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College rankings

College Rankings From U.S. Government Data

These 34 ranked lists sort the 354 four-year colleges in our dataset by one measure at a time: acceptance rate, graduation rate, net price, median earnings, size and more. Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26)), and each list says how it was built.

The dataset has 172 public and 182 private nonprofit colleges. A list is only published when at least 10 colleges qualify, and no list sorts on a measure that fewer than 100 colleges report.

Access

• Colleges With the Highest Share of Pell Grant Recipients (350 colleges; first: University of Puerto Rico)
• Colleges With the Highest Share of First-Generation Students (335 colleges; first: California State University-Los Angeles)

Admission rates

• Colleges With the Highest Acceptance Rates (354 colleges; first: The University of Texas at El Paso)

Class size

• Colleges With the Lowest Student-to-Faculty Ratio (354 colleges; first: California Institute of Technology)

Cost

• Colleges With the Lowest Average Net Price (347 colleges; first: CUNY Hunter College)
• Public Colleges With the Lowest Average Net Price (167 colleges; first: CUNY Hunter College)
• Private Nonprofit Colleges With the Lowest Average Net Price (180 colleges; first: Wilberforce University)
• Colleges With the Lowest In-State Tuition and Fees (348 colleges; first: United States Merchant Marine Academy)
• Colleges With the Lowest Median Debt at Graduation (347 colleges; first: Berea College)
• Colleges With the Highest Median Debt at Graduation (347 colleges; first: Providence College)

Diversity

• Most Racially and Ethnically Diverse Colleges in Our Data (353 colleges; first: Minerva University)

Fit

• Colleges With SAT Ranges Under 1100 and 60%+ Graduation (34 colleges; first: Citadel Military College of South Carolina)
• Colleges With an ACT Middle 50% Midpoint Between 17 and 21 (24 colleges; first: The University of Texas at El Paso)

HBCUs

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Our Data (19 colleges; first: Spelman College)

Outcomes

• Colleges With the Highest Six-Year Graduation Rates (353 colleges; first: Harvard University)
• Highest Graduation Rates Among Colleges Admitting 60% or More (103 colleges; first: Ohio State University)
• Colleges With the Highest Median Earnings 10 Years After Entry (348 colleges; first: Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Colleges With the Lowest Median Earnings 10 Years After Entry (348 colleges; first: Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo)
• Colleges With the Highest First-Year Retention Rates (354 colleges; first: Arizona State University Digital Immersion)

Selectivity

• Most Selective Colleges by Acceptance Rate (354 colleges; first: California Institute of Technology)

Setting

• Colleges in Rural Areas, Ranked by Graduation Rate (17 colleges; first: Colgate University)
• Colleges in Cities, Ranked by Graduation Rate (219 colleges; first: Harvard University)
• Colleges in Suburban Areas, Ranked by Graduation Rate (68 colleges; first: University of Virginia)

Size

• Smallest Colleges by Undergraduate Enrollment (354 colleges; first: Beacon College)
• Largest Colleges by Undergraduate Enrollment (354 colleges; first: Southern New Hampshire University)
• Largest Public Colleges by Undergraduate Enrollment (172 colleges; first: Arizona State University Campus Immersion)
• Small Colleges (Under 3,000 Undergrads) With the Highest Graduation Rates (136 colleges; first: Bowdoin College)

Test scores

• Colleges With the Highest SAT Middle 50% Ranges (277 colleges; first: Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Colleges With the Lowest SAT Middle 50% Ranges (277 colleges; first: Alcorn State University)
• Colleges With the Highest ACT Middle 50% Ranges (273 colleges; first: Harvard University)

Testing policy

• Colleges That Require SAT or ACT Scores (30 colleges; first: Harvard University)
• Colleges That Consider but Do Not Require Test Scores (65 colleges; first: California Institute of Technology)

Value

• Colleges With the Highest Median Earnings per Dollar of Net Price (347 colleges; first: CUNY Bernard M Baruch College)
• Colleges With 85%+ Retention and Net Price Under $20,000 (76 colleges; first: Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses)

How to use these lists

Treat each list as a way to find colleges worth a closer look, not as a verdict. A sort on one number leaves out teaching quality, majors, campus fit and what you would pay after aid. Open a college profile to see its full numbers and links to the official site.

Start with a list that matches your most important constraint, such as price or selectivity, then read the caveats on the page so you know what the number leaves out. Compare two or three colleges side by side on the comparison tool, and see what your score means on the SAT score guides and ACT score guides.

About the data

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14. Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Numbers describe past cohorts and may differ from a college's current figures, so confirm anything important with the college.

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