U.S. News & World Report unveiled its updated college and university academic rankings for 2026 earlier this week.
The 18-member conference recently received a major makeover with the additions of former Pac-12 members Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA. Those additions made a significant impact on the conference’s athletic landscape, especially on the football field. However, the academic part should not be discounted; some of those new members instantly joined the conference’s top academic tier, at least according to U.S. News.
As a reminder, U.S. News evaluates schools by their graduation and retention rates, graduate success, academic resources and more. With that in mind, here is where every Big Ten member stands in the outlet’s updated academic rankings, plus how each ranking compares to last year’s hierarchy.
City: Lincoln, Nebraska
National ranking: No. 158 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 87%
Nebraska lost much of the progress it made in the 2025 rankings; the school jumped from No. 159 to No. 152, then back to No. 158. A significant distance still exists between Nebraska and the other Big Ten members.
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City: Eugene, Oregon
National ranking: No. 110 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 85%
Oregon dropped one spot year-to-year after a dramatic drop between the 2024 and 2025 editions of U.S. News’ rankings. Notably, Oregon football, the reigning Big Ten champion, was also last in the conference in this year’s Academic Progress Rate update. The Ducks will look to change both of those numbers moving forward.
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City: Iowa City, Iowa
National ranking: No. 102 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 84%
Iowa continues its slide in U.S. News’ rankings. It fell four spots from 2025 to 2026, making it nine total spots over the last three years. The school is tied with Auburn, Gonzaga, Saint Louis, Loyola Marymount, Temple, Tennessee and Missouri at No. 102 overall.
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City: Bloomington, Indiana
National ranking: No. 73 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 78%
Indiana holds the No. 73 position for the third consecutive year. The school’s profile could rise in the coming years, especially if Curt Cignetti continues his immense success at the helm of the football program.
City: East Lansing, Michigan
National ranking: No. 64 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 85%
Michigan State maintained its place in the national academic rankings. However, it fell in the conference hierarchy due to one major move. Outside of the classroom, Michigan State football is still looking to establish itself under head coach Jonathan Smith, while the men’s basketball team is the reigning conference champion..
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City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
National ranking: No. 59 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 80%
Minnesota dropped five spots from its place in last year’s ranking. Furthermore, its acceptance rate jumped up three points. The Gophers are tied with another Big Ten school and several others at No. 59 nationally.
City: University Park, Pennsylvania
National ranking: No. 59 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 61%
Penn State was one of the Big Ten’s biggest risers in this year’s ranking. The school jumped four spots nationally and one spot in the conference hierarchy. While far from the top of U.S. News’ academic rankings, the school does lead several Big Ten hierarchies, including the best football stadium atmospheres.
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City: West Lafayette, Indiana
National ranking: No. 46 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 50%
Purdue dropped one spot in the conference rankings due to Washington’s rise. The school is one of 11 Big Ten members in the nation’s top-50; an impressive representation of its academic excellence. No other conference boasts the same combination of athletic performance and academic prestige.
City: Seattle, Washington
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 39%
After a major drop in U.S. News’ 2025 rankings, Washington is back on the rise in the 2026 edition. It rose four spots in the national rankings, now tying for eighth in the Big Ten. Academics aside, Washington should become a must-visit for any Big Ten football fan. Husky Stadium has long been considered one of the sport’s best.
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City: College Park, Maryland
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 45%
Maryland continued to inch forward in this year’s ranking. The school is in a crowded group in the Big Ten’s middle tier, tied with two other conference members at No. 42 overall. Terrapins fans may have something to hang their hat on over the next few months, as the football team is 4-0 to start the year with an apparent rising star quarterback in Malik Washington.
City: Piscataway, New Jersey
National ranking: No. 42 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 41%
Rutgers continues to sit comfortably within the nation’s top 50, tied with Washington, Maryland and Boston University for No. 42 overall. The school’s listed acceptance rate dropped more than 20 points year-to-year, which could signal a future rise to come.
City: Columbus, Ohio
National ranking: No. 41
Acceptance rate: 61%
Ohio State’s ranking did not change year-to-year. Notably, the Buckeyes were the only football program with a perfect APR (1000) in 2025. That, of course, followed its run to the 2024 College Football Playoff national title.
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City: Champaign, Illinois
National ranking: No. 36 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 42%
Illinois was rising dramatically over the last several years, reaching the conference’s top five schools and nearing the nation’s top 30. While the school took a slight step backward in this year’s ranking, it is still one of the conference’s best.
City: Madison, Wisconsin
National ranking: No. 36 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 45%
Wisconsin is one of the biggest risers in U.S. News’ updated 2026 rankings. The school was falling toward No. 40 in the 2025 edition. It is now trending positively, tied with Illinois for No. 36 nationally and No. 5 in the Big Ten.
City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 28
Acceptance rate: 10%
USC continues to hold its place inside the nation’s top 30. It is alone at No. 28, narrowly ahead of UCSD, Florida and Texas. While the Trojans’ football and men’s basketball programs have moderately struggled since joining the Big Ten, the school stacks up well academically.
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City: Ann Arbor, Michigan
National ranking: No. 20 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 16%
Michigan rose slightly in this year’s ranking. Of the top academic tier, it has by far the most success on the football field and basketball court. Michigan is tied with Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame and Washington University in St. Louis at No. 21. It is range to overtake UCLA if current trends continue.
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City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 17 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 9%
UCLA dropped slightly from its place in last year’s ranking. However, it still has a firm hold on the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten. UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan form the conference’s clear top academic tier, with all others battling for fourth place and beyond.
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City: Evanston, Illinois
National ranking: No. 7 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 8%
Northwestern continues to hold the crown as the Big Ten’s highest-ranked academic school. It trails only the following schools atop the national rankings: Johns Hopkins, Duke, Chicago, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Princeton.
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