50 Best Private Grad Schools of 2021

When graduate students are looking for a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services, a private graduate college or university could be the perfect choice.

A private university will on average be much smaller than a public university, the best of which are large state schools serving 30,000 to 40,000 students, or more. Small here doesn’t mean tiny, but it does mean more intimate, with readier access to mentors and research faculty. The best private grad schools also have an abundance of resources (often through large endowments), which they can make consistently available to students.

These are the best private grad schools in the US!– @AcademicInflux
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Even the best and largest public grad schools may face budget crunches when state legislatures decide to cut costs. We’ve seen it happen at large public universities where, on account of budget cuts, teachers have to provide their own chalk and students their own exam booklets. Finally, especially for doctoral programs, both private and public grad schools will, depending on the field, offer tuition remission and a stipend, so the out of pocket cost for graduate students tends to be no different, and thus no higher, at private graduate schools.

How can you choose the best graduate school for you? A good answer to this question looks to your personal and professional goals. Certain professions will require you to earn an advanced degree. In other cases, an advanced degree can make you eligible for leadership roles and higher pay. For instance, the best graduate schools for education can improve your earnings as a teacher, make you eligible for tenure, or help you meet the basic threshold for continued employment. On the other hand, the best graduate schools for business can simply make you a more competitive candidate for job openings and management roles.

The best graduate school for you should have a stellar reputation and employ highly influential professors across the board and especially in your area of study. Indeed, much exciting academic work these days is cross-disciplinary, and for such work to flourish it helps to be at a school that is strong across discipines. The following list is composed of only private graduate schools.

We’ve identified 715 private colleges and universities that meet our criteria. In order to be included in this list of best graduate schools, a university needs to satisfy the following four conditions:

It must be a private non-profit institution.
It must be fully accredited.
It must offer doctoral degrees and a broad range of advanced degrees.
It must have a student body of at least 2,000.

How do we determine the best private graduate colleges & universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. At the undergraduate level, the best colleges and universties are those with the highest concentration of influence. Our Concentrated Influence metric adjusts overall influence by size of undergraduate student body, thus allowing smaller schools to compete with larger schools so long as they have proportionately as strong influential faculty and alums.

But at the graduate level, the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. Overall influence, and not influence controlled by other variables, thus becomes the best gauge of academic excellence at the graduate level. Where smaller size is an advantage at the undergraduate level (hence Concentrated Influence), graduate studies benefit from a large and vibrant community of graduate students, who promise to become the new generation of academic influencers.

If you are serious about finding the best graduate schools, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Find out more about our methodology here.

50 Best Private Grad Schools in the US

#1
Harvard University
#1 institution's overall influence
#2 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Cambridge, MA
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What is Harvard University known for?
Harvard University is most influential in:
Biology
Literature
Law
Business
Economics
Education
Religious Studies
Philosophy
History
Psychology
#2
Stanford University
#10 institution's overall influence
#1 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
94%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1495/33
Stanford, CA
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What is Stanford University known for?
Stanford University is most influential in:
Computer Science
Earth Sciences
Engineering
Business
Communications
Biology
Education
Mathematics
Psychology
Economics
#3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
#9 institution's overall influence
#3 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
93%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1535/35
Cambridge, MA
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What is Massachusetts Institute of Technology known for?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is most influential in:
Engineering
Computer Science
Chemistry
Economics
Physics
Business
Earth Sciences
Communications
Mathematics
Biology
#4
Columbia University
#3 institution's overall influence
#6 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
95%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
New York, NY
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What is Columbia University known for?
Columbia University is most influential in:
Anthropology
Social Work
Nursing
Literature
Communications
Law
Business
Education
History
Philosophy
#5
Yale University
#7 institution's overall influence
#4 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
98%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
New Haven, CT
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What is Yale University known for?
Yale University is most influential in:
Literature
Law
Religious Studies
History
Nursing
Anthropology
Psychology
Political Science
Medical
Sociology
#6
Princeton University
#8 institution's overall influence
#5 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/33
Princeton, NJ
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What is Princeton University known for?
Princeton University is most influential in:
Physics
Mathematics
Philosophy
History
Economics
Engineering
Earth Sciences
Literature
Computer Science
Religious Studies
#7
University of Chicago
#5 institution's overall influence
#8 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
94%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Chicago, IL
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What is University of Chicago known for?
University of Chicago is most influential in:
Economics
Religious Studies
Sociology
Anthropology
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Social Work
Criminal Justice
Biology
#8
New York University
#16 institution's overall influence
#44 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
85%
Student body
47K
Median SAT/ACT
1410/31
New York, NY
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What is New York University known for?
New York University is most influential in:
Literature
Medical
Business
Social Work
Law
Education
History
Philosophy
Nursing
Communications
#9
Cornell University
#14 institution's overall influence
#14 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
94%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
Ithaca, NY
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What is Cornell University known for?
Cornell University is most influential in:
Engineering
Physics
Anthropology
Biology
Literature
Computer Science
Medical
Mathematics
Psychology
Chemistry
#10
University of Pennsylvania
#17 institution's overall influence
#10 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
95%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1485/33
Philadelphia, PA
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What is University of Pennsylvania known for?
University of Pennsylvania is most influential in:
Medical
Nursing
Social Work
Business
Anthropology
Psychology
Sociology
Literature
Communications
Law
#11
Johns Hopkins University
#20 institution's overall influence
#21 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
92%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
Baltimore, MD
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What is Johns Hopkins University known for?
Johns Hopkins University is most influential in:
Medical
Nursing
Biology
Physics
Chemistry
Philosophy
Sociology
Economics
Education
Psychology
#12
Northwestern University
#28 institution's overall influence
#24 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
94%
Student body
19K
Median SAT/ACT
1490/34
Evanston, IL
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What is Northwestern University known for?
Northwestern University is most influential in:
Sociology
Communications
Business
Anthropology
Economics
Medical
Political Science
Chemistry
Philosophy
Law
#13
Duke University
#31 institution's overall influence
#12 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
95%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
Durham, NC
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What is Duke University known for?
Duke University is most influential in:
Religious Studies
Nursing
Earth Sciences
Medical
Political Science
Psychology
Law
Philosophy
Biology
Business
#14
University of Southern California
#39 institution's overall influence
#30 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
92%
Student body
37K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
Los Angeles, CA
View profile
What is University of Southern California known for?
University of Southern California is most influential in:
Social Work
Communications
Business
History
Engineering
Medical
Computer Science
Political Science
Education
Literature
#15
California Institute of Technology
#27 institution's overall influence
#9 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
94%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1555/35
Pasadena, CA
View profile
What is California Institute of Technology known for?
California Institute of Technology is most influential in:
Chemistry
Physics
Earth Sciences
Engineering
Biology
Computer Science
Mathematics
Economics
History
Philosophy
#16
Boston University
#37 institution's overall influence
#56 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
22%
Graduation
87%
Student body
30K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/31
Boston, MA
View profile
What is Boston University known for?
Boston University is most influential in:
Social Work
Religious Studies
Earth Sciences
Criminal Justice
Education
Literature
Law
History
Medical
Political Science
#17
Carnegie Mellon University
#46 institution's overall influence
#35 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
90%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/34
Pittsburgh, PA
View profile
What is Carnegie Mellon University known for?
Carnegie Mellon University is most influential in:
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Economics
Chemistry
Mathematics
Psychology
Physics
Sociology
Biology
#18
Brown University
#36 institution's overall influence
#7 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
96%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1485/33
Providence, RI
View profile
What is Brown University known for?
Brown University is most influential in:
Literature
Computer Science
Education
Mathematics
History
Business
Political Science
Biology
Communications
Economics
#19
George Washington University
#62 institution's overall influence
#76 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
42%
Graduation
84%
Student body
21K
Median SAT/ACT
1370/30
Washington, DC
View profile
What is George Washington University known for?
George Washington University is most influential in:
Nursing
Law
Communications
Business
Political Science
Medical
Education
Religious Studies
Criminal Justice
Engineering
#20
Georgetown University
#70 institution's overall influence
#19 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
94%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1450/32
Washington, DC
View profile
What is Georgetown University known for?
Georgetown University is most influential in:
Nursing
Law
Political Science
Communications
Business
Religious Studies
Education
Economics
Medical
Criminal Justice
#21
Tufts University
#69 institution's overall influence
#25 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
92%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
Medford, MA
View profile
What is Tufts University known for?
Tufts University is most influential in:
Political Science
Medical
Biology
Engineering
Economics
Law
Philosophy
Computer Science
Business
Communications
#22
Rice University
#90 institution's overall influence
#15 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
93%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
Houston, TX
View profile
What is Rice University known for?
Rice University is most influential in:
Physics
Earth Sciences
Chemistry
Mathematics
Computer Science
Engineering
Biology
Economics
Religious Studies
Philosophy
#23
Washington University in St. Louis
#61 institution's overall influence
#20 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
94%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/33
Saint Louis, MO
View profile
What is Washington University in St. Louis known for?
Washington University in St. Louis is most influential in:
Social Work
Medical
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Anthropology
Political Science
Business
Economics
Engineering
#24
Dartmouth College
#55 institution's overall influence
#11 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
97%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1490/33
Hanover, NH
View profile
What is Dartmouth College known for?
Dartmouth College is most influential in:
Computer Science
Medical
Literature
Earth Sciences
History
Economics
Chemistry
Political Science
Engineering
Mathematics
#25
Syracuse University
#87 institution's overall influence
#1450 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
82%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Syracuse, NY
View profile
What is Syracuse University known for?
Syracuse University is most influential in:
Communications
Business
Political Science
History
Social Work
Literature
Physics
Religious Studies
Philosophy
Mathematics
#26
Brandeis University
#86 institution's overall influence
#167 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
31%
Graduation
90%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1390/31
Waltham, MA
View profile
What is Brandeis University known for?
Brandeis University is most influential in:
Psychology
Philosophy
Sociology
Anthropology
Mathematics
Biology
Literature
Political Science
Computer Science
Physics
#27
Vanderbilt University
#115 institution's overall influence
#16 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
10%
Graduation
92%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
Nashville, TN
View profile
What is Vanderbilt University known for?
Vanderbilt University is most influential in:
Nursing
Medical
Religious Studies
Business
Education
Economics
Biology
Political Science
Mathematics
Computer Science
#28
Emory University
#113 institution's overall influence
#41 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
91%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
Atlanta, GA
View profile
What is Emory University known for?
Emory University is most influential in:
Nursing
Religious Studies
Medical
Law
Literature
Political Science
Philosophy
Anthropology
Education
Psychology
#29
The New School
#95 institution's overall influence
#1438 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
68%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/27
New York, NY
View profile
What is The New School known for?
The New School is most influential in:
Sociology
Anthropology
Literature
Philosophy
Education
History
Business
Economics
Psychology
Communications
#30
University of Rochester
#91 institution's overall influence
#61 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
29%
Graduation
85%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1410/32
Rochester, NY
View profile
What is University of Rochester known for?
University of Rochester is most influential in:
Physics
Economics
Biology
Political Science
Chemistry
Medical
Mathematics
Computer Science
Psychology
Philosophy
#31
Brigham Young University
#111 institution's overall influence
#102 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
83%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1305/28
Provo, UT
View profile
What is Brigham Young University known for?
Brigham Young University is most influential in:
Religious Studies
History
Law
Education
Business
Communications
Literature
Political Science
Anthropology
Economics
#32
University of Notre Dame
#120 institution's overall influence
#23 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
95%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1475/34
Notre Dame, IN
View profile
What is University of Notre Dame known for?
University of Notre Dame is most influential in:
Mathematics
Religious Studies
Philosophy
Law
Sociology
Political Science
History
Physics
Computer Science
Chemistry
#33
Wesleyan University
#96 institution's overall influence
#34 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
Middletown, CT
View profile
What is Wesleyan University known for?
Wesleyan University is most influential in:
Philosophy
Literature
Psychology
Sociology
Religious Studies
History
Mathematics
Political Science
Biology
Anthropology
#34
American University
#205 institution's overall influence
#113 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
32%
Graduation
81%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1300/29
Washington, DC
View profile
What is American University known for?
American University is most influential in:
Political Science
Communications
Law
Business
Criminal Justice
Economics
Education
Religious Studies
Sociology
Anthropology
#35
Case Western Reserve University
#134 institution's overall influence
#110 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
29%
Graduation
82%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
Cleveland, OH
View profile
What is Case Western Reserve University known for?
Case Western Reserve University is most influential in:
Social Work
Nursing
Computer Science
Medical
Physics
Mathematics
Engineering
Chemistry
Psychology
Business
#36
Howard University
#135 institution's overall influence
#220 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
32%
Graduation
60%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1212/24
Washington, DC
View profile
What is Howard University known for?
Howard University is most influential in:
Education
Social Work
Literature
Law
History
Anthropology
Political Science
Medical
Criminal Justice
Nursing
#37
University of Miami
#210 institution's overall influence
#106 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
32%
Graduation
82%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1340/30
Coral Gables, FL
View profile
What is University of Miami known for?
University of Miami is most influential in:
Physics
Earth Sciences
Medical
Business
Mathematics
Communications
Law
Computer Science
Chemistry
History
#38
Fordham University
#175 institution's overall influence
#66 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
80%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1340/30
Bronx, NY
View profile
What is Fordham University known for?
Fordham University is most influential in:
Social Work
Religious Studies
Communications
Law
Philosophy
Business
Literature
Sociology
Education
History
#39
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
#186 institution's overall influence
#1177 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
83%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/31
Troy, NY
View profile
What is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute known for?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is most influential in:
Engineering
Computer Science
Physics
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Communications
Mathematics
Business
Biology
Economics
#40
Drexel University
#264 institution's overall influence
#54 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
70%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Philadelphia, PA
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What is Drexel University known for?
Drexel University is most influential in:
Engineering
Nursing
Medical
Computer Science
Business
Biology
Communications
Education
Chemistry
Criminal Justice
#41
Northeastern University
#301 institution's overall influence
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
86%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1450/33
Boston, MA
View profile
What is Northeastern University known for?
Northeastern University is most influential in:
Criminal Justice
Computer Science
Engineering
Nursing
Mathematics
Business
Sociology
Physics
Education
Social Work
#42
Yeshiva University
#212 institution's overall influence
#136 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
82%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/26
New York, NY
View profile
What is Yeshiva University known for?
Yeshiva University is most influential in:
Medical
Religious Studies
Social Work
Law
Physics
Biology
Philosophy
Mathematics
Psychology
Education
#43
Boston College
#272 institution's overall influence
#49 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
28%
Graduation
93%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/32
Chestnut Hill, MA
View profile
What is Boston College known for?
Boston College is most influential in:
Nursing
Social Work
Religious Studies
Political Science
Business
Philosophy
Communications
Sociology
History
Education
#44
Tulane University
#211 institution's overall influence
#107 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
83%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/31
New Orleans, LA
View profile
What is Tulane University known for?
Tulane University is most influential in:
Medical
Social Work
Anthropology
Law
Business
Political Science
Engineering
Education
Mathematics
Communications
#45
Catholic University of America
#206 institution's overall influence
#261 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
70%
Student body
5K
Washington, DC
View profile
What is Catholic University of America known for?
Catholic University of America is most influential in:
Religious Studies
Nursing
Law
Physics
Social Work
Chemistry
Philosophy
Education
Communications
History
#46
Southern Methodist University
#303 institution's overall influence
#1324 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
51%
Graduation
79%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1370/31
Dallas, TX
View profile
What is Southern Methodist University known for?
Southern Methodist University is most influential in:
Law
Religious Studies
Anthropology
Earth Sciences
Business
Engineering
Communications
History
Education
Computer Science
#47
Illinois Institute of Technology
#227 institution's overall influence
#1135 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
71%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1310/28
Chicago, IL
View profile
What is Illinois Institute of Technology known for?
Illinois Institute of Technology is most influential in:
Physics
Engineering
Mathematics
Communications
Computer Science
Economics
Chemistry
Business
Law
Biology
#48
Pepperdine University
#476 institution's overall influence
#903 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
36%
Graduation
87%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Malibu, CA
View profile
What is Pepperdine University known for?
Pepperdine University is most influential in:
Psychology
Religious Studies
Business
Political Science
Philosophy
Communications
Law
History
Economics
Biology
#49
Santa Clara University
#399 institution's overall influence
#1245 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
89%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1355/30
Santa Clara, CA
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What is Santa Clara University known for?
Santa Clara University is most influential in:
Religious Studies
Economics
Sociology
Philosophy
Psychology
Mathematics
Law
Computer Science
Business
Engineering
#50
DePaul University
#447 institution's overall influence
#308 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
73%
Student body
19K
Chicago, IL
View profile
What is DePaul University known for?
DePaul University is most influential in:
Religious Studies
Law
Political Science
Psychology
Philosophy
Business
Computer Science
Education
Literature
Communications