20 US universities most sought after by businesses

While interest in Ivy League schools declines, many recruiters favor candidates from 20 other prestigious public and private universities.

Forbes last week published its "New Ivies" list, featuring US universities highly valued by employers for the quality of their graduates, distinct from the eight traditional Ivy League institutions.

Forbes noted a prominent commonality among these 20 schools: all prioritize proficiency in artificial intelligence (AI) as a core educational objective.

For instance, Purdue University became the first public institution to mandate "AI proficiency" as a graduation requirement. At Rice University, advanced data science students must engage AI models like ChatGPT and Claude in debates, then evaluate their arguments.

These universities are also expanding their AI programs and faculty. Case Western Reserve University has tripled its AI course offerings to over 100 classes, organizing student groups for direct practical experience at companies. Other institutions such as the University of Florida, University of Notre Dame, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Texas-Austin plan to recruit 40-50 new AI teaching positions.

Most of these universities are ranked within the top 50 nationally, according to the 2026 US News rankings. Annual tuition for international students ranges from 30,900 USD to 71,300 USD.

The 20 US universities most sought after by businesses, according to Forbes:

Group	University	2026 US News Ranking	Acceptance Rate (%)	Median SAT Score	Tuition (USD/year)
Private Universities	Carnegie Mellon University	20	12	1540	68.100
	Case Western Reserve University	51	37	1510	69.300
	Emory University	24	11	1520	68.100
	Georgetown University	24	13	1490	71.300
	Northwestern University	7	8	1540	70.600
	University of Notre Dame	20	11	1520	67.600
	Rice University	17	8	1550	65.500
	Tufts University	36	11	1510	73.600
	Vanderbilt University	17	6	1540	71.200
	Washington University-St Louis	20	12	1540	69.600
Public Universities	US Air Force Academy	-	14	1330	-
	University of Florida	30	24	1400	30.900
	Georgia Institute of Technology	32	14	1480	35.100
	University of Michigan	30	16	1460	66.200
	University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill	26	15	1480	45.200
	Purdue University	46	15	1480	28.800
	University of Texas-Austin	30	27	1390	44.900
	University of Virginia	26	17	1480	62.900
	William & Mary	51	34	1470	52.200
	University of Wisconsin-Madison	36	45	1460	44.200

This marks the third year Forbes has released this list. The data was compiled from a survey of over 100 senior executives and recruiters.

To be considered for evaluation, universities had to be outside the Ivy League (such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton) and Ivy Plus groups (like Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago). They needed a minimum of 3,000 students, highly selective admissions, and at least half of their applicants had to submit SAT or ACT scores.

The "New Ivies" list emerges amidst growing skepticism among recruiters regarding whether a degree from an Ivy League institution remains the best guarantee of talent quality.

Instead, recruiters believe that the brightest and most diligent students can be found at prestigious public universities or less renowned private schools with rigorous academic programs.

According to Forbes, 37% of recruiters indicated less enthusiasm for hiring Ivy League graduates compared to five years ago. Only 6% reported hiring more from this group. Conversely, 42% tend to prioritize students from public universities.