A look at how Ohio colleges and universities stack up in national ranking

OHIO — Whether its sports, academic programs or even campus beauty, the competitive spirit is alive and well among college campuses as age-old rivalries play out on and off the field. 

So how do Ohio’s universities compare to those nationwide? Well, the U.S. News and World Report has now released its 2026 Best Colleges list. The publication stated that they analyzed more than 1,700 institutions that grant bachelor’s degrees. 

Leading the pack nationally, you have Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. That’s followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then Harvard University, also in Cambridge. Rounding out the top five are Stanford University at number four and Yale University at number five.

Ohio makes its first appearance on the list at number 41, with The Ohio State University. Case Western Reserve University just barely misses the top 50, coming in at number 51.

Several other Ohio universities are also included, including Miami University Oxford at number 143, University of Dayton at number 143, the University of Cincinnati at number 158 and Ohio University at number 198.

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 Ohio universities, according to the list, along with their national rank.