Texas returned to the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, the Atlantic Coast Conference has five teams ranked for the first time this season and two Group of Five conferences are now represented in the Top 25 a month before the playoff bracket is set. The top five was unchanged.
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Texas quarterback Arch Manning looks to throw against Vanderbilt during the second half of a Nov. 1 game in Austin, Texas.
Eric Gay, Associated Press
Ohio State running back CJ Donaldson Jr., right, celebrates with tight end Jelani Thurman after scoring during the second half of Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Doug McSchooler, Associated Press
The 2024-2025 school year saw a growing number of students at campuses nationwide. Undergraduate enrollment was up by 3.2% in the spring of 2025, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That increase is all the more noteworthy when you consider the current price tag for a college education—per the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of one year at a higher education institution clocks in at more than $38,000 in 2022-23. Still, college offers a valuable return on investment for many prospective students. An analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that in recent years, college grads earned a median of $80,000 per year, while workers with only a high school diploma earned a median of $47,000 per year.
With this in mind, the return on investment may be more apparent at some schools than others. Stacker compiled a list of the best colleges in America using Niche's 2026 rankings. All four-year schools in Niche's database were considered. Niche ranks colleges using various factors, including academics, admissions, finances, and student life. You can check out the full methodology here.
- Winston Tan // Shutterstock
Best colleges in America
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Best colleges in America
The 2024-2025 school year saw a growing number of students at campuses nationwide. Undergraduate enrollment was up by 3.2% in the spring of 2025, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That increase is all the more noteworthy when you consider the current price tag for a college education—per the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of one year at a higher education institution clocks in at more than $38,000 in 2022-23. Still, college offers a valuable return on investment for many prospective students. An analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that in recent years, college grads earned a median of $80,000 per year, while workers with only a high school diploma earned a median of $47,000 per year.
With this in mind, the return on investment may be more apparent at some schools than others. Stacker compiled a list of the best colleges in America using Niche's 2026 rankings. All four-year schools in Niche's database were considered. Niche ranks colleges using various factors, including academics, admissions, finances, and student life. You can check out the full methodology here.
- Winston Tan // Shutterstock

