In its latest rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Notre Dame No. 20, along with three other universities. Notre Dame dropped two spots from last year’s list of national overall rankings.
The lists have been published for over four decades. This year’s list also includes rankings for the best value schools, most innovative colleges, top performers on social mobility and historically Black colleges and universities.
The methodology for how U.S. News & World Report ranks the colleges has remained mostly unchanged since last year’s list.
The ranking calculation considers up to 17 key measures of academic quality for National Universities and 13 indicators for the National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges.
The most heavily weighted factor in the calculations is student outcomes, at 52%, which takes into account graduation rates, first-year retention, Pell graduation rate, Pell graduation performance, federal loan debt and earnings five years after graduation.
The formula uses data universally reported by schools or obtainable from third-party sources.An Indianapolis university has kept its title for at least two years in a row as one of the top regional Midwest universities, according to the new rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
Butler University in Indianapolis was ranked as the No. 1 regional university for the Midwest. Butler also made it to the No. 1 spot for most innovative school among Midwest universities.
Butler University President James Danko said that these rankings are a testament to their faculty and staff providing “an education that is both transformative and impactful.”
“We take pride in cultivating an environment where students thrive academically, personally, and professionally, preparing them for meaningful lives and careers,” Danko said in a news release.
2026 top Indiana colleges
2026 Overall Regional Universities (Midwest)
2026 Overall National Universities
2026 Overall National Public Universities
All college ranking lists can be found at usnews.com/best-colleges.
Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: See where U.S. News & World Report 2026 top colleges ranked Notre Dame
Reporting by Caroline Beck, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
