Morningstar Releases 2026 Medalist Ratings for 529 College Savings Plans, With 10 Upgrades and No Downgrades
Business Wire•09/11/2026•16:15 ET
0
Key Highlights
- ➤10 529 plans upgraded; no plans downgraded in Morningstar’s 2026 ratings
- ➤Nine plans earned Gold, nearly doubling from five last year
- ➤529 industry assets surpassed $550 billion thus far in 2026
- ➤Quest529 and Schwab 529 rose two levels, reaching Silver
- ➤35 of 60 plans earned Bronze or better, up from 53% to 58%
Expert Statements
Hyunmin Kim, Manager Research Senior Analyst at Morningstar
“This year's ratings show how improvements behind the scenes can ultimately strengthen the choices available to education savers”
Hyunmin Kim, Manager Research Senior Analyst at Morningstar
“We're seeing examples of stronger investment teams, more robust state oversight, and thoughtful investment processes contributing to higher conviction from our analysts.”
Hyunmin Kim, Manager Research Senior Analyst at Morningstar
“With the cost of education continuing to rise, identifying high-quality plans remains an important part of helping families make informed savings decisions.”
Morningstar Releases 2026 Medalist Ratings for 529 College Savings Plans, With 10 Upgrades and No Downgrades
Four plans move up to Gold as Morningstar analysts find improvements across investment teams, oversight, and costs
Get started
Create a free account to read the full story.