Northeastern University finished just out of the top 50, placing in a four-way tie for 54th with Florida State, the University of Minnesota, and William & Mary. For the second consecutive year, the top-ranked school was Princeton University.

Brown University slipped four spots from last year, when it was ranked ninth. Dartmouth College climbed three positions from last year, when it ranked 15th. Boston College rose two spots, Tufts University went up by three, and Boston University climbed two, the magazine said.

In a statement, the magazine said it assessed more than 1,500 colleges using as many as 17 measures of academic quality. This year’s rankings continue to prioritize “social mobility and post-graduate success,” the statement said.

More than half of a ranking is related to a college’s success in enrolling and graduating students from all backgrounds with manageable debt loads, as well the earnings of graduates.

“By considering factors such as social mobility and post-graduate success, we aim to help students choose schools that not only provide a quality education but also prepare them for a successful and fulfilling future,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at US News.

The rankings have come under criticism as favoring prestige over educational quality, prompting some colleges not to participate.

New England schools also fared well in the magazine’s rankings of the best liberal arts institutions in the country.

Williams College topped the list, while Amherst College finished second. Bowdoin College finished tied for fifth with Pomona College, Wellesley College finished seventh, Smith College tied for 14th with Wesleyan University, Middlebury College tied for 19th with Washington and Lee University, Colby College finished 25th, Bates College tied for 26th with Macalester College, College of the Holy Cross finished 28th, and Mount Holyoke College tied for 34th with Occidental College.

“Given the rising cost of higher education, it is more important than ever that students and their families have access to the information that U.S. News Best Colleges provides,” said US News executive chairman and CEO Eric Gertler in the statement.

2025 Best National College and University Rankings

1. Princeton University [N.J.]

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology [Mass.]

3. Harvard University [Mass.]

4. Stanford University [Cali.]

5. Yale University [Conn.]

6. California Institute of Technology [Cali]

6. Duke University [N.C.]

6. Johns Hopkins University [Md.]

6. Northwestern University [Ill.]

10. University of Pennsylvania [Pa.]

11. Cornell University [N.Y.]

11. University of Chicago [Ill.]

13. Brown University [R.I.]

13. Columbia University [N.Y.]

15. Dartmouth College [N.H.’

15. University of California, Los Angeles [Cali.]

17. University of California, Berkeley [Cali.]

18. Rice University [Tex.]

18. University of Notre Dame [Ind.]

18. Vanderbilt University [Tenn.]

21. Carnegie Mellon University [Pa.]

21. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor [Mich.]

21. Washington University in St. Louis [Mo.]

24. Emory University [Ga.]

24. Georgetown University [D.C.]

24. University of Virginia [Va.]

27. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill [N.C.]

27. University of Southern California [Cali.]

29. University of California, San Diego [Cali.]

30. New York University [N.Y.]

30. University of Texas, Austin [Tex.]

30. University of Florida [Fla.]

33. Georgia Institute of Technology [Ga.]

33. University of California, Davis [Cali.]

33. University of California, Irvine [Cali.]

33. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign [Ill.]

37. Boston College [Mass.]

37. Tufts University [Mass.]

39. University of California, Santa Barbara [Cali.]

39. University of Wisconsin, Madison [Wisc.]

41. Boston University [Mass.]

41. Rutgers University, New Brunswick [N.J.]

41. The Ohio State University [O.H,]

44. University of Maryland, College Park [Md.]

44. University of Rochester [N.Y.]

46. Lehigh University [Pa.]

46. Purdue University, Main Campus [Ind.]

46. University of Georgia [Ga.]

46. University of Washington [Wash.]

46. Wake Forest University [N.C.]

2025 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges (including ties)

1. Williams College [Mass.]

2. Amherst College [Mass.]

3. Swarthmore College [Pa.]

4. United States Naval Academy [Md.]

5. Bowdoin College [M.E.]

5. Pomona College [Cali.]

7. Wellesley College [Mass.]

8. Carleton College [Minn.]

8. Claremont McKenna College [Cali.]

8. United States Air Force Academy [Col.]

8. United States Military Academy at West Point [N.Y.]

12. Harvey Mudd College [Cali.]

12. Vassar College [N.Y.]

14. Barnard College [N.Y.]

14. Davidson College [N.C.]

14. Hamilton College [N.Y.]

14. Smith College [Mass.]

14. Wesleyan University [Conn.]

19. Grinnell College [Ia.]

19. Middlebury College [Vt.]

19. Washington and Lee University [Va.]

22. Colgate University [N.Y.]

22. University of Richmond [Va.]

24. Haverford College [Pa.]

25. Colby College [M.E.]

26. Bates College [M.E.]

26. Macalester College [Minn.]

28. College of the Holy Cross [Mass.]

29. Bryn Mawr College [Pa.]

29. Colorado College [Colo.]

31. Bucknell University [Pa.]

31. Franklin & Marshall College [Pa.]

31. Lafayette College [Pa.]

34. Mount Holyoke College [Mass.]

34. Occidental College [Cali.]

36. Denison University [O.H.]

36. Pitzer College [Cali]

36. Skidmore College [N.Y.]

36. Trinity College [Conn.]

40. Berea College [Ky.]

40. Spelman College [Ga.]

40. Trinity University [Tex.]

40. Union College [N.Y.]

44. Scripps College [Cali.]

45. Dickinson College [Pa.]

45. Furman University [S.C.]

45. Kenyon College [O.H.]

45. Soka University of America [Cali.]

45. The University of the South [Tenn.]

50. DePauw University [Ind.]

50. Hillsdale College [Mich.]

50. St. Olaf College [Minn.]

Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.