Top 1000 Universities in the USA (2026) – QS Ranking & Score Details

By | Updated On: March 03, 2026 20:32 ET

This is list of top 1000 Universities in the USA with their location, World Rank, National Rank, Quality of Education, Alumni Employment, Quality of Faculty, Research Performance Rank and Score details.

Top 192 Universities in the USA (QS World University Rankings 2026)

Looking for the best universities in the United States? The QS World University Rankings 2026 highlights the top 192 universities in the USA based on academic reputation, employer reputation, research impact, and overall performance. This comprehensive list helps students compare leading U.S. universities and choose the right institution for their academic and career goals. Explore the complete rankings in the table below.

QS World University Rankings in USA 2026

This list of top 192 USA Universities in the World According to the QS World University Rankings 2026

QS World RankQS U.S. RankUniversity NameCity, StateOverall SCORE
11Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, Massachusetts100
32Stanford University Stanford, California98.9
53Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts97.7
104California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Pasadena, California94.3
135University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois93
156University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania92.5
167Cornell University Ithaca, New York91.6
178University of California, Berkeley (UCB) Berkeley, California91.2
219Yale University New Haven, Connecticut90.4
2410Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland89.7
2511Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey89.4
3812Columbia University New York, New York85.6
4213Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois85.1
4514University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan84.7
4615University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, California84.4
5216Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania82.3
5517New York University (NYU) New York, New York81.1
6218Duke University Durham, North Carolina79
6619University of California, San Diego (UCSD) San Diego, California76.9
6820University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas76.4
6921Brown University Providence, Rhode Island76.2
7022University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois75.9
8123University of Washington Seattle, Washington72.7
8224Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania72.6
8825Boston University Boston, Massachusetts71.1
8826Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana71.1
11027University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin66.6
11428University of California, Davis Davis, California66.3
11929Rice University Houston, Texas65.7
12330Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia65.5
14031University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina63.2
14432Texas A&M University College Station, Texas63
14633University of Southern California Los Angeles, California62.6
16134Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan60.9
16735Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri59.6
17336Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona59.1
17937University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Santa Barbara, California58.7
18238Emory University Atlanta, Georgia57.7
19039Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio56.9
20740University of Maryland, College Park College Park, Maryland54.9
21041University of Minnesota (System) Minneapolis, Minnesota54.8
21242University of Florida Gainesville, Florida54.6
23643University of Rochester Rochester, New York51.9
24744Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire50.6
24745University of Massachusetts, Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts50.6
25046Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee50.4
27247North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina48.2
27548University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia48.1
28149University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania47.3
28550Georgetown University Washington, District of Columbia47
28751University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona46.8
29352University of California, Irvine Irvine, California46.1
29453Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio46
29454University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana46
29955University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado45.6
30656Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana44.9
31457University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida44.3
32858Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick 42.6
33459Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts42.3
33460University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Chicago, Illinois42.3
35861George Washington University Washington, District of Columbia41.1
35862Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg, Virginia41.1
38463Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts39.3
41064University at Buffalo SUNY Buffalo, New York36.7
42365Washington State University Pullman, Washington36.1
44066University of California, Riverside Riverside, California34.9
44967Iowa State University Ames, Iowa34.4
45268Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York34.2
45869Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado34
45870University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California34
46571University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas33.8
52572The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia31.1
52673Boston College Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts30.9
53074University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa30.8
53475University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut30.7
54076University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah30.5
54677University of Hawaii at Mañoa Honolulu, Hawaii30.2
54978Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida30.1
55379University of Delaware Newark, Delaware29.8
55680University of Houston Houston, Texas29.6
57181Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colorado29.2
58282Florida International University Miami, Florida28.8
58783American University Washington, District of Columbia28.6
59184Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, Illinois28.5
59785Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana28.3
59786University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas28.3
60787University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee28
61388City University of New York New York, New York27.8
62489Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon27.5
62490Yeshiva University New York, New York27.5
62891Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, Missouri27.4
62892University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina27.4
65493University of South Florida Tampa, Florida26.6
66494University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma26.4
66895Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania26.3
67396Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey26.2
69597Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York25.3
69798University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, Missouri25.1
701-71099University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida-
711-720100Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-
711-720101University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska-
721-730102Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-
721-730103University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio-
731-740104Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas-
741-750105Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts-
741-750106Syracuse University Syracuse, New York-
751-760107University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico-
751-760108University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon-
761-770109New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Newark, New Jersey-
771-780110Rutgers University - Newark Newark, New Jersey-
781-790111Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia-
781-790112University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky-
781-790113Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan-
791-800114Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina-
801-850115The New School, New York City and Paris New York, New York-
801-850116University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland-
801-850117University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore County, Maryland-
851-900118Auburn University Auburn, Alabama-
851-900119Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana-
851-900120Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma-
851-900121University of Colorado, Denver Denver, Colorado-
851-900122Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts-
901-950123Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas-
901-950124Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan-
901-950125University at Albany SUNY Albany, New York-
901-950126University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama-
901-950127University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska-
901-950128University of North Texas Denton, Texas-
901-950129Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia-
951-1000130Clarkson University Potsdam, New York-
951-1000131Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina-
951-1000132George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia-
951-1000133Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Rochester, New York-
951-1000134Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri-
951-1000135University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, Massachusetts-
1001-1200136Baylor University Waco, Texas-
1001-1200137Binghamton University SUNY Binghamton, New York-
1001-1200138Brigham Young University Provo, Utah-
1001-1200139Clark University Worcester, Massachusetts-
1001-1200140Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton Boca Raton, Florida-
1001-1200141Fordham University New York, New York-
1001-1200142Howard University Washington, District of Columbia-
1001-1200143IU Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana-
1001-1200144Kent State University Kent, Ohio-
1001-1200145Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois-
1001-1200146Mississippi State University Starkville, Mississippi-
1001-1200147Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona-
1001-1200148Ohio University Athens, Ohio-
1001-1200149San Diego State University San Diego, California-
1001-1200150Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas-
1001-1200151The City College of New York New York, New York-
1001-1200152University of Alabama, Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama-
1001-1200153University of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville, Arkansas-
1001-1200154University of Denver Denver, Colorado-
1001-1200155University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho-
1001-1200156University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky-
1001-1200157University of Mississippi Oxford, Mississippi-
1001-1200158University of Missouri, Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri-
1001-1200159University of Nevada - Reno Reno, Nevada-
1001-1200160University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire-
1001-1200161University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina-
1001-1200162University of Rhode Island Kingston, Rhode Island-
1001-1200163University of Texas Arlington Arlington, Texas-
1001-1200164University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas-
1001-1200165University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio-
1001-1200166University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma-
1001-1200167University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont-
1001-1200168University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming-
1001-1200169Utah State University Logan, Utah-
1001-1200170West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia-
1001-1200171William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia-
1201-1400172California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California-
1201-1400173Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin-
1201-1400174Miami University Oxford, Ohio-
1201-1400175New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico-
1201-1400176Portland State University Portland, Oregon-
1201-1400177Pratt Institute Brooklyn, New York-
1201-1400178Seattle University Seattle, Washington-
1201-1400179University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee-
1201-1400180University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina-
1201-1400181University of San Diego San Diego, California-
1201-1400182University of San Francisco San Francisco, California-
1201-1400183University of South Alabama (USA) Mobile, Alabama-
1201-1400184University of Texas El Paso El Paso, Texas-
1201-1400185University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin-
1201-1400186Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan-
1401+187Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, Michigan-
1401+188Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio-
1401+189San Francisco State University San Francisco, California-
1401+190University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, Hawaii-
1401+191University of Missouri Saint Louis St. Louis, Missouri-
1401+192University of the Pacific Stockton, California-
Source/ Data credit - www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings

Top Universities in USA

Top 100 Universities In The USA: American universities are renowned for having high academic standards, adhering to strict procedures to ensure quality, and being well supported so they can provide their students with outstanding educations. Universities in the United States consistently dominate the top-ranking list, making them the world's most esteemed and respected business, medical, and law schools.27 of the top 100 universities worldwide, according to the QS World Ranking 2023, are American institutions.

The United States contains many highly esteemed universities and is home to the legendary Ivy League. The United States is home to some of the top-rated universities. Their universities and colleges enjoy a solid reputation around the globe, attracting students from all around to study under some of the top experts in their field.

The top twenty five universities in USA are Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Yale University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, University of California Berkeley (UCB), Northwestern University, New York University (NYU), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Brown University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois, and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).

Types of Universities in USA

There are different types of universities in the USA. Let`s have a glance at them

  • Central universities / Union universities
  • State Universities
  • Private Universities
  • Deemed university
  • Unitary Universities
  • Affiliating Universities
  • Subject Universities
  • Open Universities
  • State University
  • Private University
  • Community College
  • Institute of Technology

List of top 1000 Universities in USA

World RankUniversityNational RankQuality of Education RankQuality of Faculty RankResearch Performance RankAlumni Employment RankScore
1Harvard University11111100
2Massachusetts Institute of Technology24281296.7
3Stanford University31032495.1
6Princeton University457701592.6
7Columbia University51110151492
8University of Chicago6827221691.5
9University of Pennsylvania71442121091.1
10Yale University8613203690.7
11California Institute of Technology9287511190.4
12University of California, Berkeley1095136090.1
14Cornell University111518242889.5
15University of Michigan, Ann Arbor12297953889.2
16Johns Hopkins University132322620689
17Northwestern University1413746301888.8
18University of California, Los Angeles154416146388.6
20Duke University166417235088.2
22University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign1724116213287.8
23University of Washington - Seattle186723919987.6
25University of Wisconsin-Madison193329329787.3
26New York University204738484587.2
33University of Texas at Austin219414566286.3
34University of California, San Diego221201219-86.1
38University of California, San Francisco23-1925-85.7
39University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill2480763510285.6
40Dartmouth College2553952731785.5
46University of Minnesota - Twin Cities26741192831385
47Washington University in St. Louis27128364719084.9
49Rockefeller University28136416-84.7
50Rutgers University-New Brunswick29189248711584.6
51University of Southern California30314267113184.5
52University of California, Davis3197654656784.5
53Vanderbilt University3237461678584.4
54Pennsylvania State University33293585315484.3
56Ohio State University341241373725484.2
61Purdue University3592671048983.8
62University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center363528158-83.8
66Brown University37731151325883.5
68University of Colorado Boulder38148489317383.4
69University of Virginia393241821293583.3
72University of Pittsburgh402312623421083.1
74Texas A&M University, College Station41-689112783
75University of Maryland, College Park421131336147783
76Georgia Institute of Technology433094111119482.9
82University of California, Irvine44-32103130282.6
83University of Rochester45631291597582.5
85Carnegie Mellon University46563720414582.4
86University of Florida473181405946582.4
93University of Arizona484807110622182.1
94Boston University495152156912382
95University of California, Santa Barbara502132513449582
106University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center51-8894-81.5
111Indiana University Bloomington522551771189181.3
112University of Utah5324713210920181.3
124Emory University54471-6623480.8
127Baylor College of Medicine5571201123-80.7
129Case Western Reserve University566618415426580.6
134Tufts University57811662396580.5
145University of Iowa5813418613632680.1
146Michigan State University59175-10523180.1
147Rice University6011811123810080.1
149University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus61-93156-80
158University of Massachusetts Amherst624766421426379.7
167Iowa State University6333515619716279.5
170University of Notre Dame64305-2843779.4
172Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai65--113-79.4
179University of Alabama at Birmingham66-20716097379.2
181Arizona State University6744225814166679.1
185University of Kansas6826210123343479
191North Carolina State University6938118018940278.9
195University of Connecticut7047511623639478.8
198Stony Brook University71382168196-78.7
199Brandeis University72313960723978.7
204University of Georgia7340717422130878.6
209Yeshiva University7484189253-78.5
212The Scripps Research Institute75-54302-78.4
214University of Illinois at Chicago7647727316378878.3
217University of Missouri-Columbia774278729525178.3
226University of Miami78--18824078.1
228Georgetown University79354-3325278
236University of Cincinnati80466-19824177.9
237Wake Forest University81--2906877.9
242University of California, Riverside82376218223-77.8
244University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston83-149268-77.7
251University of Tennessee, Knoxville84423-19946177.6
254Virginia Commonwealth University85-11229698977.5
255Colorado State University86455206254130977.5
257University of Houston87-12234016477.5
268Oregon Health & Science University88--211-77.3
270Oregon State University8922822727651677.2
271Virginia Tech90483-23134277.2
275Florida State University91--22753477.2
283University of Massachusetts Medical School92-85365-77
284University of California, Santa Cruz93364245265147377
286University of Maryland, Baltimore94--230-77
293University at Buffalo95--24561076.8
297University of South Florida96--25181076.8
298Wayne State University97489-26636276.8
299University of Delaware9837916333358176.7
301University of Kentucky99294-26453576.7
302Louisiana State University100470-27134576.7
305University of New Mexico101--257-76.6
306University of Nebraska-Lincoln102168-28140176.6
307Washington State University103-18532092776.6
309George Washington University104400-28918076.6
314Southern Methodist University105191-6563176.5
320Northeastern University106317-32617976.4
327University of South Carolina - Columbia107--29358976.3
350City College of New York10822-79243776
352Temple University109--32560175.9
353Albert Einstein College of Medicine110--317-75.9
359Drexel University111-23240026475.8
378University of Oregon112127-388-75.6
383Medical University of South Carolina113--350-75.5
392University of Oklahoma, Norman114--37637475.4
399University of Texas at Dallas115368-37958275.3
403University at Albany, SUNY11620821145472775.2
412Amherst College11721--4975.1
420Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis118--40280375
423Texas Tech University119--40749275
425Thomas Jefferson University120--403-75
429Kansas State University121346-41748774.9
434University of Mississippi122--409-74.9
441Tulane University123217-44433274.8
443Saint Louis University124-18752727774.8
445University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio125--419-74.7
451Medical College of Wisconsin126--422-74.7
457University of Colorado Denver127--431-74.6
458University of Vermont128--44350674.6
461University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa129440-47822274.6
462Syracuse University130165-50920274.5
463University of Central Florida131--435105674.5
465University of Louisville132--44278174.5
469Florida International University133--439137174.5
473George Mason University134-237500141074.4
485Oklahoma State University135--47050874.3
493West Virginia University136--49435274.2
495Baylor University137--48739674.2
498Lehigh University138166-7636174.1
499University of Hawaii at Manoa139396-475121174.1
502Rush University140--473-74.1
504University of Tennessee Health Science Center141--476-74.1
505Swarthmore College14216--25774.1
507Boston College143--55913574.1
526Colorado School of Mines144--7316473.9
530Georgia State University145--50281973.8
540University of Arkansas - Fayetteville146268-53837773.7
541Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute147425-60315373.7
556Clemson University148--52593473.6
558Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science149--524-73.5
560San Diego State University150313-54744773.5
569University of Texas at Arlington151--53784973.4
574Illinois Institute of Technology15262-81516073.4
581Auburn University153--59324773.3
583University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee154278-57247473.3
589College of William & Mary155--7249373.2
590University of Nebraska Medical Center156--550-73.2
592Haverford College15719-1926-73.2
597Brigham Young University158316-56984273.2
615Utah State University159352-59489973
630Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory160-102861-72.9
641University of New Hampshire161--62054172.8
653Binghamton University16229715486736672.7
661Loyola University Chicago163348-632101672.6
662University of Texas Medical Branch164--627-72.6
670University of Wyoming165--64672672.5
675University of Texas at San Antonio166--640-72.5
680University of Maine, Orono167493121881142972.5
685University of Nevada, Reno168--652114872.4
700University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center169--665-72.3
710University of North Texas, Denton170--67574872.2
713Mississippi State University171321-69940872.2
714University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences172--673-72.2
715University of Missouri-Kansas City173468-68956672.2
719Montana State University - Bozeman174--680132072.1
727University of Maryland, Baltimore County175-233769-72.1
729University of Massachusetts Boston176-190822119272.1
732Antioch College17717---72
738University of Alaska Fairbanks178416-70175872
739Augusta University179--696-72
743SUNY Downstate Medical Center180-149930-72
751University of Idaho181--709-71.9
752Kent State University182--710-71.9
773University of Montana183265-740-71.7
774Ohio University184390-77237271.7
786Northern Illinois University185--75272871.6
796University of North Carolina at Charlotte186--77066471.6
812University of Rhode Island187--79154271.5
815University of Denver188--88418671.4
817University of Toledo189--781-71.4
822Miami University190--97011871.4
824Old Dominion University191--785-71.4
832University of Nevada, Las Vegas192--79498471.3
843Rutgers University-Newark193--80582271.2
846Wesleyan University194--15195471.2
847University of California, Merced195--803-71.2
850University of Louisiana at Lafayette196--806-71.2
859Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences197--814-71.1
861Northern Arizona University198--817112171.1
870Southern Illinois University Carbondale199--823144271.1
878University of Akron200--84569871
886Portland State University201--88836570.9
893New Mexico State University202465-85871870.9
898East Carolina University203--85980170.9
904Michigan Technological University204347-864105170.8
906North Dakota State University205302-872103670.8
911Oberlin College20626---70.8
916Missouri University of Science and Technology207--90439970.8
928Pepperdine University20893158-7770.7
933Claremont McKenna College209---3970.6
936Bucknell University210--18115170.6
942Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute211--896-70.6
947Colgate University212--19854770.6
948New Jersey Institute of Technology213422-91469670.5
959Pomona College21432271-87170.5
965University of Memphis215--94844270.4
972University of Texas Rio Grande Valley216--926-70.4
978Florida Institute of Technology217--94370970.4
980Hunter College218151-992126070.4
1000American University219--99936170.2
Source/ Data credit - cwur.org/2021-22/country/usa.php

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