In the 2027 edition of U.S. News and World Report National College Rankings, Brandeis is ranked number 59. Brandeis is ranked number 36 among private universities, and number 46 among best value schools. This represents a reversal of a steady decline in Brandeis’ ranking since 2023, when U.S. News and World Report changed its methodology in a way that heavily disadvantaged schools like Brandeis. Brandeis was ranked 44th in 2023 before dropping 16 spots to 60th in 2024. In the 2025 rankings, Brandeis fell another three spots to 63rd, before dropping to 69th in the 2026 rankings.
This year’s rankings also include a new category for most innovative universities, and Brandeis ranked 19th. This coincides with President Arthur Levine’s plan to reinvent the liberal arts as well as the rollout of microcredentials. “This is a welcome recognition of Brandeis’ enduring strengths,” said President Arthur Levine. “At a time when families are asking hard questions about the value of college, we are building an education that combines intellectual depth with meaningful experience and preparation for life after graduation. The best is yet to come.”
U.S. News also keeps track of several stats that do not factor into the ratings. One of those is Brandeis’ acceptance rate, which currently stands at 45%. This represents a dramatic increase from five years ago, when Brandeis accepted less than 30% of applicants. Acceptance rate is often used by applicants as a measure of a school’s quality, although better metrics are easily available.
U.S. News and World Report is a for-profit news company that focuses primarily on releasing annual rankings in different categories. In addition to best colleges, they also rank topics such as best cars, hospitals, and U.S. states.
