The basics:
- Princeton ranks No. 1 nationally on WalletHub’s 2027 College & University Rankings
- 12 New Jersey universities make the overall list
- WalletHub evaluated nearly 738 schools across seven categories
- Experts highlight affordability, career preparation and student debt as key measures of college value
To address students’ growing concerns about the value of higher education, WalletHub has once again compared U.S. colleges and universities to determine the top-performing schools at the lowest possible costs to undergraduates.
The culmination of the personal finance site’s research was released Oct. 12 in its College & University Rankings (2027).
To determine its findings, WalletHub compared nearly 738 schools across seven key categories:
- Student selectivity
- Cost & financing
- Faculty resources
- Campus safety
- Campus experience
- Educational outcomes
- Career outcomes
In its introduction of the list, WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann said, “Recognizing the challenge of predicting future outcomes, WalletHub’s Best Colleges ranking also analyzes post-attendance metrics – the student-loan default rate and the share of former students out earning high school graduates, for instance – to show the value of the education students can expect to receive beyond their undergraduate studies.”
Other publications are also turning their attention to the value of a degree for their college rankings, including U.S. News & World Report and Time magazine’s inaugural list.
Head of the class
On WalletHub’s ranking, Princeton University once again was named the “best” university in the nation.
Following Princeton, the top universities in the nation, according to WalletHub, are:
- No. 2: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- No. 3: Yale University
- No. 4: California Institute of Technology
- No. 5: Harvard University
Source: WalletHub
WalletHub also released separate lists for universities and colleges. “Colleges” were defined as schools that provide only undergraduate – or baccalaureate degree – programs. “Universities” offer graduate programs, including master’s and/or doctoral degrees.
A total of 12 New Jersey universities made the overall ranking. No Garden State college landed on this year’s list. The same schools were included in WalletHub’s 2026 rankings, albeit in different placements.
“In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo added. “In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities.”
New Jersey institutions on WalletHub’s Best College & University Rankings for 2027:
- No. 1: Princeton University
No. 1 among Best Universities - No. 111: Stevens Institute of Technology
No. 82 among Best Universities - No. 135: New Jersey Institute of Technology
No. 101 among Best Universities - No. 155: Rutgers University–New Brunswick
No. 118 among Best Universities - No. 194: The College of New Jersey
No. 150 among Best Universities - No. 218: Drew University
No. 171 among Best Universities - No. 258: Rutgers University–Camden
No. 208 among Best Universities - No. 323: Ramapo College of New Jersey
No. 270 among Best Universities - No. 357: Rider University
- No. 360: Seton Hall University
- No. 469: Rowan University
- No. 487: Stockton University
For the separate Best Universities list, WalletHub listed only the top 300 out of 670 universities included, so Rider, Seton Hall, Rowan and Stockton were not given a specific ranking in the report.
Valedictorian
In its report, WalletHub detailed how Princeton University landed in the top position.
The Ivy League university has only a 5% acceptance rate, and 93% of incoming students were in the top 10% of their graduating classes, WalletHub noted. And at 98%, the university has the best graduation rate in the U.S.
By the numbers
- On average, tuition and room and board at a four-year college costs $31,000 to $65,000 per year
- The median salary for a Princeton University graduate a decade after enrollment is more than $110,000 – the eighth highest among WalletHub’s ranked universities
SOURCE: WalletHub
Additionally, examining salaries 20 years after graduation, Princeton alumni earn about $1.05 million more than individuals who did not continue their education after obtaining their high school diploma. WalletHub noted this makes Princeton the sixth-best return on investment in the country.
What to consider
WalletHub asked several higher education experts to weigh in on cost-related matters in education. When asked what types of universities provide the best return on investment, Gerardo Blanco, an associate professor at Boston College, pointed to the American Council on Education’s revamp of the Carnegie Classification of institutions of higher education.
“The new classification centers economic mobility, and I take that as an indicator of ROI,” Blanco said. “These data suggest that social mobility depends just as much on one’s field of study and local conditions as the institution.”
Updates to the Carnegie Classification – the framework for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions – was also the reason for a major overhaul to U.S. News’ Best Colleges methodology this year.
Tristan Jones, the coordinator for recruitment and admissions at Langston University’s Oklahoma City campus, added, “The best return comes from schools that keep costs reasonable while also preparing students for careers.
“Colleges that provide hands-on learning, career services, strong connections to employers, and support for students – all while helping them graduate with less debt – give the most value for the money,” Jones added.
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