The rankings of the top 100 colleges in America can vary depending on the methodology used by different organizations. Here are some of the most commonly cited college rankings:
- U.S. News & World Report:
- Princeton University
- Harvard University
- Columbia University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Yale University
- Forbes:
- Stanford University
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Yale University
- The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education:
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Columbia University
- Stanford University
- The Princeton Review:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Harvey Mudd College
- Stanford University
- Duke University
Please note that these rankings are just a sample and not an exhaustive list. Additionally, it’s important to consider factors beyond just rankings when selecting a college, such as location, campus culture, available majors, extracurricular activities, and cost.
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 1 | Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
|
98% | 0.8% | $146,800 | $68,120 | 16.38% |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA
|
95% | 0.5% | $145,200 | $74,570 | 15.98% |
| 3 | Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
|
96% | 3.5% | $139,400 | $65,208 | 14.89% |
| 4 | Yale University
New Haven, CT
|
96% | 0.6% | $120,000 | $77,268 | 14.11% |
| 5 | Williams College
Williamstown, MA
|
95% | 2.3% | $112,000 | $81,260 | 12.91% |
| 6 | Pomona College
Claremont, CA
|
93% | 0% | $105,000 | $76,820 | 12.46% |
| 7 | Brown University
Providence, RI
|
96% | 0.5% | $113,000 | $84,772 | 13.17% |
| 8 | Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
|
94% | 1.6% | $115,000 | $90,228 | 12.26% |
| 9 | Amherst College
Amherst, MA
|
94% | 1.5% | $98,600 | $58,748 | 14.30% |
| 10 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
|
91% | 1.7% | $137,000 | $88,848 | 14.92% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 11 | University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
|
96% | 1.1% | $120,000 | $90,776 | 13.13% |
| 12 | University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
|
96% | 0.6% | $111,000 | $108,100 | 11.57% |
| 13 | Dartmouth College
Hanvover, NH
|
95% | 1.7% | $111,000 | $85,108 | 12.74% |
| 14 | Columbia University
New York, NY
|
95% | 1.7% | $109,000 | $83,352 | 13.11% |
| 15 | Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
|
97% | 1% | $102,000 | $114,668 | 10.51% |
| 16 | Duke University
Durham, IL
|
95% | 0.6% | $122,000 | $87,056 | 13.57% |
| 17 | Tufts University
Medford, MA
|
97% | 1.5% | $115,000 | $104,412 | 11.69% |
| 18 | Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
|
90% | 0% | $105,000 | $95,928 | 11.56% |
| 19 | Georgetown University
Washington DC
|
95% | 0.6% | $116,000 | $103,144 | 11.83% |
| 20 | Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
|
93% | 1% | $114,000 | $114,148 | 11.62% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 21 | Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
|
93% | 0.9% | $103,000 | $96,624 | 10.94% |
| 22 | University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
|
93% | 1.4% | $107,000 | $137,408 | 9.43% |
| 23 | Davidson College
Davidson, NC
|
93% | 1.3% | $90,600 | $89,828 | 10.45% |
| 24 | Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
|
91% | 2.5% | $83,700 | $84,864 | 10.21% |
| 25 | Rice University
Houston, TX
|
91% | 1.7% | $114,000 | $82,048 | 13.59% |
| 26 | Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
|
88% | 1.7% | $120,000 | $82,800 | 13.31% |
| 27 | Carleton College
Northfield, MN
|
93% | 0.4% | $107,000 | $128,068 | 9.32% |
| 28 | California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
|
92% | 2.5% | $125,000 | $107,640 | 13.07% |
| 29 | Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
|
94% | 1.1% | $93,900 | $83,612 | 11.19% |
| 30 | University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
|
91% | 2.9% | $120,000 | $66,620 | 14.90% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 31 | University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
|
94% | 1.7% | $102,000 | $56,276 | 14.52% |
| 32 | Boston College
Boston, MA
|
91% | 0.6% | $109,000 | $105,340 | 11.37% |
| 33 | University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
|
91% | 1.5% | $101,000 | $50,040 | 14.85% |
| 34 | College of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
|
90% | 0.6% | $99,300 | $49,624 | 14.37% |
| 35 | Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
|
92% | 2.6% | $115,000 | $86,596 | 12.71% |
| 36 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
|
91% | 1.6% | $100,000 | $63,400 | 13.93% |
| 37 | Barnard College
New York, NY
|
89% | 0.8% | $81,400 | $87,164 | 9.67% |
| 38 | Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
|
89% | 1.1% | $107,000 | $132,508 | 10.18% |
| 39 | Colby College
Waterville, ME
|
90% | 0% | $95,100 | $73,908 | 11.85% |
| 40 | Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
|
93% | 1.4% | $102,000 | $88,692 | 12.01% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 41 | Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
|
93% | 1.5% | $107,000 | $100,828 | 11.87% |
| 42 | Kenyon College
Gambier, OH
|
89% | 0.9% | $97,600 | $106,936 | 9.75% |
| 43 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
|
90% | 1.6% | $108,000 | $43,744 | 17.61% |
| 44 | Oberlin College
Oberline, OH
|
88% | 2.2% | $100,000 | $155,548 | 7.54% |
| 45 | Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA
|
87% | 2% | $101,000 | $135,152 | 8.44% |
| 46 | Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
|
91% | 2.1% | $94,600 | $89,568 | 11.25% |
| 47 | Reed College
Portland, OR
|
90% | 2.4% | $103,000 | $74,684 | 12.30% |
| 48 | Lafayette College
Easton, PA
|
79% | 2.4% | $102,000 | $108,076 | 11.02% |
| 49 | College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
|
92% | 2.5% | $97,500 | $104,688 | 10.41% |
| 50 | Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
|
95% | 1.4% | $113,000 | $133,496 | 10.47% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 51 | Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
|
88% | 0.7% | $125,000 | $134,680 | 11.59% |
| 52 | Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
|
90% | 0% | $133,000 | $132,548 | 12.50% |
| 53 | Franklin and Marshall College
Lancaster, PA
|
87% | 1.8% | $106,000 | $91,896 | 11.28% |
| 54 | Wake Forest University
Winston Salem, NC
|
88% | 1.2% | $92,100 | $103,304 | 9.78% |
| 55 | University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
|
96% | 2% | $111,000 | $131,984 | 10.25% |
| 56 | Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO
|
94% | 0.9% | $85,100 | $96,564 | 9.02% |
| 57 | University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
|
91% | 1.2% | $99,500 | $124,756 | 9.63% |
| 58 | Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
|
89% | 2% | $92,100 | $99,584 | 9.54% |
| 59 | Macalester College
St Paul, MN
|
90% | 2.2% | $89,300 | $111,996 | 8.22% |
| 60 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
|
84% | 2.1% | $102,000 | $64,996 | 13.80% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 61 | University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, WI
|
84% | 1.5% | $91,400 | $64,524 | 12.49% |
| 62 | Bates College
Lewiston, ME
|
88% | 0.6% | $95,000 | $88,248 | 10.37% |
| 63 | Villanova University
Villanova, PA
|
89% | 1.1% | $101,000 | $130,816 | 9.65% |
| 64 | Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
|
87% | 1.1% | $108,000 | $111,392 | 11.32% |
| 65 | Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
|
91% | 2.4% | $96,200 | $105,468 | 9.66% |
| 66 | University of Washington
Seattle, WA
|
84% | 2.7% | $92,600 | $41,496 | 15.35% |
| 67 | New York University
New York, NY
|
83% | 2% | $99,000 | $142,172 | 8.76% |
| 68 | Emory University
Atlanta, GA
|
89% | 2.1% | $95,100 | $112,812 | 9.90% |
| 69 | Trinity College
Hartford, CT
|
84% | 1.6% | $86,500 | $100,480 | 9.53% |
| 70 | University Texas, Austin
Austin, TX
|
94% | 3.6% | $97,200 | $67,328 | 12.83% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 71 | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
|
88% | 3% | $86,300 | $59,144 | 12.42% |
| 72 | Sewanee-University of the South
Sewanee, TN
|
79% | 1.3% | $74,000 | $101,656 | 6.68% |
| 73 | Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
|
85% | 2.2% | $117,000 | $146,580 | 10.27% |
| 74 | Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
|
84% | 3% | $94,900 | $133,828 | 8.59% |
| 75 | Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
|
87% | 2.3% | $97,600 | $97,264 | 10.03% |
| 76 | Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
|
82% | 1.7% | $112,000 | $48,748 | 16.39% |
| 77 | Centre College
Danville, KY
|
82% | 1.5% | $86,700 | $99,420 | 8.53% |
| 78 | Boston University
Boston, MA
|
85% | 1.8% | $93,900 | $130,156 | 8.86% |
| 79 | Connecticut College
New London, CT
|
83% | 1.4% | $88,700 | $96,608 | 9.61% |
| 80 | University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD
|
85% | 2% | $94,400 | $59,332 | 13.55% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 81 | Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
|
85% | 2.8% | $112,000 | $130,984 | 9.71% |
| 82 | Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
|
80% | 1.3% | $79,400 | $109,592 | 7.91% |
| 83 | Denison University
Granville, OH
|
82% | 1.3% | $88,500 | $117,648 | 8.57% |
| 84 | Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
|
78% | 2.3% | $89,000 | $98,924 | 9.48% |
| 85 | Rhodes College
Memphis, TN
|
80% | 4% | $90,700 | $114,460 | 8.54% |
| 86 | University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
|
84% | 1.5% | $93,200 | $96,044 | 10.23% |
| 87 | Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
|
81% | 2.1% | $93,400 | $111,404 | 9.00% |
| 88 | University of Georgia
Athens, GA
|
85% | 2.9% | $83,600 | $53,148 | 12.45% |
| 89 | University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
|
81% | 4% | $100,000 | $59,864 | 13.56% |
| 90 | Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
|
79% | 1.2% | $97,900 | $49,336 | 14.79% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate | Default Rate | Mid-Career Salary | Net Price (4-year) | 20-year ROI |
| 91 | University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
|
83% | 2.7% | $94,600 | $64,924 | 12.74% |
| 92 | St. John’s University
Collegeville, MN
|
80% | 0.2% | $134,000 | $97,332 | 13.55% |
| 93 | Saint Olaf College
Northfield, MN
|
80% | 0.5% | $89,400 | $112,076 | 8.74% |
| 94 | Colorado School of the Mines
Golden, CO
|
76% | 0.8% | $109,000 | $100,552 | 12.27% |
| 95 | Northeastern University
Boston, MA
|
82% | 2.8% | $91,900 | $122,184 | 9.44% |
| 96 | Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
|
81% | 1.2% | $103,000 | $116,560 | 10.63% |
| 97 | Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
|
84% | 2% | $100,000 | $133,372 | 8.98% |
| 98 | Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
|
77% | 3.3% | $93,500 | $136,756 | 8.59% |
| 99 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
|
78% | 2.6% | $87,200 | $62,356 | 12.25% |
| 100 | Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
|
78% | 3.9% | $83,100 | $46,292 | 13.18% |
When it comes to selecting a college, there is a wide range of factors to consider beyond just rankings. Some of these factors include:
- Location: The location of a college can have a significant impact on your experience as a student. Consider whether you prefer an urban or rural setting and whether you would prefer to attend college close to home or further away.
- Campus culture: Each college has its own unique campus culture and community. Research the student body and student life to get a sense of whether you would fit in and feel comfortable at a particular college.
- Majors and programs: If you already have an idea of what you want to study, make sure that the college you’re considering offers a strong program in that field. Additionally, look into any special programs or opportunities that may be available, such as study abroad or internship programs.
- Extracurricular activities: College is about more than just academics. Look into the clubs, sports teams, and other extracurricular activities available at each college to get a sense of what you would enjoy doing outside of class.
- Cost: College can be expensive, so it’s important to consider the cost of attendance at each college you’re considering. Look into scholarships, financial aid, and other options for making college more affordable.
Ultimately, the best college for you will depend on your unique needs, preferences, and goals. It’s important to do your research, visit campuses, and talk to current students and admissions counselors to make an informed decision.
- Size: Colleges come in all sizes, from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities. Consider whether you would prefer a more intimate learning environment or a larger, more diverse student body.
- Diversity and inclusion: College is a time to learn and grow, and exposure to diverse perspectives and cultures can be an important part of that experience. Consider whether the colleges you’re considering have a diverse student body and inclusive policies and programs.
- Career services: The ultimate goal of college is to prepare you for a successful career. Look into the career services and job placement rates of each college you’re considering to get a sense of how well they prepare their graduates for the workforce.
- Faculty and research: The quality of the faculty and research programs can be an important factor in determining the overall quality of a college. Look into the credentials and research interests of the faculty at each college to get a sense of the level of academic rigor and intellectual stimulation you can expect.
- Campus resources: College can be a challenging and stressful time, and having access to support resources such as mental health services, academic tutoring, and career counseling can make a big difference. Look into the campus resources and support services available at each college to get a sense of the level of support you can expect as a student.
Remember, selecting a college is a big decision, and it’s important to take the time to research your options, visit campuses, and talk to current students and faculty to make an informed decision. With the right preparation and information, you can find the college that is the best fit for you and your goals.