Seven universities in New Jersey made U.S. News & World Report’s new global ranking of the best colleges and universities, with Princeton coming in at No. 14 overall.
The ranking, released on June 16, is not the same as the popular annual U.S. News Best Colleges list. The 2026–2027 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated more than 2,250 schools across more than 100 countries. The ranking evaluated universities through a global lens, focusing on things like academic research, reputation, publications, citations and international collaboration.
The ranking gives each university a score based on 13 indicators tied to academic research and reputation. They include global and regional research reputation, publications, books and conferences; citation impact and total citations; the number and percentage of papers that rank among the top 10 percent most cited; international collaboration; and the number and percentage of highly cited papers that rank among the top 1 percent most cited.
U.S. News also ranks universities globally by subject area.
The U.S. list focuses on a different set of metrics that include graduation rates, first-year retention rate, student-to-faculty ratio, peer assessments, and other criteria tied to an undergraduate student’s experience.
Seven universities made the 2026–2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings:
- Princeton University — No. 14 globally
- Rutgers University–New Brunswick — No. 155 globally
- Rutgers University–Newark — No. 688 globally
- New Jersey Institute of Technology — No. 1,070 globally
- Stevens Institute of Technology — No. 1,158 globally
- Montclair State University — No. 1,607 globally
- Rowan University — No. 1,734 globally
The global U.S. News & World Report ranking is especially focused on a university’s research mission. That means universities are being evaluated on how much research they publish, how often that research is cited and how much influence it has.
“For students seeking universities with strong academic excellence and global recognition, the Best Global Universities rankings offer an essential comparative resource,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “Our methodology focuses on a school’s research mission and scholarly impact, helping students identify institutions that are truly at the forefront of global knowledge creation.”
U.S. News also publishes 51 subject rankings, with individual lists for areas like clinical medicine, arts and humanities, engineering, chemistry, physics, social sciences and more.
Princeton University earned high marks globally in these subject areas: #2 in math, #4 in space science, #10 in physics, #15 in arts and humanities, and #15 in electrical and electronic engineering. See Princeton’s other subject rankings here.
Rutgers University–New Brunswick, the state university’s flagship campus, came in at #20 in food and science technology, #33 in agricultural sciences, #85 in arts and humanities, #104 in biology and biochemistry, #114 in infectious diseases and #119 in economics and business. See Rutgers-New Brunswick’s other subject rankings here.
Rutgers University-Newark earned the #399 spot for economics and business, #495 for social sciences and public health, and #700 for clinical medicine. See Rutgers-Newark’s other subject rankings here.
NJIT landed in the #228 spot for electrical and electronic engineering, #352 spot for computer science and #421 in engineering. See NJIT’s other subject rankings here.
Stevens Institute of Technology landed at #230 in electrical and electronic engineering and #413 in computer science. See Stevens’ other subject rankings here.
Rowan came in at #996 in clinical medicine, and is a standout on the list of New Jersey schools, since it jumped nearly 150 places higher in one year, according to nj.com. And Montclair State came in at #301 for regional research reputation.
The Top 10 Universities in the World
The overall top 10 in the 2026–2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings are:
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- University of Oxford
- University of Cambridge
- Tsinghua University
- University of California Berkeley
- Yale University
- University College London
- Columbia University
Get the latest on the best things to do with your family in and around New Jersey by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram!
Read More:
These 5 NJ High Schools Send the Most Grads to Harvard, Princeton & MIT
Three New Jersey Colleges Rank as The World’s Top Universities (2026), According to TIME Magazine
What Are the Best Public Colleges in NJ? Money Magazine Says These Two Schools
