Carleton professors ranked number one for 15th straight year by U.S. News and World Report, Carleton remains top 10 liberal arts college

U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Carleton among the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the nation, and as the nation’s best school for undergraduate teaching.

For 2026, Carleton achieved the 10th-place spot for national liberal arts colleges in the Best Colleges rankings, tying with Harvey Mudd College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. U.S. News has made several methodological changes in the last few years, with more than half of a school’s rank now “comprised of varying outcome measures related to schools’ success at enrolling, retaining, and graduating students from different backgrounds with manageable debt and post-graduate success.” Carleton remains the only Midwestern college among the top 10 schools.

Carleton professors are still first in the nation for their commitment to undergraduate teaching. They have now held this first-place ranking for 15 straight years, which emphasizes the consistent quality of Carleton faculty over multiple decades — a point of pride and distinction for the entire College community.

U.S. News & World Report also ranked Carleton number 18 among liberal arts colleges on the Best College Value list. The magazine measures value by relating a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its overall U.S. News ranking, with the net cost of attendance for an out-of-state student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.

Carleton’s ranking advanced in the categories of First-Year Experiences (#25), Study Abroad (#22), and Writing in the Disciplines (#5). The College was also highly ranked in the list of Most Innovative Liberal Arts Colleges (#21) and Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects (#15).

Carleton continued to feature on multiple lists from U.S. News & World Report’s rankings in Programs That Enhance Student Experience as well, including Top Performers on Social Mobility, Senior Capstone, Best Undergraduate Economics, and Best Undergraduate Computer Science. U.S. News considers schools on these lists to have outstanding examples of programs that lead to student success.

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.