The 10 Best Colleges In Maryland, According To New 2027 Ranking

Johns Hopkins University is the best college in Maryland, according to Niche’s newly released 2027 college rankings.

The Pittsburgh-based college search and review site evaluated more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide, using federal data along with student and alumni reviews.

Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, ranked No. 19 nationally on Niche’s 2027 Best Colleges in America list and No. 1 in Maryland. University of Maryland, College Park, ranked second, followed by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The Top 10 In Maryland

1. Johns Hopkins University
2. University of Maryland, College Park
3. University of Maryland, Baltimore County
4. Towson University
5. Loyola University Maryland
6. Coppin State University
7. The University of Baltimore
8. Washington College
9. Frostburg State University
10. St. Mary's College of Maryland

Maryland colleges also showed up near the top of several specialty rankings.

Johns Hopkins University ranked first among the best colleges for public health degrees, fourth for a biology degree, and 15th for an engineering degree.

The University of Maryland, College Park, ranked 11th for the best colleges for a criminal justice degree and 16th for public health degrees. The campus also placed 17th in a nationwide ranking of the best college athletics programs.

Coppin State University also ranked 10th among the best historically Black colleges and universities, just a few places behind Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Niche publishes rankings for categories including value, academics, professors, student life, campuses, majors, public universities and liberal arts colleges, as well as rankings by state.

The Top 10 Nationally

Nationally, Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the No. 1 spot on the 2027 Best Colleges list. The full top 10 includes:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Stanford University, Stanford, California
3. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
4. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
5. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
6. California Institute of Technology, California
7. Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
8. Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
9. Columbia University, New York
10. Rice University, Texas

What Goes Into The Rankings

Niche’s rankings combine federal data with reviews from students and alumni, weighing factors including academics, value, professors, campus life, diversity and safety.

For 2027, Niche also added a measure that compares colleges with similar institutions based on their missions and outcomes. The site also introduced pilot grades for student wellness and “future readiness,” including career services, internships and exposure to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.