The 10 best universities in the US, based on student experiences and outcomes, faculty research, and diversity

10. University of Pennsylvania

9. New York University (NYU)

8. Princeton University

7. Columbia University

6. Yale University

5. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

4. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2. Stanford University

1. Harvard University

Method and data source

Every year, QS Quacquarelli Symonds publishes multiple rankings about the most highly-rated universities. This includes the top online MBA programs in the world and the best universities worldwide.

But QS also looks at the most highly-rated universities in the United States. QS' list of the best US universities in 2021 is its second annual list. To rank 352 US universities, the higher education analyst used four groups of metrics that cover each different aspects of a university: employability, diversity and internationalization, research, and learning experience. 

Harvard University received the same ranking and overall score that it did in the inaugural ranking last year. According to QS calculations, Harvard received a perfect score in employability and research this year, a 96.8 out of 100.0 in learning experience, and a 76.0 in diversity and internationalization. In addition to Harvard, the top four from the 2020 ranking were all the same this year. 

UCLA, which tied with Yale University for sixth in the 2020 ranking, moved up one spot this year. According to QS, UCLA's highest metric across the four groups was in learning experience with a 90.5 out of 100.0.

The full list for 2021, including how well each college and university scored in each of the four metrics, can be found on QS Quacquarelli Symonds here.