2027’s Best Colleges in America, Ranked

Where do you want to go when you pack up your things to head to college? Try New England.

The Northeast U.S., including a few New England states, is the place to be if your goal is to attend one of the best colleges in the country. That may not be a surprise knowing that the area is packed with well-regarded Ivy League schools. But you may be surprised about some of the other establishments on the list, and how far west they are compared to East Coast schools.

Forbes put together its list of best colleges and universities in the United States, and Visual Capitalist took that data to come up with a handy map to visualize it. See how colleges rank for the year 2027.

1. MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, landed in first place on the 2027 Forbes list of best colleges. One of the things that worked in the school's advantage was its high marks across 14 different data points. For example, the lack of student debt. Just 7% of students leave the school with debt, due partially to a good financial aid program.

2. Princeton University

While not a New England state, the New England-adjacent New Jersey is home to second-place Princeton University. The school, which was founded before the United States became a country, has a $36.4 billion endowment to cover things like research, and financial aid programs for students.

3. Harvard University

Harvard is the oldest higher learning institution in the country with its founding in 1636. While it is notoriously difficult to get into the school, with only a 4% acceptance rate, it does offer good financial aid and scholarships once students are enrolled. Forbes found that the school ranks sixth overall when it comes to average grant aid, with students receiving an average of more than $68,000 a year to help with the nearly $90,000 in annual tuition.

4. Columbia University

New York City is home to fourth-place Columbia University, but, like Harvard, it is difficult to actually go to school there, as the university has a similar 4% acceptance rate. It also has a similar financial aid rate with the average grant for financial aid around $67,000 to help cover more than $90,000 in annual tuition. Economics is one of the more popular majors at the school, and Columbia has one of the best programs for economic research.

5. Penn

The University of Pennsylvania, like others on this list, was founded before the United States became a country with some help from Benjamin Franklin, who also served as the school's president for a time. Today, the university has four base schools, including the Wharton School, which is the world's first collegiate business school.

California Schools Also Dominate

Sixth-place Stanford leads California's contributions to the best colleges and universities in the country. The school is one of two that made the list from the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearby Berkeley came in ninth place on the list.

Southern California is also home to two of the best colleges in the country. The California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, is based in Pasadena, California, while the University of California, Los Angeles, or UCLA, is in the nearby Westwood area of Los Angeles.