These Colleges Nailed Their 2025 Rankings

See how your college measures up.

Every year, U.S. News releases its famous (and often referenced) Best Colleges rankings. Based on rigorous criteria that the public is well-aware of, every school across the country hopes to make it within the top 100 (or better still, top 50) of one of their lists.

And while this year some of the same tried and true schools are up at the top, a few schools saw some major increases in where they fall compared to other colleges. Find out who's really going above and beyond when it comes to higher education for 2024.

Schools That Increased The Most

Five schools saw major changes in their rankings from 2023 to 2024. Here's the list of colleges with the biggest increase in ranking:

1. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

   • Increased 106 spots to land at #296

   
   

2. University of Texas at San Antonio

   • Increased 92 spots to land at #280 for National Universities and #151 for Top Public Schools

     
     

3. California State University, East Bay

   • Increased 88 spots to land at #296 for National Universities and #159 for Top Public Schools

     
     

4. Florida Gulf Coast University

   • Increased 80 spots to land at #304

     
     

5. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

   • Increased 72 spots to land at #227 for National Universities and #123 for Top Public Schools

Top Schools Overall

If you're curious about where some of the other top schools fell in the rankings this year, scroll to find out the best National Colleges, National Liberal Arts Colleges, and Public Schools.

National Colleges

1. Princeton University

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3. Harvard University, Stanford University (tie)

4. Yale University

National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Williams College

2. Amherst College

3. United States Naval Academy

4. Pomona College, Swarthmore College, Wellesley College (tie)

Public Schools

1. University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles (tie)

2. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

4. University of Virginia

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