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Princeton Tops LinkedIn’s First Ranking of U.S. Colleges for Career Success

It draws on alumni placement, recruiter demand, leadership outcomes, network strength, skill breadth to reveal which institutions deliver sustained career gains

Move over Harvard and Columbia, Princeton and Duke are the schools most likely to fast-track Gen Z to the C-suite.
Check LinkedIn's list of top US colleges known for delivering long-term success. (Unsplash)
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Overview

  • LinkedIn’s inaugural Top Colleges ranking lists the 50 U.S. schools that most consistently set graduates up for long-term success, led by Princeton, Duke and the University of Pennsylvania.
  • The methodology equally weights five pillars—job placement; internship completion and recruiter demand; leadership and entrepreneurship outcomes; alumni network strength; and skills breadth—using data from 2019–2024 cohorts.
  • Smaller institutions such as Bentley, Bucknell, Fairfield and Babson earned top-50 positions, challenging assumptions that only Ivy League names guarantee high career ROI.
  • LinkedIn highlighted specific outcomes including Bucknell’s 93% career placement within nine months of graduation and Babson’s leading rate of alumni-founded enterprises.
  • Commentators note the ranking’s focus on AI and computer-science skill breadth, reflecting calls from over 250 CEOs for expanded technical education to align with evolving employer needs.