This year, Harvard University once again secured the top spot of most desirable colleges, after being bested by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2025, according to a recent survey of college-bound students by The Princeton Review.
Current college applicants named the Ivy League institution as the ultimate “dream” school, even as Harvard’s prolonged battle with the government and resulting federal funding cuts unfold.
Most recently, the Trump administration sued Harvard last month, accusing the university of failing to comply with its investigation into the school’s admissions practices.
The ongoing legal disputes have done little to tarnish Harvard’s reputation, according to Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief.
“The added spotlight on Harvard, particularly over the last year, certainly hasn’t diminished their brand,” he said.
