Princeton pulled ahead of Harvard to claim first place in the `` best national universities '' category in U.S. News & World Report 's annual ranking of nearly 1,800 schools . Williams College again claimed sole possession of the top spot in the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges category . This year 's methodology put more emphasis on student outcomes and less on where students ranked in their high school classes . Also this year , the difference between predicted and actual graduation rates was applied for the first time to Regional Universities and Regional Colleges . The magazine increased the weight given to graduation and retention rates in the National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges categories , meaning that outcome-related measures were the most heavily weighted factors . When cost was weighed , Williams -- at an average of $ 19,251 per year after grants based on need were factored in -- fell to No . 3 , behind Barnard ( rated second at $ 12,282 per year after grants ) and Amherst ( rated first at $ 16,286 after grants ) . Best-value regional universities were identified as Gallaudet , Carey , Creighton and Trinity . Cited as best-value regional colleges were Cooper Union , John Brown University , College of the Ozarks and California Maritime Academy . Clark Atlanta University won a dubious distinction among national universities . In all , 93 % of its graduating students were in debt -- with an average of $ 43,727 , according to U.S. News . That average does not factor in the 7 % who had no debt . In the category of least debt , Princeton once again earned roaring rights , with just 24 % of students in debt , and an average among them of $ 5,096 . `` U.S. News strives to provide students and their families with the most comprehensive data available , '' Bob Morse , director of data research , said in a statement . `` Measuring outcomes is critical to understanding how well a school retains and educates its students . ''
Williams again gains top ranking in liberal-arts category . This year 's methodology puts more emphasis on outcomes . It gives less weight to high school rankings .