Princeton, Babson, and Stanford lead in 2025 US university ranking

Princeton University, a private school, has claimed the top spot in the annual WSJ/College Pulse ranking of U.S. colleges for the second consecutive year.

However, the 2025 ranking brings significant changes, with half of the top 50 colleges being new entrants.

These schools—spanning a variety of sizes, public and private institutions, and disciplines such as technical and liberal arts—have excelled in delivering exceptional student experiences and high satisfaction levels.

This year's rankings focus on how colleges prepare their students for financial success.

Top ten US universities in the 2025 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings.

Metrics include graduation rates, future earnings potential, and student feedback on their college experience. Unlike traditional rankings, this list does not factor in reputation or institutional finances.

The WSJ/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking was developed and executed in collaboration with College Pulse and Statista. The ranking scores colleges based on three main components: student outcomes (accounting for 70%), learning environment (20%) and diversity (10%).

Public universities made a strong showing, with the University of California, Berkeley (ranked 8th) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (ranked 9th) breaking into the top 10.

Overall, six public schools feature in the top 20, a notable improvement from last year when none made the top 10 and only two were in the top 20.

Colleges with robust business or technology programs also performed well.

Babson College secured the second spot, and Stanford University came in at the third position.

Other top performers include Yale University (No. 4), Claremont McKenna College (No. 5), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (No. 6), Harvard University (No. 7), and Davidson College (No. 10).

The rankings highlight the diverse strategies colleges use to ensure student success.

These include leveraging strong alumni networks for career support, partnering with businesses for hands-on student experiences, and developing adaptive curricula aligned with evolving job market demands.

In total, the 2025 WSJ/College Pulse ranking evaluates 500 institutions.