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Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads the 2,515 universities in the United States at #1 in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Stanford University (QS World #3) and Harvard University (QS World #5) complete the top three. The universities on this list offer 42,008 matching courses between them.
2,515 universities · ranked best first
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161 of these universities hold a QS World position, from #1 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to #600 (Tulane University of Louisiana); they are listed first, in that order. The rest are ordered by research impact. Harvard University has the largest research record in this group, with 146,463,495 citations and an h-index of 2,807. 186 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".
The split is 2,465 public to 50 private institutions. By location, New York (32), Texas (13) and Massachusetts (9) account for the most of those we can place. The oldest is Harvard University, founded in 1636. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is the largest, with 64,674 students.
By level: 24,131 bachelor's, 4,407 master's, 2,659 diploma and 1,135 professional. The most common subjects are Social Sciences & Psychology (5,168), Business & Management (5,145), Medicine & Health Sciences (4,501) and Education (3,486). The usual length is 4 years and 1–2 years. 94% are full-time and 2,074 can be studied online. Start dates lean to Fall (100% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (96% of courses with a stated intake). Humboldt State University offers the widest choice, with 303 of these courses.
We hold indicative fees for 182 of these universities. University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez is the least expensive at USD 5,274 a year and Columbia University in the City of New York the most at USD 71,845; the middle of the range is about USD 25,344. Check each university's own fee page before you budget — figures change every year.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (QS World #1), Stanford University (QS World #3) and Harvard University (QS World #5) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.
Of those with published fees, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez is the least expensive at about USD 5,274 a year. Fees are indicative — confirm on the university's site.
2,465 public and 50 private universities are on this list.
Most listed courses run 4 years, with 1–2 years the next most common.
Fall is the main intake — 100% of courses with a stated start date begin then, and Spring is the second.
Humboldt State University, with 303, ahead of University of Tennessee, Martin (191).
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