Every year, the U.S. News & World Report puts out its updated college and university academic rankings. Earlier this week, it released the updated rankings for 2026. With the Big Ten Conference at 18 members after the additions of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, it’s interesting to check in on the rankings and see where Michigan State lands among the other schools in the conference.
Before we proceed, it’s important to note U.S. News ranks schools by their graduation and retention rates, graduate success, academic resources and additional criteria. Below, see how everyone is ranked, from worst to first.
18. University of Nebraska – Lincoln
City: Lincoln, Nebraska
National ranking: No. 158 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 87%
Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire.
17. University of Oregon
City: Eugene, Oregon
National ranking: No. 110 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 85%
Get more (Oregon) news, analysis and opinions on Ducks Wire.
16. University of Iowa
City: Iowa City, Iowa
National ranking: No. 102 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 84%
Get more (Iowa) news, analysis and opinions on Hawkeyes Wire.
15. Indiana University – Bloomington
City: Bloomington, Indiana
National ranking: No. 73 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 78%
14. Michigan State University
City: East Lansing, Michigan
National ranking: No. 64 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 85%
12 (Tie). University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
National ranking: No. 59 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 80%
12 (Tie). Pennsylvania State University – University Park
City: University Park, Pennsylvania
National ranking: No. 59 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 61%
Get more (Penn State) news, analysis and opinions on Nittany Lions Wire.
11. Purdue University – Main Campus
City: West Lafayette, Indiana
National ranking: No. 46 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 50%
8 (Tie). University of Washington
City: Seattle, Washington
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 39%
Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire.
8 (Tie). University of Maryland – College Park
City: College Park, Maryland
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 45%
8 (Tie). Rutgers University – New Brunswick
City: Piscataway, New Jersey
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 41%
7. The Ohio State University
City: Columbus, Ohio
National ranking: No. 41
Acceptance rate: 61%
Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions on Buckeyes Wire.
5 (tie). University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
City: Champaign, Illinois
National ranking: No. 36 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 42%
5 (Tie). University of Wisconsin – Madison
City: Madison, Wisconsin
National ranking: No. 36 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 45%
Get more (Wisconsin) news, analysis and opinions on Badgers Wire.
4. University of Southern California
City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 28
Acceptance rate: 10%
Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire.
3. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
City: Ann Arbor, Michigan
National ranking: No. 20 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 16%
Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire.
2. University of California – Los Angeles
City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 17 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 9%
Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions on UCLA Wire.
1. Northwestern University
City: Evanston, Illinois
National ranking: No. 7 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 8%
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Every Big Ten school ranked academically by U.S. News for 2026
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
