Sep 24, 2025 - News
Vanderbilt secures No. 17 spot from U.S. News
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Vanderbilt University remained Tennessee's top-ranked college in the latest edition of the annual list from U.S. News & World Report, released yesterday, which placed the institution at No. 17.
- The next Volunteer State entry was the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, at 102.
The big picture: The annual ranking remains an influential factor in many college searches — even if many colleges question its methods.
Zoom out: Princeton University topped the list, followed by MIT and Harvard University.
Flashback: Vanderbilt was fiercely critical of the list in 2023, when some academic metrics were retooled or phased out. Administrators said the methodology was incomplete and misleading.