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Higher education in the United States is one of the highest quality in the world. In various world rankings, the best American universities are in the lead, only the old British Oxford and Cambridge can compete with them, but they are no longer in the first positions. American university degrees are highly regarded by employers around the world. Having received a specialty in the USA, you can count on a career in Europe and in rapidly developing Asia.
Higher education in the United States is a costly investment that will certainly pay off. But if it is not possible to pay for full tuition at a US university, you can get basic education at home, and in the US study for a master's, postgraduate or MBA programs. But in order to enter these programs, you need certain groundwork: participation in scientific and technical projects, work experience in the specialty, volunteering.
American universities offer a variety of assistance programs for talented students, up to full tuition reimbursement. Such eminent universities as Stanford, Harvard, Duke University are in the lead here. The conditions for obtaining grants can be found on the websites of the universities. Applicants can hope to receive a grant by reaching the maximum score (or close to it) when passing the SAT or ACT exams.
The Times Higher Education, a competent British education weekly, compiles its own university rankings. The Times Higher Education Ranking of the 50 Best Universities in the United States is designed to help prospective American university students.
Times Higher Education鈥檚 top 50 best universities in USA 2026
| Rank | Name Country/Region | No. of FTE Students | No. of students per staff | International Students | Female:Male Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology United States | 11,703 | 7.7 | 33% | 43 : 57 |
| 3 | Princeton University United States | 8,739 | 8.2 | 23% | 47 : 53 |
| 5 | Harvard University United States | 22,680 | 10.1 | 27% | 53 : 47 |
| 5 | Stanford University United States | 17,422 | 5.9 | 25% | 48 : 52 |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology United States | 2,401 | 6.7 | 33% | 39 : 61 |
| 9 | University of California, Berkeley United States | 42,565 | 18.4 | 25% | 53 : 47 |
| 10 | Yale University United States | 14,884 | 6.2 | 24% | 53 : 47 |
| 14 | University of Pennsylvania United States | 22,422 | 6.6 | 26% | 55 : 45 |
| 15 | The University of Chicago United States | 16,509 | 5.9 | 39% | 47 : 53 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University United States | 21,275 | 5.6 | 34% | 54 : 46 |
| 18 | Cornell University United States | 25,673 | 10.6 | 26% | 53 : 47 |
| 18 | University of California, Los Angeles United States | 44,700 | 9.8 | 15% | 57 : 43 |
| 20 | Columbia University United States | 30,580 | 5.6 | 42% | None |
| 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor United States | 48,449 | 8.4 | 19% | 52 : 48 |
| 24 | Carnegie Mellon University United States | 16,257 | 13.0 | 50% | 44 : 56 |
| 25 | University of Washington United States | 49,524 | 9.5 | 18% | 57 : 43 |
| 28 | Duke University United States | 17,871 | 4.4 | 25% | 55 : 45 |
| 30 | Northwestern University United States | 20,611 | 8.2 | 24% | 54 : 46 |
| 31 | New York University United States | 48,973 | 9.0 | 46% | 59 : 41 |
| 41 | Georgia Institute of Technology United States | 33,325 | 28.3 | 32% | 34 : 66 |
| 41 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States | 50,640 | 18.9 | 23% | 47 : 53 |
| 47 | University of California, San Diego United States | 40,586 | 9.8 | 23% | 51 : 49 |
| 50 | University of Texas at Austin United States | 51,158 | 17.0 | 10% | 56 : 44 |
| 53 | University of Wisconsin-Madison United States | 45,254 | 10.7 | 15% | None |
| 64 | University of California, Davis United States | 38,565 | 13.6 | 22% | 58 : 42 |
| 65 | Brown University United States | 10,887 | 10.3 | 22% | None |
| 67 | Washington University in St Louis United States | 15,165 | 8.2 | 28% | 52 : 48 |
| 72 | University of California, Santa Barbara United States | 25,735 | 22.9 | 18% | 55 : 45 |
| 73 | University of Southern California United States | 42,840 | 13.3 | 27% | 53 : 47 |
| 76 | Boston University United States | 29,239 | 11.4 | 33% | 58 : 42 |
| 78 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States | 34,813 | 8.0 | 10% | 61 : 39 |
| 85 | Purdue University West Lafayette United States | 43,555 | 18.5 | 20% | 43 : 57 |
| 88 | University of Minnesota United States | 58,751 | 11.9 | 9% | 55 : 45 |
| 92 | Vanderbilt University United States | 12,863 | 3.8 | 18% | 55 : 45 |
| 97 | University of California, Irvine United States | 35,079 | 15.3 | 24% | 54 : 46 |
| 102 | Emory University United States | 13,652 | 4.0 | 20% | 61 : 39 |
| 103 | Rice University United States | 8,223 | 10.3 | 31% | 43 : 57 |
| 105 | Michigan State University United States | 45,537 | 16.5 | 10% | 53 : 47 |
| 108 | Ohio State University (Main campus) United States | 54,645 | 9.8 | 12% | 52 : 48 |
| 108 | Penn State (Main campus) United States | 48,746 | 15.1 | 16% | 47 : 53 |
| 112 | University of Massachusetts United States | 62,471 | 12.8 | 15% | 51 : 49 |
| 116 | University of Maryland, College Park United States | 33,483 | 16.3 | 10% | 50 : 50 |
| 127 | University of Rochester United States | 10,505 | 8.1 | 36% | 52 : 48 |
| 134 | University of Florida United States | 47,815 | 15.5 | 10% | 56 : 44 |
| 138 | University of Arizona United States | 52,414 | 20.9 | 7% | 57 : 43 |
| 145 | Case Western Reserve University United States | 11,514 | 9.9 | 26% | 51 : 49 |
| 151 | Texas A&M University United States | 68,486 | 22.6 | 8% | 47 : 53 |
| 156 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus United States | 27,492 | 5.4 | 11% | 51 : 49 |
| 159 | University of Colorado Boulder United States | 37,094 | 17.0 | 8% | 46 : 54 |
| 166 | University of Virginia (Main campus) United States | 25,795 | 8.8 | 13% | 55 : 45 |
