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Music2027 Top 10 Party Schools in USA
By: The Party Guru
Every fall, college students want to know one thing: which campuses throw the best parties? The Princeton Review, which published the famous party-school list for decades, no longer ranks party schools, so the go-to list is now Niche’s 2027 Top Party Schools ranking. It is based on student reviews and nightlife statistics such as access to bars and restaurants, Greek life and athletics. This year Florida State University takes the crown, knocking last year’s champ, UC Santa Barbara, out of first place. Here are the top 10 party colleges in America for 2027. Does your school make the cut?
1. Florida State University
FSU jumps to No. 1 for 2027, earning an A+ party scene grade from more than 9,000 student reviews on Niche. Game days at the nearly 80,000-seat Doak Campbell Stadium, the famous Marching Chiefs and a huge Greek life keep Tallahassee buzzing all fall, and the bars along Tennessee Street keep the party going after dark.
2. Tulane University
Tulane gets the best of both worlds: it is one of the hardest schools to get into on this list (14% acceptance rate), and it sits in New Orleans. The St. Charles streetcar takes students from campus to the Mardi Gras parade routes and on toward Bourbon Street, and The Princeton Review’s 2027 guide ranked Tulane No. 1 for “Lots of Hard Liquor.”
3. University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison is a perennial party powerhouse. Students pack the bars on State Street, all of Camp Randall Stadium bounces during “Jump Around” before the fourth quarter, and every spring brings the Mifflin Street Block Party.
4. University of Dayton
The biggest surprise on the list is a private Catholic university in Ohio. Most upperclassmen live in the student neighborhood nicknamed “the Ghetto,” where front-porch parties are a way of life, and Flyers basketball fills UD Arena, which also hosts the NCAA tournament’s First Four every March.
5. University of Southern California
With a 10% acceptance rate, USC is the most selective school in the top 10, but its students still find plenty of time to celebrate. Fraternity Row on 28th Street is the center of the social scene, and Trojans game days at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum turn into all-day tailgates.
6. Penn State
Beaver Stadium holds more than 100,000 fans, and Penn State’s White Out games are legendary. Add THON, the giant student-run dance marathon, and State Patty’s Day, which students created when spring break fell on St. Patrick’s Day, and State College stays busy all year long.
7. The Ohio State University
More than 100,000 Buckeyes fans fill Ohio Stadium, better known as the Horseshoe, for home games, and the tailgates around it start hours before kickoff. When the game ends, the party moves to the bars along High Street right next to campus.
8. University of Georgia
Athens is one of the best college towns in America. Saturdays “Between the Hedges” at Sanford Stadium draw more than 90,000 fans, and downtown Athens, just steps from campus, is packed with bars and the live music scene that launched bands like R.E.M. and the B-52’s.
9. West Virginia University
WVU has been on party-school lists for years, and it is still the easiest school in the top 10 to get into, with an 89% acceptance rate. Mountaineers game days pack Milan Puskar Stadium, and nights out center on the bars along High Street in downtown Morgantown.
10. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois is famous for “Unofficial,” the student-made St. Patrick’s Day celebration held every March before spring break. Most of the action happens on Green Street, the main strip of bars and restaurants on the edge of campus.
Ranking source: Niche, 2027 Top Party Schools in America. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (public domain / CC0).
