Where Arizona universities ranked in new best U.S. college list

Forks up, bear down.

Last year, the University of Arizona ranked ahead of rival Arizona State University in college rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. This year, though, they’ve traded places. ASU has nudged up a few spots while U of A has fallen nearly 20 slots, making ASU the highest-ranked school in the state.

U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities by 17 factors to measure “academic quality and academic success,” according to its website. The rankings, which include more than 400 schools, rely on data from statistical surveys, the Department of Education and the Common Data Set Initiative, which is a data partnership between CollegeBoard, U.S. News and Peterson’s.

From this data, U.S. News ranks universities by weighing graduation rates, first-year retention rates, peer assessment, financial resources per student, faculty salaries, student-faculty ratio and standardized tests, among other factors.

Despite ASU’s rise in the rankings this year — and its 11th-straight year of flaunting the “No. 1 in Innovation” title — none of Arizona’s major universities cracked the top 100 colleges in the nation.

Here’s how Arizona’s schools ranked in the U.S. News’ rankings for 2026.

1. Arizona State University

2026 ranking: 117 (up four)
Acceptance rate: 90%
Average in-state annual cost: $12,817
Four-year graduation rate: 56%
Median salary six years post-graduation: $52,843

With thousands of students across four campuses across the Valley — and even more online — ASU’s “admit everybody” approach and 90% acceptance rate make the university an outlier among high-performing schools known for their exclusivity. ASU also ranked as the 57th-best public school in the country.

Among all schools, ASU is tied with nine universities — Creighton University, which has a campus in Phoenix; Elon University; George Mason University; Illinois Institute of Technology; Iowa State University of Science and Technology; San Diego State University; University of Central Florida; University of Denver; and University of New Hampshire — for the No. 117 ranking.

Like many schools, ASU has had to weather challenges caused by the Trump administration. In March, the university was one of 60 to receive a demand letter from the Department of Education over alleged antisemitic discrimination on campus, which the university said stemmed from a complaint filed by the conservative group Campus Reform. The school also caught flak for scrubbing mentions of trans people on a study abroad website and for an ASU police officer helping federal agents detain an employee.

2. University of Arizona

2026 ranking: 127 (down 18)
Acceptance rate: 86%
Average in-state annual cost: $13,573
Four-year graduation rate: 50%
Median salary six years post-graduation: $47,655

Arizona’s second-largest university fell 18 spots in the rankings this year after nearly breaking into the top 100 universities last year. Still, it ranked just a few slots below ASU amid the top public schools ranking, coming in at 63rd.

UA is tied with four universities — California State University, Long Beach, University of Albany – SUNY, University of Maryland Baltimore County and University of South Carolina — for the No. 127 ranking.

3. Northern Arizona University

2026 ranking: 242 (up two)
Acceptance rate: 90%
Average in-state annual cost: $13,440
Four-year graduation rate: 48%
Median salary six years post-graduation: $47,308

Based in Flagstaff, NAU increased by two slots in this year’s rankings. Despite the small increase, the 23,000-undergrad school failed to crack into the top 100 of the nation’s public schools rankings. Instead, it’s ranked at 136th.

NAU is tied with 14 universities, including Seattle Pacific University, University of New Mexico and University of North Dakota, for the No. 242 ranking.

4. Grand Canyon University

2026 ranking: Between 395-434 (no change)
Acceptance rate: 60%
Average in-state annual cost: $17,450
Four-year graduation rate: 37%
Median salary six years post-graduation: $47,280

This for-profit college’s rank — or rank range — didn’t change from last year. The west Phoenix private Christian university has more than 70,000 undergraduate students enrolled, many of whom are online-only.

In May, the Trump administration’s Department of Education rescinded a $37.7 million fine levied against GCU in 2023 after the Joe Biden-era department accused GCU of misleading students about the cost of its graduate programs.