Subject 100

Inaugural Edition

Published May 5th, 2026

A first-of-its-kind ranking of America's top undergraduate institutions, built from the ground up on outcomes that actually matter to students. We're proud to publish our inaugural list of the country's 100 best colleges.

100 Schools ranked
2026 Inaugural year

The Top 10

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA·Private
Composite99.8

Stanford University

Stanford, CA·Private
Composite99.5

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA·Private
Composite99.1

Yale University

New Haven, CT·Private
Composite98.7

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA·Private
Composite98.4

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ·Private
Composite98.1

Duke University

Durham, NC·Private
Composite97.6

Columbia University

New York, NY·Private
Composite97.2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL·Private
Composite96.9

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH·Private
Composite96.4

Ranks 11–100

011
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Private
Composite95.9

012
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Private
Composite95.5

013
Brown University
Providence, RI
Private
Composite95.0

014
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Public
Composite94.6

015
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Public
Composite94.2

016
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Private
Composite93.7

017
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Private
Composite93.3

018
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Private
Composite92.9

019
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY
Service Academy
Composite92.4

020
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Liberal Arts
Composite91.9

021
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
Liberal Arts
Composite91.5

022
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Private
Composite91.1

023
Rice University
Houston, TX
Private
Composite90.7

024
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
Private
Composite90.3

025
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
Private
Composite89.9

026
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD
Service Academy
Composite89.4

027
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Public
Composite89.0

028
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Private
Composite88.6

029
New York University
New York, NY
Private
Composite88.2

030
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
Public
Composite87.8

031
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
Private
Composite87.4

032
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite87.0

033
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Liberal Arts
Composite86.6

034
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite86.2

035
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite85.8

036
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Private
Composite85.4

037
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Private
Composite85.0

038
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Public
Composite84.6

039
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
Liberal Arts
Composite84.2

040
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
Liberal Arts
Composite83.8

041
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Public
Composite83.4

042
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Private
Composite83.0

043
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Public
Composite82.6

044
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Public
Composite82.2

045
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
Liberal Arts
Composite81.9

046
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Public
Composite81.5

047
United States Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, CO
Service Academy
Composite81.1

048
Babson College
Wellesley, MA
Private
Composite80.7

049
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Public
Composite80.3

050
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Public
Composite79.9

051
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Private
Composite79.5

052
Boston University
Boston, MA
Private
Composite79.1

053
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Liberal Arts
Composite78.8

054
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Liberal Arts
Composite78.4

055
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
Liberal Arts
Composite78.0

056
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA
Public
Composite77.7

057
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
Liberal Arts
Composite77.3

058
Scripps College
Claremont, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite76.9

059
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
Liberal Arts
Composite76.6

060
Davidson College
Davidson, NC
Liberal Arts
Composite76.2

061
Barnard College
New York, NY
Liberal Arts
Composite75.8

062
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Public
Composite75.5

063
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Urbana-Champaign, IL
Public
Composite75.1

064
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Madison, WI
Public
Composite74.7

065
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Public
Composite74.4

066
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
Public
Composite74.0

067
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Public
Composite73.6

068
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
Public
Composite73.3

069
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD
Public
Composite72.9

070
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA
Public
Composite72.5

071
University of Georgia
Athens, GA
Public
Composite72.2

072
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA
Private
Composite71.8

073
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Private
Composite71.5

074
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Private
Composite71.1

075
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
Private
Composite70.7

076
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
Private
Composite70.4

077
Northeastern University
Boston, MA
Private
Composite70.0

078
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Private
Composite69.7

079
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite69.3

080
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Private
Composite69.0

081
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
Liberal Arts
Composite68.6

082
Bates College
Lewiston, ME
Liberal Arts
Composite68.3

083
Colby College
Waterville, ME
Liberal Arts
Composite67.9

084
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN
Liberal Arts
Composite67.6

085
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN
Liberal Arts
Composite67.2

086
University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
Private
Composite66.9

087
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
Public
Composite66.5

088
Indiana University Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
Public
Composite66.2

089
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
Public
Composite65.8

090
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO
Liberal Arts
Composite65.5

091
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Liberal Arts
Composite65.1

092
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Liberal Arts
Composite64.8

093
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Private
Composite64.4

094
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
Private
Composite64.1

095
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
Private
Composite63.7

096
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
Private
Composite63.4

097
Baylor University
Waco, TX
Private
Composite63.0

098
The George Washington University
Washington, DC
Private
Composite62.7

099
Fordham University
New York, NY
Private
Composite62.3

100
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Public
Composite62.0

How we built the list.

Subject's rankings prioritize outcomes over optics. We focus on what graduates actually go on to do: the careers they build, the networks they access, and the ideas they bring to life, not the marketing narratives of admissions offices. Below is a breakdown of how each school's composite score is calculated.

40% Outcomes

5, 15, and 30-year median career earnings paired with alumni prestige across industries.

20% Academics

Drive and ambition of the student body, course density, caliber of professors, and the strength of each school's top majors.

20% Selectivity

Acceptance rate, yield, and the share of applicants who choose this school over peer institutions.

20% Campus Life

Residential, non-commuter campus environment that builds meaningful, lasting relationships among students.