For millions of students and families, choosing a college increasingly comes down to a basic question: Is college worth it?

The latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are attempting to provide another piece of information to help answer that question.

The 2027 rankings place the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at No. 1 among National Universities, ending Princeton University’s 15-year run at the top. But perhaps the bigger story for prospective students isn’t which university occupies the No. 1 position.

It’s a significant change in how U.S. News measures the value of attending college.

For the first time, the rankings include an Earnings by Major factor designed to examine what graduates earn after leaving school — and to compare those earnings with graduates who studied the same subjects elsewhere.

Is College Worth It? U.S. News Looks Beyond Graduation

College has traditionally been promoted as an investment in a person’s future. But as families confront tuition, housing expenses and the possibility of student debt, simply earning a degree may no longer be enough information when deciding where — or whether — to attend.

Students increasingly want to know what happens after graduation.

The new U.S. News Earnings by Major metric examines graduate earnings four years after graduation using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Importantly, the system doesn’t simply compare the average salary of graduates from one university with another.

Instead, earnings are compared within specific academic disciplines.

That distinction matters.

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A university graduating large numbers of engineers, computer scientists or students entering other relatively high-paying occupations could otherwise appear to produce stronger financial outcomes simply because of the subjects its students choose to study.

Comparing graduates within similar fields is intended to provide a clearer picture of how graduates from different institutions fare financially.

From Student Debt to Graduate Earnings

The new Earnings by Major metric replaces the Graduate Indebtedness factor previously used by U.S. News.

That represents an important shift in perspective.

Instead of focusing primarily on how much debt students accumulate, the new measure looks at one aspect of what students may receive financially from their education after entering the workforce.

The metric examines employed federal financial aid recipients whose highest degree is a bachelor’s degree.

According to U.S. News, the approach is intended to reduce the influence of family financial advantages and provide a better indication of the economic value institutions may contribute to graduates.

That doesn’t mean earnings alone determine whether a college education is worthwhile.

But for a student potentially investing tens of thousands of dollars — and several years of their life — knowing how graduates in a particular major perform economically can be an important part of the decision.

MIT Takes the No. 1 Spot

Against that changing methodology, MIT moved into the No. 1 position among National Universities in the 2027 rankings.

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The top three are:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Princeton University
3. Harvard University

Princeton’s move to second place ends a run at No. 1 that began with the 2012 edition of the rankings.

Among National Liberal Arts Colleges, Williams College remained No. 1, followed by Amherst College at No. 2. Bowdoin College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College and Swarthmore College tied for third.

Nearly 1,700 institutions were evaluated in the 2027 edition.

Outcomes Are Becoming a Bigger Part of the Equation

The addition of graduate earnings is part of a broader emphasis on student outcomes in the U.S. News methodology.

U.S. News says outcomes now account for more than half of a school’s total score.

Institutions can be evaluated using as many as 17 weighted measures, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility for lower-income students, post-graduate earnings, faculty resources and academic peer assessments.

The shift reflects a changing conversation surrounding higher education.

For generations, students were often encouraged to focus heavily on getting into the most prestigious college possible. Today’s students may also be asking more practical questions:

How much will it cost?

How much financial aid will I receive?

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How much debt might I have when I graduate?

What do graduates in my intended major earn?

And perhaps most importantly:

Will the investment pay off for me?

College Value Isn’t Just About Salary

Graduate earnings can provide useful information, but salary shouldn’t be treated as the sole measurement of the value of higher education.

Different careers have dramatically different compensation structures.

A graduate pursuing teaching, public service, social work, the arts or nonprofit work may earn less than someone entering engineering, finance or technology while still considering their education worthwhile.

There are also benefits of higher education that are difficult to capture in a salary statistic.

That’s why students comparing schools may want to look beyond an institution’s overall ranking and examine factors such as net price after financial aid, scholarships, graduation rates, student debt, internship opportunities, career placement, location and the strength of the program they actually intend to study.

The best-known university isn’t automatically the best financial or educational choice for every student.

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Economic Diversity Also Gets Attention

The 2027 rankings also highlight economic diversity among highly ranked institutions.

According to U.S. News, MIT and Princeton rank third and fourth, respectively, among the top 25 National Universities in the percentage of students receiving federal Pell Grants.

Pell Grants generally assist undergraduate students with significant financial need and typically do not have to be repaid.

Among the top 25 National Liberal Arts Colleges, Amherst College ranked highest for economic diversity under the U.S. News measure.

A New Ranking Looks at In-State Value

U.S. News is also placing additional attention on affordability for students considering public universities.

The 2027 edition introduces a Best Value Schools for In-State Students ranking, which evaluates public universities based on academic quality and affordability for residents.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took the No. 1 position in the inaugural ranking.

That category could be particularly relevant to families deciding whether the prestige associated with attending a private or out-of-state university justifies potentially higher costs compared with attending a public institution in their home state.

The Rankings Look Different This Year

There is another important caveat when comparing the 2027 results with previous years.

Changes to the Carnegie Classification framework resulted in approximately 20% of previously ranked institutions moving into different U.S. News categories.

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Because some colleges are now being compared against different groups of institutions, their 2027 rankings may not be directly comparable with previous years.

The changes also expanded eligibility, allowing additional institutions specializing in areas such as engineering, business and health to enter the rankings.

U.S. News also introduced an undergraduate economics specialty ranking while continuing rankings covering areas such as social mobility, innovation, historically Black colleges and universities, artificial intelligence programs, internships, undergraduate research and study-abroad opportunities.

Public Universities, HBCUs and Social Mobility

Among public National Universities, the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA tied for the No. 1 position, followed by the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.

The top three Historically Black Colleges and Universities were:

1. Spelman College
2. Howard University
3. Tuskegee University

For social mobility among National Universities, Florida International University and the University of California, Riverside tied for No. 1, with Oakland City University ranked third.

These categories illustrate another reason students may want to look deeper than a school’s overall national position. Different rankings can reveal institutions performing particularly well in areas that may matter more to an individual student.

So, Is College Worth It?

There isn’t one answer that applies to every student.

The cost of attending, financial aid, chosen major, career goals, likelihood of graduating and potential debt can dramatically change the financial equation.

A college with a famous name and high national ranking could be a poor financial choice for one student while a less prominent public university with generous financial aid could be an excellent investment for another.

That’s what makes the addition of Earnings by Major noteworthy.

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Instead of asking only “Which college ranks highest?”, prospective students now have another reason to ask a much more personal question:

“What am I paying for — and what could I realistically get in return?”

MIT replacing Princeton at No. 1 makes the headline.

But for students and parents trying to decide whether college is worth the cost, the growing emphasis on outcomes, affordability and post-graduation earnings may ultimately be the more important story.

Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2027 Best Colleges rankings, released September 22, 2026.

U.S. News & World Report press release:
MIT Claims No. 1 Spot in U.S. News 2027 Best Colleges Rankings PR Newswire

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Forgotten Genius | STM Daily News

Try ironing a sleeve on a wide, flat board. The fabric bunches, the seams curve, and pressing one side can leave a crease on the other. For dressmaker Sarah Boone, that everyday frustration presented a problem she could solve.

Working in New Haven, Connecticut, Boone designed an ironing board shaped for sleeves and fitted garments. Her board was narrow enough for a sleeve to slip over it, allowing one side to be pressed without flattening the other. Its curved edges followed the lines of a sleeve’s seams, while its supports helped position the board for different uses.

Boone filed her patent application in 1891. On April 26, 1892, she received U.S. Patent No. 473,653 for her improvement.

Boone did not invent the first ironing board. What she patented was a thoughtful redesign for a particular task. That distinction makes her achievement more interesting: she understood how the tool was used, recognized where it fell short, and changed its shape to make the work easier.

The patent drawing brings her idea to life. Instead of the broad surface most people picture when they hear “ironing board,” Boone’s design looks almost like the part of a garment it was meant to support. It is a practical solution from someone who knew the job firsthand.

That is the heart of Sarah Boone’s story. Invention does not always begin with an entirely new machine. Sometimes it begins when a person doing familiar work asks a better question: What would this tool look like if it truly fit the task?

Boone answered with a design—and secured a place in the history of Black innovation.

References:

Sarah Boone’s Original Ironing Board Patent — U.S. Patent No. 473,653, granted April 26, 1892. Includes her description, construction details, and original drawings.

USPTO: Beyond Baker’s List—Black Innovation Then and Now — Identifies Boone as a New Haven dressmaker who patented an improved ironing board shaped for bodices and sleeves.

USPTO: Found on Baker’s List — Background on Henry Baker’s work documenting Black patent holders, providing historical context for the Forgotten Genius series.

Explore more inventors and innovators in STM Daily News’ Forgotten Genius series.

Sources: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Sarah Boone’s original 1892 patent, available through Google Patents.

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Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by Daily News Staff

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Santa Ana police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman accused of deliberately running over and killing a puppy after leaving the animal in a residential street earlier this month.

The disturbing incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. on September 8, 2026, in the 900 block of West Park Lane, near 926 W. Park Lane. Police said the dog, described as a pit bull mix puppy, was later found dead in the street.

Investigators subsequently obtained home-surveillance footage showing an older-model green or blue Honda Odyssey minivan stopped along the street.

According to police, the female driver opened the vehicle’s door and placed the puppy on the ground. The puppy went underneath the minivan, and the woman then allegedly placed food on the street near the driver’s side of the vehicle.

As the puppy approached the food, the driver moved the minivan forward. Police said the vehicle’s rear driver’s-side tire went over the puppy and that the minivan remained stopped on the animal for approximately 15 seconds before the driver drove away.

A nearby resident later told officers that they had seen the minivan in the area and believed the puppy had been deliberately run over. Police and animal services personnel spent several weeks canvassing the neighborhood and eventually located surveillance footage that authorities said corroborated the witness’s account.

Police searching for driver

Investigators have not been able to obtain a readable license plate from the surveillance footage.

As of September 30, Santa Ana police were seeking information that could help identify either the woman or the older green or blue Honda Odyssey seen in the video.

Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Santa Ana police at 714-245-8378.

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The case comes two years after another highly publicized animal-cruelty incident in Santa Ana involving a woman accused of intentionally running over a 2-month-old Rottweiler puppy in August 2024. In that case, the puppy survived after emergency treatment, and the suspect subsequently turned herself in to police.

STM Daily News will update this story if authorities announce an identification, arrest or charges in the case.

Sure and Related Links

Los Angeles Times — “Santa Ana Police search for woman who appears to deliberately run over puppy in disturbing video”
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CBS Los Angeles — “Santa Ana police seek minivan driver who allegedly intentionally ran over puppy”
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NBC Los Angeles — “Female driver wanted for ‘intentionally’ running over a puppy in Santa Ana”
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MyNewsLA — “Santa Ana Police Seek Help Woman Who Fatally Struck Puppy”
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