The Big Ten prides itself on being the premier academic conference while also having a strong athletic foundation across all of the major sports. No other conference can boast high-profile academics and athletics the same way that the Big Ten can. 17 of the 18 member institutions are members of the Association of American Universities, which is an organization devoted to strong academics and research (Nebraska is the only school not in the AAU).

Last year, the Big Ten expanded with four new schools -- Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington -- adding more prestige to the conference both academically and athletically.

U.S. News & World Report has updated its academic rankings for 2025 . Here is where each Big Ten school ranks against each other, as well as the national ranking, total enrollment, and acceptance rate.

18. University of Nebraska

Learn more about Nebraska at Huskers Wire .

17. University of Oregon

Learn more about Oregon at Ducks Wire .

16. University of Iowa

Learn more about Iowa at Hawkeyes Wire .

15. Indiana University

13. The Pennsylvania State University

Learn more about Penn State at Nittany Lions Wire .

13. Michigan State University

Learn more about MSU at Spartans Wire .

12. University of Minnesota

10. University of Washington

Big Ten rank: Down from No. 8

Learn more about UW at UW Huskies Wire .

10. Purdue University

9. University of Maryland

7. Rutgers University

7. The Ohio State University

Big Ten rank: Up from No. 9

Learn more about Ohio State at Buckeyes Wire .

6. University of Wisconsin

Learn more about Wisconsin at Badgers Wire .

5. University of Illinois

4. University of Southern California

Learn more about the Trojans at USC Wire .

3. University of Michigan

2. University of California, Los Angeles

Learn more about the Bruins at UCLA Wire .

1. Northwestern University

There isn't much change to the 2024 rankings , but some schools did move, and certainly there were some changes to some of the acceptance rates.