Bowdoin College has climbed to near the top in a national ranking of higher education institutions, tying for third best liberal arts college. Williams College and Amherst College, both in Massachusetts, were ranked one and two respectively.

The Brunswick school is among seven Maine institutions to appear on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2027 rankings of the country’s best colleges and universities. Third is the highest rank Bowdoin has held, although it last appeared there in 2018. The college dropped to the ninth spot in 2024, and has been rising since.

U.S. News and World Report’s rankings includes separate lists for liberal arts colleges and universities and ranks schools based on factors like graduation rates, how the school is regarded by peer institutions, financial resources and faculty salaries.

On the university list, the public flagship University of Maine sits at 262, five spots below last year and nearly 50 down from its ranking several years ago. It’s now tied with the private University of New England, which climbed more than 30 spots.

The Portland and Gorham-based University of Southern Maine appears in the bottom 10% of the national universities list and is not specifically ranked.

On the liberal arts list, Colby College in Waterville is tied for 21st in the nation, a three-position jump over last year, while Lewiston’s Bates College came in 25th, also a tie, one position down from the 2026 rankings.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, the only other Maine college to appear on the list, is ranked 132nd.