CU Boulder falls out of top 100 universities
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CU Boulder fell off U.S. News & World Report's top 100 national universities list this year as the publication changed how it calculates the closely watched rankings.
Why it matters: College rankings can shape how prospective students and families see schools, even as critics question how much they really reveal about the quality of an education.
By the numbers: CU tied for No. 109 among national universities in U.S. News' 2027 rankings, down 12 spots from No. 97 last year.
- It also slipped from No. 46 to No. 50 among public universities.
- CU landed at No. 201 among "Best Value Schools."
Yes, but: This year's rankings aren't exactly apples to apples comparisons.
- U.S. News changed its methodology for the 2027 edition, replacing a measure of graduate debt with a new "earnings by major" metric.
- That compares graduates' earnings four years after college with those who studied the same field elsewhere.
Zoom in: CU's individual programs fared considerably better.
- Its undergraduate engineering program ranked No. 26 nationally, including top-15 finishes for aerospace engineering (No. 10) and environmental engineering (No. 11).
- CU also ranked No. 33 for business — including No. 14 for real estate and No. 34 for computer science.
Zoom out: CU wasn't alone in seeing movement this year. The new methodology shook up the very top of the list, with MIT replacing Princeton at No. 1 after Princeton's yearslong run at the top spot.
- Colorado School of Mines in Golden was the top-ranked school in the state at No. 80.