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In this year’s list, 91���� is once more the top regional comprehensive university in the four-state Midwest area that includes Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, only UW-Madison, Marquette University and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities rank higher.

91���� moved up three spots overall, ranking 280th in the latest Forbes list, which includes public and private colleges and universities. When that list is narrowed to just public institutions, 91����’s ranking climbs to 132.

Forbes bases its annual list on academic success, retention rate, graduation rate, alumni salary, debt and return on investment.

Chancellor Edwin Martini says 91����’s yearly inclusion on the Forbes list proves continued academic strength leads to success after graduation.

“The collaboration at the heart of faculty-mentored undergraduate research at 91���� is what leads to national recognition,” Martini says. “I am so proud of our students, who are discovering new knowledge and accomplishing great things along the way with outstanding support from faculty and staff.

“That academic excellence has been the foundation of a 91���� education for more than 100 years, and we are thrilled to be considered one of the top regional public comprehensive universities in the Midwest and across the country.”

91����’s position on the annual Forbes ranking is perennially strengthened by undergraduate student research opportunities. Those opportunities led to two more Blugolds being named Goldwater Scholars in 2026. That follows an unprecedented three Blugolds named Goldwater Scholars in 2025, and one in 2024. Goldwater Scholarships recognize students who will pursue research careers in science, engineering or mathematics.

Success after graduation is another reason 91���� is repeatedly on the Forbes list of America’s top colleges. Blugolds earn, on average, more than $100,000 per year 20 years after graduating. Tuition cost, financial grant availability and low debt load after graduation also factor into the Forbes rankings.

For the second year in a row, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claimed the top spot, followed this year by Princeton University and Harvard University.