This Cambridge university is the second-best college in America, according to TIME—and it’s not the one you think

Forget Harvard. TIME has just released its inaugural ranking of America’s Best Colleges, and a different Cambridge university landed at No. 2.

Yes, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came in second on TIME’s 2026–2027 list, putting it just behind Stanford University and ahead of Princeton. So, yes, Cambridge may be home to two of the country’s most highly ranked universities, but world-famous Harvard University isn’t the one TIME is putting on the silver-medal podium this time around.

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TIME partnered with data research firm Statista to create the ranking, which looks at colleges based on student outcomes, learning environment and attractiveness to students. The methodology puts a major emphasis on the value students get from their education at a moment when tuition costs are soaring and prospective students are increasingly concerned about whether a degree will actually pay off. 

In other words, these are the colleges that pump out grads who go on to make a lot of money, among other factors.

MIT’s No. 2 placement reflects the growing importance of STEM education and the career opportunities that come with it. TIME notes that the STEM workforce grew 26 percent between 2013 and 2023, compared with 9 percent growth for the non-STEM workforce. MIT is also described as a “patent powerhouse,” with its strong research programs and pipeline into high-paying technology careers helping propel it toward the top of the ranking.

The No. 3 spot may be the biggest surprise: Harvey Mudd, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California that has a student population of only around 900 and offers exclusively STEM majors, outranked a whole lot of household-name universities. Its curriculum also emphasizes humanities, social sciences and the arts, with its famed Clinic Program pairing students with companies and organizations to tackle real-world research projects.

For the full list of the 100 schools, click here.

The top 20 best colleges in America, according to TIME:

1. Stanford University (CA)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
3. Harvey Mudd College (CA)
4. Princeton University (NJ)
5. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI)
6. California Institute of Technology (CA)
7. University of Pennsylvania (PA)
8. Columbia University in the City of New York (NY)
9. Claremont McKenna College (CA)
10. Harvard University (MA)
11. Yale University (CT)
12. Babson College (MA)
13. Cornell University (NY)
14. University of Virginia-Main Campus (VA)
15. University of California-Berkeley (CA)
16. University of Florida (FL)
17. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
18. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
19. University of Notre Dame (IN)
20. Georgetown University (DC)