engineering, and agriculture.
No. 38Boston University
Private Massachusetts university renowned for medicine, law, and communication.
No. 39University of California, Santa Barbara
Public California university, leader in environmental sciences and engineering.
No. 40Ohio State University
Public Ohio university, leader in medicine, engineering, and agriculture.
No. 41Case Western Reserve University
Private Ohio university leading in research, medicine, and engineering.
No. 42Emory University
Private Georgia university leading in medicine, law, and liberal arts.
No. 43Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Private New York medical school leading in medicine and medical research.
No. 44Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Private Minnesota college, global leader in medicine and medical research.
No. 45University of Arizona
Public Arizona university, leader in medicine, engineering, and sciences.
No. 46Vanderbilt University
Private Tennessee university leading in medicine, law, and engineering.
No. 47University of Virginia
Historic public university, leader in law, medicine, and liberal arts.
No. 48University of Colorado Boulder
Public Colorado university, strong in environmental sciences and engineering.