For another year in a row, three Indiana universities have claimed a Top 100 spot in Forbes’ List of America’s top colleges.
Out of the three universities, the Notre Dame leads the pack of Hoosier colleges, making a significant jump in Forbes’ rankings, and being highlighted as the 5th best university in the Midwest.
Last year, Notre Dame was considered the 42nd best school in the nation. The 2025-26 list, released on Aug. 26, 2025 ranked Notre Dame as the 26th best private school in the nation, the 28th best research university and overall the 33rd best college in the U.S.
This bump in rank notably comes after a year in which the University of Notre Dame drew the ire of the Trump administration and became a focal point in Attorney General Todd Rokita’s investigation of the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
“To say it’s been a rough year for American colleges would be an understatement,” the Forbes list introduction reads. “Over the past eight months, President Donald Trump, his administration and Congressional Republicans have waged financial and cultural war on higher education — freezing research funds, punishing efforts at campus diversity, constricting the flow of foreign students, raising the tax on some college endowments and curbing the generosity of student loan programs.”
When it comes to the top university in the country, Forbes gave this honor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning top ranks in the 14 metrics Forbes used to determine which 500 schools offer the best educational, financial and career outcomes for students.
The Top 10 list comprised five Ivy League universities, four private universities and the University of California, Berkeley as the only public university.
Purdue University and Indiana University make the Top 100
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Purdue University and Indiana University were the other two Indiana-based universities to make Forbes’ Top 100.
Notably, Indiana University barely hung onto this honor, as the university dropped on Forbes’ list, earning the rank as the country’s 94th best college.
Purdue, on the other hand, remains relatively firm, only climbing one spot in this year’s ranking.
The university was also considered the 8th best in the Midwest, beating out Indiana University, which was ranked the 12th best in the region.
How did Indiana colleges rank in Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges 2025 list?
See the full rankings online at forbes.com/top-colleges
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Forbes’ ranking of Top Colleges for 2025-26 is out. 1 Indiana university soared up the list
Reporting by Noe Padilla, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
