Princeton is Wall Street Journal top college; here’s why

If you’re a prospective college student — or the parent of one — you won't have to travel far from home to attend one of the nation's best schools.

Mid-Atlantic schools Princeton University, the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania all ranked high on the Wall Street Journal's "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." list.

Here's why these schools made this prestigious annual ranking.

Princeton University tops Wall Street Journal's overall rankings

Princeton University topped the Wall Street Journal's 2025 ranking of the best colleges in the nation .

In a further breakdown, Princeton was also ranked a top private university and had the third-highest salary rank for graduates.

The school was also placed eighth on the top 10 list of recommended school

"Prestigious private colleges and universities occupy the upper tier of the list, with Stanford University placing No. 2 and Princeton University, which topped the overall rankings, coming in at No. 3," read the Wall Street Journal's paywalled report. "In total, private universities claimed 36 of the top 50 spots on the salary list."

UPenn on WSJ top colleges list

The University of Pennsylvania placed 13th on the Wall Street Journal's top colleges list and ranked fifth-best salary for graduates.

University of Delaware ranks on WSJ top colleges list

The University of Delaware ranked 26th on the top colleges list and picked up the final spot in the top 10 ranking of public schools.

And the University of Delaware collected the final spot in the top 10 ranking

Wall Street Journal best college rankings 2025

The Wall Street Journal based the results of its "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." on metrics that include salaries for graduates and stable tuition costs.

The WSJ analyzed 500 colleges and universities for this ranking.

"While the overall college rankings consider factors like student experiences and graduation rates, the best-salaries list looks only at metrics related to graduate earnings and return on investment," read the Wall Street Journal's methodology. "The criteria for the best-salaries list are twofold. To secure a top position, colleges need to put graduates on lucrative pathways at the beginning of their careers and keep the price of attendance in check."

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Princeton is Wall Street Journal top college; here’s why