U.S. News drops 2027 Best Colleges list, regional universities scattered in rankings

U.S. News & World Report released its 2027 Best Colleges ranking. Colleges and universities across the country are categorized by U.S. News based on region and academic mission, and then ranked using various measures of quality and student success. 422 schools were ranked in the National Universities category — institutions included in this category are large, research-focused and offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Vanderbilt University was the highest ranking Tennessee school on the list, at 16th. It tied with three other schools and moved up one place from last year. University of Tennessee, Knoxville ranked 109, tied with six other schools. It dropped seven places from last year. Emory & Henry University ranked 317, tied with nine other schools. Emory & Henry was not included in the 2026 National Universities list, so comparison to a past ranking is not applicable. East Tennessee State University ranked 328, tied with three other schools. It dropped 27 places from last year. 138 schools were ranked as Regional Universities (Southern). Regional Universities offer a variety of undergraduate programs and some master's, but few PhD programs. U.S. News divides these schools into North, South, Midwest and West factions. Milligan University ranked 37, tied with three other schools. It dropped 14 places from last year. Carson-Newman University ranked 48, tied with four other schools. It was not previously categorized as a Southern Regional University, so there is no 2026 ranking for comparison. King University ranked 94, tied with five other schools. It dropped 18 places from last year. Tusculum University ranked 134, tied with two other schools. It dropped 44 places from last year. U.S. News uses data such as graduation and retention rates, social mobility for low-income students and post-graduate earnings to determine annual rankings of colleges and universities. The top three National Universities for 2027 were Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University and Harvard University. The top Regional Universities in the South were the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, Berry College — the latter two tied for second — and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. A $5,000 no-essay scholarship sweepstakes from U.S. News launched Monday. U.S. News also has a Scholarship Finder tool, which can connect students to over 13,000 scholarship opportunities. To view more 2027 Best College lists, visit usnews.com/best-colleges?src=usn_pr.