Princeton has fallen to No. 2 in the latest U.S. News national university rankings after 15 consecutive years at the top, while a major change to the ranking methodology puts greater emphasis on student outcomes and graduate earnings.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has taken the No. 1 position in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges national university rankings, ending Princeton University’s 15-year run at the top. Princeton is now No. 2, followed by Harvard at No. 3. The change comes after U.S. News introduced a new “earnings by major” measure and other methodological changes that place greater emphasis on student outcomes, value and post-graduation earnings.
For more than a decade, Princeton University had become almost synonymous with the top position in the U.S. News national university rankings.
That changed this week.
The latest rankings, released September 22, place the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at No. 1 and Princeton at No. 2. Harvard University follows at No. 3, while Yale and Stanford remain among the highest-ranked institutions.
But the story is bigger than one university moving down one position. U.S. News substantially changed how it calculates this year's rankings, making direct comparisons with previous editions more complicated.
Princeton's 15-Year Run Is Over
Princeton had held the No. 1 position continuously since the 2012 edition of the U.S. News national universities ranking. Before that, the university had also spent periods sharing or holding the top position in earlier editions.
The 2027 ranking gives Princeton a score of 99 out of 100, compared with 100 for MIT and 96 for Harvard, according to The Daily Princetonian's review of the published rankings.
Princeton's position also comes with a notable distinction: it remains No. 1 on U.S. News' Best Value Schools list among national universities.
MIT Moves Into the Top Position
MIT had been ranked No. 2 for the previous five years. The new ranking moves the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the top of the national universities list for the first time under the current ranking series.
MIT's strong position reflects several areas emphasized by the updated methodology, including faculty research, standardized test performance and post-graduation earnings.
MIT also retains the No. 1 position in undergraduate engineering and computer science, while its economics program is also ranked No. 1. Its undergraduate business program is ranked No. 2.
U.S. News is putting more weight on what happens to students after college — including graduation, social mobility and earnings — rather than relying as heavily on some traditional measures.
A New Measure Changes the Calculation
One of the most important changes this year is the introduction of an “earnings by major” measure.
The measure compares graduates' earnings within individual majors against national earnings benchmarks. U.S. News says the goal is to give students and families more information about the financial outcomes associated with different degrees.
The new measure replaces a previous factor based on median federal student loan debt. The earnings measure accounts for 5% of the overall ranking calculation.
MIT ranked particularly strongly on the new earnings measure, while Princeton ranked eighth, tied with the University of Chicago.
Why This Year's Ranking Is Different
U.S. News says the 2027 edition introduces significant methodology changes because students and families are paying closer attention to the cost and long-term value of a college education.
More than half of the overall ranking score now comes from student outcomes, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility and post-graduation earnings.
The ranking also continues to consider academic peer assessments and faculty resources, alongside other measures of academic quality and student success.
U.S. News itself cautions that the major methodology changes mean the 2027 rankings cannot be directly compared with previous years in a simple way.
Princeton's Other Strengths Remain Visible
A change in the overall ranking does not mean Princeton disappeared from the highest levels of the U.S. News lists.
Princeton ranks first among national universities for Best Value and also ranks first in U.S. News' Senior Capstone category, according to Princeton's official publication.
Its academic programs also continue to place highly across multiple disciplines. The change therefore concerns the overall position in one ranking system rather than a broad reclassification of the university.
Other Technology-Focused Universities Also Move
The new methodology has produced movement beyond the top two universities.
California Institute of Technology moved from No. 11 to a tie at No. 5. Carnegie Mellon University also moved up, while Stevens Institute of Technology recorded a substantial rise.
The changes reflect the fact that institutions with strong science, engineering, technology and earnings outcomes can benefit from the updated measures.
What the Ranking Does — and Does Not — Tell Students
University rankings can provide a useful snapshot of selected measures, but they do not capture every factor that matters when choosing a college.
A student's decision can depend on the specific academic program, financial aid, total cost, location, campus environment, research opportunities, class structure and career goals. The overall position of a university does not necessarily describe the experience of every student or the strength of every individual program.
The methodology change also means that a movement of a few positions should not automatically be interpreted as a corresponding change in the underlying quality of an institution.
Princeton's fall from No. 1 is significant historically, but the bigger development may be U.S. News' decision to place greater emphasis on measurable student outcomes and earnings.
A New Era for College Rankings
The end of Princeton's 15-year run marks a visible change at the top of one of America's most influential college rankings.
But the 2027 list also shows how much the definition of a “top” university can change depending on what a ranking system chooses to measure. This year's greater emphasis on earnings and student outcomes has reshaped the order of several institutions.
For students and families, the result is a reminder to look beyond a single number and examine the underlying data that produced it.
Princeton's 15-year streak has ended, but the more important story may be what changed underneath the rankings: U.S. News is placing a greater spotlight on what students gain from college and what happens after graduation.
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