Colleges

How New England schools fared in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 best college rankings

Some local schools got top marks.

By Dialynn Dwyer

September 12, 2022

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Attention high school students (and parents) embarking on the college application process, the latest annual rankings of higher education institutions by U.S. News & World Report are out. 

The publication released its 2022-2023 Best College rankings on Monday. 

Like previous years, more than a few New England schools were singled out for top spots. 

This year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology edged out Harvard to claim the No. 2 place on its own behind Princeton University, which has maintained the top spot in the National Universities category for a decade. Harvard tied for the No. 3 spot with Stanford and Yale. 

Last year, MIT and Harvard tied for the No. 2 spot with Columbia University.

New England schools once again also had strong representation among the rankings of National Liberal Arts Colleges. For another year in a row, Williams College is ranked first, with Amherst College again following in second. 

For the rankings, U.S. News used 17 metrics of academic quality to evaluate 1,500 colleges and universities, giving the most weight to outcome measures, such as social mobility,  graduation and retention rates, and the average indebtedness for graduates. Outcomes accounted for 40 percent; faculty resources (including class sizes and undergraduate student to faculty ratio) made up 20 percent; expert opinion was considered for 20 percent; financial resources was weighted at 10 percent; student excellence (such as ACT/SAT scores when applicable) comprised 7 percent; and alumni giving accounted for 3 percent. 

“For nearly 40 years, the Best Colleges methodology has continuously evolved to reflect changes in the higher education landscape and the interests of prospective students,” Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News, said in a statement. “Guiding that evolution is U.S. News’ mission of providing useful data and information to help with one of life’s biggest decisions.”

Below, a look at how New England colleges and universities made out in the two primary categories of the 2022-2023 rankings. See the full rankings here. 

Best National Universities

Top three: 

• 1. Princeton University (NJ)
• 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
• 3. Harvard University (MA)
• 3. Stanford University (CA)
• 3. Yale University (CT)

New England schools in the rest of the top 100:

• 12. Dartmouth College (NH)
• 13. Brown University (RI) (tied with Vanderbilt University)
• 32. Tufts University (MA) (tied with University of California, Santa Barbara)
• 36. Boston College (MA) (tied with University of Rochester)
• 41. Boston University (MA) (tied with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and William & Mary)
• 44. Brandeis University (MA) & Northeastern University (MA) (tied with Case Western Reserve University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Tulane University)
• 67. University of Connecticut (CT), University of Massachusetts — Amherst (MA) & Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) (tied with Texas A&M University and Yeshiva University)
• 97. Clark University (MA) (tied with Auburn University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of California — Merced, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Illinois — Chicago, University of San Diego, and University of South Florida)

Best National Liberal Arts Colleges

Top three: 

• 1. Williams College (MA)
• 2. Amherst College (MA)
• 3. Pomona College (CA)

New England schools in the rest of the top 100:

• 5. Wellesley College (MA)
• 6. Bowdoin College (ME) (tied with Carleton College and United States Naval Academy)
• 11. Middlebury College (VT) (tied with Washington and Lee University)
• 13. Smith College (MA) (tied with Vassar College)
• 18. Wesleyan University (CT) (tied with Barnard College, Colgate University, Haverford College, United States Air Force Academy, and University of Richmond)
• 24. Colby College (ME)
• 25. Bates College (ME) 
• 33. College of the Holy Cross (MA) (tied with Pitzer College and Scripts College)
• 36. Mount Holyoke College (MA)
• 39. Trinity College (CT) (tied with Denison University, Franklin & Marshall College, Lafayette College, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and Skidmore College)
• 55. Connecticut College (CT) (tied with Centre College, Rhodes College, Trinity University, and Wabash College)
• 84. Bennington College (VT)
• 89. Stonehill College (MA) & Wheaton College (MA) (tied with Juniata College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and Ursinus College)