Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business campus
Stanford University has topped Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S ranking for the first time since 2017, rising two spots from last year’s list.
Babson College retained its No. 2 spot, while Yale University rose one spot to No. 3.
The ranking, released today (September 29), evaluated 584 American universities on one major focus: How well colleges set up graduates for future financial success.
WSJ TOP 20
Stanford topped the WSJ list with an overall score of 93 out of 100. It had a near-perfect salary impact score of 99 and a graduate rate score of 94. It also finished with a diversity score of 100 and a value-added salary boost for graduates of $94,725.
WSJ’s ranking methodology highly favors how much a college boosts its graduates’ earnings beyond expectation, as measured in its “value added” metric. It also considers graduation rates, diversity, and learning environment (based on surveys of students and alumni).
Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Top 20 |
|||||
2026 Rank |
School |
Overall Score |
Salary Impact |
Prep for Career |
Value Added |
| 1 | Stanford University | 93 | 99 | 73 | $94,725 |
| 2 | Babson College | 90.3 | 95 | 88 | $96,561 |
| 3 | Yale University | 89.3 | 92 | 72 | $76,203 |
| 4 | Princeton University | 89.2 | 98 | 77 | $89,368 |
| 5 | Harvard University | 89 | 93 | 70 | $75,730 |
| 6 | Claremont McKenna College | 88.2 | 93 | 83 | $79,140 |
| 7 | University of California, Berkeley | 88.2 | 91 | 67 | $67,612 |
| 8 | Columbia University | 87.6 | 94 | 68 | $78,178 |
| 9 | University of Pennsylvania | 87.1 | 96 | 77 | $91,356 |
| 10 | Davidson College | 86.2 | 88 | 76 | $56,127 |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 85.9 | 99 | 75 | $114,042 |
| 12 | Bentley University | 85.7 | 95 | 82 | $93,950 |
| 13 | University of California, Davis | 85.5 | 86 | 68 | $53,846 |
| 14 | University of California, Merced | 85.4 | 87 | 58 | $39,124 |
| 15 | Harvey Mudd College | 85.2 | 98 | 66 | $114,261 |
| 16 | Georgia Institute of Technology | 85 | 98 | 74 | $78,827 |
| 17 | San José State University | 84.6 | 94 | 65 | $51,944 |
| 18 | Cornell University | 84.5 | 91 | 69 | $79,425 |
| 19 | Loyola University Maryland | 84.3 | 88 | 83 | $58,314 |
| 20 | University of Notre Dame | 84 | 94 | 82 | $74,442 |
At No. 7, UC Berkeley, home to the Haas School of Business, is the highest ranked public institution and the only one in the top 10.
While individual ranks have shifted, the top 20 institutions are very similar to last year’s list save two new entrants (and two exits.) Cornell University jumped nine spots from No. 27 to No. 18 to break into the top 20 while Loyola University Maryland rose from No. 23 to No. 20. On the flip side, Lehigh University and Virginia Tech (No. 15 and 19 respectively in 2025) fell out of the top 20 for 2026.
Babson College again placed No. 2 in Wall Street Journal’s annual ranking of American colleges and universities.
VALUE ADD OF STANFORD AND BABSON
In its ranking story, WSJ called out Stanford’s strength across all major metrics, from graduate salaries to speed of paying off college costs. Graduates from the alumni survey, meanwhile, credit the school’s innovation-driven culture and hands-on courses for their success. These include alums like Raj Palleti (co-founder of AI startup alphaXiv) and Karuna Taesopapong (growth leader at AI-powered home décor startup Onton), who cite internships, simulations, and Stanford’s “build cool things” ethos as launching pads for their careers.
Babson College’s entrepreneurial DNA continues to propel it upward in rankings of U.S. schools. It recently topped LinkedIn Top Colleges 2025 list which is based on the long-term career success of alumni, having the largest share of alumni who became entrepreneurs/founders after graduation. Its No. 2 finish on WSJ’s list for the second straight year gives a stamp of permanence on a meteoric rise of 134 spots since 2023. That year, WSJ changed its methodology to put more focus on value added to student success as a result of their college of choice.
“This moment is a clear testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurial leadership – not just as a business discipline, but as a catalyst for change. It tells the world that entrepreneurial leadership is essential in every field, every sector, and every community,” says Babson President Stephen Spinelli.
Babson had the highest “value added to graduate salary” metric of any school in the top 10 at $96,561. WSJ also found that it takes graduates an average of one year and seven months to pay off the school’s net price.
Babson requires first-year students to launch ventures with up to $3,000 in seed funding through its Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course. Leaders and students say the approach builds accountability and resilience while tying every class back to creating value in the real world.
“Entrepreneurial leadership is about relationships, compassion, empathy, and perpetual aspiration – all tenets our world desperately needs. This recognition validates our place as a leader far beyond business and entrepreneurship education,” Spinelli says. “Entrepreneurial leaders are perpetually aspirational. This milestone is a springboard for continued growth and impact.”
WSJ also highlights the best value schools, led again CUNY’ Baruch College. With in-state tuition around $7,000 and graduates landing jobs that quickly offset costs, CUNY schools rank first through seventh in value. (See more Best Value schools on page 6.)
WSJ BEST COLLEGES WITH RANKED BUSINESS SCHOOLS
While WSJ’s Best Colleges list ranks full universities not broken down by specific majors. Many of the very top schools like Princeton or Stanford either don’t have undergraduate business majors or only house business at the graduate level.
Still, the rankings give prospective business majors valuable context. The strength of a host university can shape resources, recruiting pipelines, alumni networks, and financial aid available to students in its business program.
And, several of the top undergraduate business schools from Poets&Quants’ 2025 ranking of Best Undergraduate Business Schools are housed in universities that also placed highly on WSJ’s list.
Ranked B-Schools at WSJ’s Top Universities |
||||
WSJ 2026 Rank |
Institution (Ranked B-School) |
Overall Score |
Type |
2025 P&Q Rank |
| 9 | University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | 87.1 | Private | 1 |
| 16 | Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller) | 85 | Public | 15 |
| 17 | San Jose State University (Lucas) | 84.6 | Public | 97 |
| 18 | Cornell University (Dyson SC Johnson) | 84.5 | Private | 2 |
| 20 | University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) | 84 | Private | 7 |
| 25 | University of Michigan (Ross) | 83 | Public | 11 |
| 29 | Lehigh University | 82.2 | Private | 26 |
| 31 | University of Virginia (McIntire) | 82.1 | Public | 4 |
| 33 | Texas A&M University (Mays) | 81.8 | Public | 50 |
| 37 | University of Southern California (Marshall) | 81.5 | Private | 3 |
| 38 | University of Delaware (Lerner) | 81.4 | Public | 52 |
| 39 | Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) | 81.4 | Private | 6 |
| 46 | Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) | 80.8 | Private | 10 |
| 53 | Georgetown University (McDonough) | 80.1 | Private | 4 |
| 54 | Florida International University | 80.1 | Public | 88 |
See WSJ’s full ranking here.
CONTINUE READING: