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Niche releases 2027 college rankings; introduces new measures of Institutional Success, Student Wellness, and Future Readiness. New grades, factors, and methodology updates give students a more complete picture of where they'll thrive. Pittsburgh, PA, Aug. 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Niche, the country's leading platform connecting students and families with colleges and schools, today released its 2027 Best Colleges in America rankings, evaluating more than 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities across academics, value, student life, career preparation and more. This year's rankings introduce new grades, factors, and updated weights designed to improve upon what students and families care most about when choosing a college. At the center is a new Institutional Success Score, along with two new pilot grades for student wellness and future readiness. A new way to measure college success The new Institutional Success Score recognizes that colleges serve different purposes and define success in different ways. The score places every college into one of 10 mission-based categories (including research institutions, social mobility-focused colleges, and religious institutions) then evaluates each school against outcomes aligned with that mission. The 2027 rankings also introduce two pilot grades designed to give students additional insight into the college experience: * Student Wellness Grade: Reflects mental health and well-being resources available to students. * Future Readiness Grade: Captures career preparation and internship access, as awell as AI and emerging technology literacy in the curriculum. The new grades are currently displayed publicly for select schools (those that have earned an A or A+), with a wider rollout planned for future rankings. "A research university and a college built around social mobility can both be excellent, just by different measures," said Allison Shrivastava, economist at Niche. "Scoring schools against their own mission, and against what actually happens to students after graduation, gives a richer, fairer picture of where students are likely to thrive." Other updates to the 2027 methodology Niche also added new factors across several existing rankings, each entering at a low weight to add signal without driving dramatic swings. Updates include new measures of academic investment in Best College Academics, faculty commitment in Best Professors, campus infrastructure in Best College Campuses, locale diversity in Most Diverse Colleges, and an updated earnings measure in Best Value Colleges. * Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA * Stanford University, Stanford, CA * Yale University, New Haven, CT * Harvard University, Cambridge, MA * Princeton University, Princeton, NJ * California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA * Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA * Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA * Princeton University, Princeton, NJ * CUNY Baruch College, New York, NY * Univeristy of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX * University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI * Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL * University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA * University of Georgia, Athens, GA Niche also provides rankings by state, major, academics, professors, athletics, and more, giving students the flexibility to compare colleges based on the factors that matter most to them. Built on data and student experience Niche's rankings combine vetted federal data from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation with enrollment and alumni earnings statistics, tuition and finacial aid data, and more than one million student and alumni reviews. Together, these sources give students and families a comprehensive view of colleges that goes beyond a single measure of academic reputation or selectivity. For more information, visit the College Rankins Methodology page. "Colleges aren't one-size-fits-all, and we don't think rankings should be either," said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. "This is the most complete and fair picture of university success we've ever published." Helping students find the right fit The rankings are part of Niche's broader suite of free tools designed to support students throughout the college search and enrollment process, including Niche Direct Admissions(R) and Scholarship Search. Colleges featured in the rankings can access badges and promotional materials here. Institutions now also have more ways to promote their rankings directly from their Niche Partner Portal. About Niche Niche is modernizing the way students and families choose their best-fit schools and colleges. We believe it shouldn't be hard to find where you belong, so it's our mission to make it easy, transparent and free. Tens of millions of people annually use Niche's comprehensive school profiles, student and alumni reviews, data-driven rankings and easy-to-use tools to empower informed decision-making. Contact Info Nick Liberati, Director of Communications & Content [email protected] +1 412-361-5080 Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. 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Niche has launched its 2026-27 direct admissions programme for high school seniors, with over 155 college and university partners participating. The platform's most recent cycle delivered impressive results: 1.19 million students received at least one acceptance and scholarship offer, with an average annual scholarship of $17,500. The programme generated an estimated $254 million in first-year net tuition revenue for the 2025-26 cycle, representing an 84% increase from the previous year. Direct admissions accounted for 14% median share of participating institutions' expected incoming classes. Three-quarters of students who deposited identify as BIPOC and/or first-generation. The initiative allows colleges to send real-time acceptance and scholarship offers to students based solely on their Niche profile, eliminating the traditional application process. Participating institutions include Texas A&M University–Kingsville, University of Nevada Reno, and Seattle University.

More than 155 colleges nationwide providing real-time acceptance and scholarship offers through Niche Direct Admissions(R). Aug. 4, 2026, 10:26 AM Pittsburgh, Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Niche, the country's leading platform connecting students and families with colleges, has launched its 2026-27 direct admissions program for high school seniors enrolling in the fall of 2027. Now in its sixth consecutive cycle, Niche Direct Admissions(R) has over 155 college and university partners with more expected to participate in the coming weeks and months. Key results: The most recent Niche Direct Admissions program, for college freshmen enrolling in the fall of this year, delivered outstanding results for both students and higher education institutions: * 1.19M students: more than a million students on Niche received at least one acceptance and scholarship offer * $17.5K in aid: average annual scholarship amount awarded by participating institutions * 14% median class share: the portion of each participating institution's expected incoming class sourced through Niche Direct Admissions * 75% diversity: three-quarters of students who deposited identify as BIPOC and/or first-generation * $254M in revenue: estimated first-year net tuition revenue sourced through the 2025-26 program, an 84% increase from the prior cycle Niche is revolutionizing the college admissions landscape by modernizing the way students and families choose their best-fit colleges, and how institutions build their future classes. With Niche Direct Admissions, colleges come to students by sending them real-time acceptance and upfront scholarship offers based solely on a student's online profile with Niche. "More than a million students on Niche received a college acceptance offer for this fall before they ever applied," said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. "For students, that changes how they think about their options, and for many, it's the first signal that college is genuinely within reach. For our partner institutions, it translates into earlier engagement and a reliable source of enrollments, as the $254 million in net tuition revenue shows." Direct admissions programs have rapidly expanded nationwide and help break down barriers to enrollment, encouraging more students - especially Pell Grant-eligible, first-generation, and underrepresented students - to pursue higher education. Why Niche Direct Admissions: Participating colleges include Texas A&M University-Kingsville, The University of Nevada Reno, University of Minnesota Crookston, The University of Missouri-St. Louis, Seattle University, and Drake UniversityFeatured in NPR, New York Times, and Money.comWinner of the EdTech Breakthrough Awards, the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence, and a national Best Invention award. The program is now open to high school seniors graduating in 2027. Colleges and universities across 30+ states and the District of Columbia have committed to offer direct admissions via the Niche platform for the 2026-27 admissions cycle. Students and families can see here which colleges and universities have direct admissions. More institutions will be added on a rolling basis in the coming months. Admissions teams interested in accelerating enrollment by meeting students where they are can learn more at niche.com/about/partners/direct-admissions. Frequently asked questions about direct admissions What is direct admissions? Direct admissions is when colleges proactively offer acceptance to students who meet their criteria, skipping the traditional application process. Niche Direct Admissions allows high school seniors to be immediately accepted to college with a scholarship based on their Niche Profile. How is direct admissions different from early action or early decision? Direct admissions offers can be received throughout the academic year and, through Niche's program, are immediate. Unlike Early Decision or Early Action, students don't need to apply at all. And unlike Early Decision, these offers are entirely non-binding. Who qualifies for direct admissions? Each participating college sets their individual criteria, such as GPA, for the type of student that qualifies. Through Niche Direct Admissions, the information in a high school senior's Niche Profile is used to match them with colleges that want to accept them. ABOUT NICHE Trusted by over 70 million people annually, Niche is the country's leading college and school search platform. With products like Niche Market Intelligence, Niche Engage, and Niche Direct Admissions(R) we provide thousands of higher education and K-12 partners with the tools and support they need to build and shape their future classes. For over 20 years, Niche has been a trusted resource for students and families alike, and we remain dedicated to modernizing, personalizing, and simplifying the education journey. Contact Info Nick Liberati, Director of Communications & Content [email protected] +1 412-361-5080 Markets Insider and Business Insider Editorial Teams were not involved in the creation of this post. Sponsored Financial Content