The 2025 college rankings — explained

Last week, The Wall Street Journal published its annual college ranking report, ordering the top colleges in the U.S. from 1-400.

And since you need a WSJ subscription to view it, we’ve performed our very own Prequel analysis on the top 10. 👊

The official ranking is based on:

🎯 Student outcomes (70%)

• Salary impact

• Years to pay off net price

• Graduation rate impact

🌱 Learning environment (20%)

• Learning opportunities

• Preparation for career

• Learning facilities

• Student recommendations

• Character development

🤝 Diversity (10%)

• Opportunities to interact with students from different backgrounds

• Ethnic diversity

• Inclusion of students with lower family earnings

• Inclusion of students with disabilities

Let’s count them down. 👇

#10: Davidson College – NC

Average Net Price: $20,035

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $50,910

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 18 months

#9: George Institute of Technology, Main Campus – GA

Average Net Price: $14,588

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $72,265

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 9 months

#8: University of California, Berkeley – CA

Average Net Price: $17,371

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $60,469

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 13 months

#7: Harvard University – MA

Average Net Price: $19,500

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $68,940

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 13 months

#6: Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MA

Average Net Price: $20,338

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $104,544 (🤯)

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 9 months

#5: Claremont McKenna College – CA

Average Net Price: $19,489

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $71,533

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 13 months

#4: Yale University – CT

Average Net Price: $18,535

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $69,187

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 12 months

#3: Stanford University – CA

Average Net Price: $18,535

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $69,187

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 12 months

#2: Babson College – MA

Average Net Price: $34,994

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $88,305

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 19 months

#1: Princeton University – NJ 👏

Average Net Price: $8,143

Value Added to Graduate Salary: $81,091

Months to Pay Off Net Price: 4 months (🤯)