Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find, well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2022

By James Barham

Published: Jan 7, 2021
Updated: Dec 5, 2022

We rank the best colleges or universities in the US based on the academic influence of the schools’ faculty and alumni. For undergraduate rankings, our unique perspective allows you to see smaller colleges that proportionally outperform larger universities when size advantages are reduced.

Top 10 US Colleges and Universities for Undergrads

California Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
Princeton University
University of Chicago
Yale University
Columbia University
Carnegie Mellon University
Reed College

Key Takeaways

Earning a bachelor’s degree from one of the best colleges or universities in the US will give you an advantage over other candidates in an extremely competitive job market.
When choosing which college or university you want to attend, it is important to know what academic program you are interested in and if you want to study at a research university or a liberal arts college.
Attending one of the schools on our list will ensure that you will be taught by some of the most influential professors in the world.

Every fall, more than 2 million high-school graduates will enroll in colleges and universities across the United States. With nearly 3,000 4-year schools to choose from, finding the best college for your educational, personal, and professional goals may be challenging. The purpose of this ranking is to help you manage this challenge. We offer a new perspective of the best colleges and universities for earning a bachelor’s degree.

Our ranking of the best colleges and universities is based on the academic impact of the schools’ faculty and alumni. We believe that schools with histories of hiring and developing influential faculty, and nurturing students who become influential in their fields of study, are schools that demonstrate key indicators of academic excellence.

Attention Undergrads!

Choosing the right college for an undergraduate degree is one of the toughest decisions a student makes. Where you attend college can have a lasting impact on both your professional and personal life.

Many undergraduate students choose a college based on emotions, a limited set of criteria, and sometimes, just gut feeling. Although this does not preclude students from their academic success, making a such crucial decision should be done under a higher level of scrutiny.

How to Choose the College for You

When scouting for colleges, it’s important for prospective students to consider a range of factors, like the size, location, cost, campus safety, quality of academic programs, the choice of degree programs or majors, college rankings, and other personal factors. Here are some other things to consider when you choose your college.

Accreditation: Accreditation is a quality assurance process through which a school has been vetted by an officially licensed organization, and its curriculum has been reviewed and verified to meet the basic academic standards for higher education.

Accreditation is assessed by private and nongovernmental accrediting agencies created specifically to review education programs and institutions. These agencies are recognized and reviewed by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Most schools provide this information on their website. A university or college can be nationally or regionally accredited. Within an institution, specific departments, programs, or schools can also have their sub-accreditation. This is to guarantee that your degree is recognized by employers and other institutions of higher education.

The Type of College: The National Association for College Admission Counseling lists the most popular types of colleges. Here are some that you should get to know to help you narrow down your college search.

Community and Junior Colleges: These are colleges that offer the first two years of liberal arts education or vocational training. After completing, you will earn an associate’s degree. Either you can look for a job after this or continue to a four-year institution.
Liberal Arts Colleges: Classes are generally smaller since liberal arts colleges are smaller than universities. This means, more personal attention is given to students by their college professors. Students are exposed to a general sampling of classes instead of focusing only on a specific career path. They can also choose an area of in-depth study as their course “major”.
Universities: These are large institutions that include colleges that are focused on preparing for a specific career, like education or nursing. Universities are made up of a wide range of academic colleges; and generally have large class sizes.
Women’s Colleges: These are the types of colleges where women are given the chance to enjoy a learning community where they are in the majority. Women colleges also have a larger number of female faculty and administrators. They also produce a high number of science majors.
Technical Institutes and Professional Schools: These schools enroll students who already have a career path of their choice. The curriculum is purely focused on preparing students for their respective careers. Career options usually offered at these types of colleges are in fine arts, music, technical sciences, and engineering.

Geographic Location: Do you live in a quaint and quiet neighborhood or a big city? Does a campus party sound fun to you or just a distraction? How about regional culture? Or the weather? Most importantly, can you afford to study out-of-state, especially in bigger and more expensive cities?

The school’s geographic location plays a big part in your college experience. Even if you have the best school but you hate the location, enduring four long years of college (or more) could be a challenge. If you’re looking at colleges in a specific city, make sure that you like it there. The best move is to schedule a trip to get the feel for the city.

How do we determine the best colleges and universities for undergraduates?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers – faculty and alums – and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.

Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, will score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.

If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to the schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

If you would like to see this ranking without school size considered, visit our best universities in the US ranking.

We’ve identified a total of 1,392 colleges and universities in the US that meet our criteria. Of those, 637 are public institutions and 755 are private institutions. This list focuses on schools that offer bachelor’s degrees, and includes both public and private colleges and universities. In order to be included in this list of best colleges, a school needs to a regionally accredited nonprofit college or university.

50 Best US Colleges & Universities 2022

#1
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena , CA
#1 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #1 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #1 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #14 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
93%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1555/35
What is California Institute of Technology known for?

California Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Computer Science
Mathematics
Engineering
Earth Sciences
Economics
Philosophy
Literature

Most Influential Alumni

Donald Knuth
Linus Pauling
John McCarthy
William Shockley
Kip Thorne
Benoit Mandelbrot
Ivan Sutherland
Vernon L. Smith
David Bohm
L. Sprague de Camp
Robert C. Merton
Serge Lang
#2
Harvard University
Cambridge , MA
#1 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #1 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #1 Best Universities in the World 2022 #1 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
97%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
What is Harvard University known for?

Harvard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Biology
Philosophy
Literature
Law
Medical
Political Science
Economics
Psychology
Physics
History

Most Influential Alumni

Jacques Derrida
William James
Noam Chomsky
Charles Sanders Peirce
Norbert Wiener
Daniel Dennett
Marvin Minsky
T. S. Eliot
Hilary Putnam
Paul Samuelson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Willard Van Orman Quine
#3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge , MA
#3 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #3 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #3 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #3 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1545/35
What is Massachusetts Institute of Technology known for?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Computer Science
Engineering
Physics
Economics
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Mathematics
Business
Biology
Communications

Most Influential Alumni

Noam Chomsky
Richard Feynman
Claude Shannon
Paul Krugman
Joseph Stiglitz
Richard Stallman
Ben Bernanke
William Shockley
Murray Gell-Mann
Vannevar Bush
George Lakoff
Lawrence Summers
#4
Stanford University
Stanford , CA
#2 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #2 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #2 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #3 Best Universities in the World 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1495/33
What is Stanford University known for?

Stanford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Computer Science
Engineering
Psychology
Business
Biology
Law
Education
Chemistry
Mathematics
Communications

Most Influential Alumni

Allen Newell
Vint Cerf
Douglas Hofstadter
Hans Moravec
Sandra Day O'Connor
Rodney Brooks
Gérard Debreu
John Harsanyi
Garrett Hardin
Anthony Kennedy
Stewart Brand
Stuart J. Russell
#5
Princeton University
Princeton , NJ
#5 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #5 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #6 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #7 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
98%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/33
What is Princeton University known for?

Princeton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Mathematics
Physics
Philosophy
Political Science
History
Computer Science
Literature
Economics
Religious Studies
Earth Sciences

Most Influential Alumni

Richard Feynman
John Rawls
Marvin Minsky
Alonzo Church
Edward Witten
Allen Newell
Robert Mueller
John Bardeen
John McCarthy
Robert Nozick
Gary Becker
Stephen Cole Kleene
#6
University of Chicago
Chicago , IL
#6 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #6 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #7 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #8 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1535/34
What is University of Chicago known for?

University of Chicago’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Economics
Philosophy
Psychology
Sociology
Anthropology
Criminal Justice
Earth Sciences
Social Work
Mathematics
Political Science

Most Influential Alumni

Milton Friedman
Herbert A. Simon
Paul Samuelson
Richard Rorty
Joseph Stiglitz
James Watson
Martin Gardner
Thomas Sowell
Gary Becker
John B. Watson
James M. Buchanan
Philip Roth
#7
Yale University
New Haven , CT
#4 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #5 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #6 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #7 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
What is Yale University known for?

Yale University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Law
Religious Studies
Nursing
Biology
Literature
Political Science
History
Medical
Economics
Psychology

Most Influential Alumni

Richard Rorty
Judith Butler
Harold Bloom
Murray Gell-Mann
Josiah Willard Gibbs
Thorstein Veblen
Alvin Plantinga
Fredric Jameson
Donna Haraway
Grace Hopper
W. Edwards Deming
George Akerlof
#8
Columbia University
New York , NY
#5 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #5 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #6 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #6 Best Universities in the World 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$64K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
97%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
What is Columbia University known for?

Columbia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Social Work
Nursing
Literature
Biology
Political Science
Medical
History
Education
Business
Communications

Most Influential Alumni

Milton Friedman
Murray Rothbard
Herbert Marcuse
Stephen Jay Gould
Kenneth Arrow
B. R. Ambedkar
Isaac Asimov
Margaret Mead
Robert Nozick
Thomas Sowell
Jerry Fodor
Theodosius Dobzhansky
#9
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh , PA
#9 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #9 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #12 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #15 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
What is Carnegie Mellon University known for?

Carnegie Mellon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Computer Science
Engineering
Economics
Business
Mathematics
Chemistry
Psychology
Physics
Education
Political Science

Most Influential Alumni

Allen Newell
Ivan Sutherland
James Gosling
Raoul Bott
Oliver E. Williamson
Edward Feigenbaum
Henry Giroux
Edward C. Prescott
Shafi Goldwasser
Kurt Vonnegut
Robert H. Dennard
David Parnas
#10
Reed College
Portland , OR
#3 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #5 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #10 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #18 Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
44%
Graduation
73%
Student body
1K
What is Reed College known for?

Reed College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Anthropology
Psychology
Economics
Literature
Philosophy
Sociology
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
History

Most Influential Alumni

Gary Snyder
Eleanor Rosch
Harry Harlow
Dell Hymes
Rose Friedman
Howard Rheingold
John Taylor Gatto
Barbara Ehrenreich
Richard Wolin
Robert Frager
Allen W. Wood
Robert Morris
#11
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore , MD
#10 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #11 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #14 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #17 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
95%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/35
What is Johns Hopkins University known for?

Johns Hopkins University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Medical
Nursing
Biology
Psychology
Physics
History
Education
Philosophy
Political Science
Sociology

Most Influential Alumni

John Dewey
G. Stanley Hall
Thorstein Veblen
John Archibald Wheeler
John Mauchly
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Rachel Carson
Robert Fogel
Gertrude Stein
John R. Commons
Abraham Flexner
John Barth
#12
Georgetown University
Washington , DC
#2 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2022 #11 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #12 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #16 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
95%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
What is Georgetown University known for?

Georgetown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Law
Political Science
Nursing
Criminal Justice
Education
Business
Religious Studies
Communications
History
Economics

Most Influential Alumni

J. Edgar Hoover
John Podesta
Allen Tate
Jan Karski
Steven Novella
Susan Hockfield
Kirstjen Nielsen
Solomon H. Snyder
John Guare
Bruce Bartlett
John R. Allen
Shlomo Argov
#13
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia , PA
#9 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #11 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #12 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #12 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
What is University of Pennsylvania known for?

University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Business
Medical
Social Work
Nursing
Psychology
Communications
Anthropology
Sociology
Education
History

Most Influential Alumni

Noam Chomsky
Hilary Putnam
Ezra Pound
Martin Seligman
Eric S. Raymond
I. M. Pei
Paul R. Ehrlich
Lightner Witmer
Joseph Jastrow
Stanley Fish
Richard A. Clarke
Geraldo Rivera
#14
Duke University
Durham , NC
#1 Best Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Doctoral Degrees #1 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2022 #11 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #13 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
What is Duke University known for?

Duke University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Religious Studies
Nursing
Medical
Political Science
Education
Philosophy
Law
Business
Psychology
Sociology

Most Influential Alumni

Jerome Bruner
Ken Wilber
Fred Brooks
Charlie Rose
John W. Campbell
Dan Ariely
David G. Bromley
Russell Kirk
Charles H. Townes
Paul Farmer
G. William Domhoff
Robert Lefkowitz
#15
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore , PA
#1 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #3 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #15 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in Pennsylvania 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
94%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1467/32
What is Swarthmore College known for?

Swarthmore College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Economics
Philosophy
Psychology
Political Science
Sociology
Physics
Computer Science
Mathematics
Literature
Anthropology

Most Influential Alumni

David Baltimore
Carol Gilligan
Ted Nelson
Robert D. Putnam
John Hopfield
Clark Kerr
Andries van Dam
Alice Paul
Edward C. Prescott
Michael Hardt
David Gale
Ben Brantley
#16
Northwestern University
Evanston , IL
#14 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #15 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #15 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #16 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
95%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1490/34
What is Northwestern University known for?

Northwestern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Business
Communications
Law
Economics
Sociology
Anthropology
Education
Literature
Political Science
Philosophy

Most Influential Alumni

Stephen Colbert
George Stigler
Saul Bellow
Aaron Director
Robert Hanssen
George R. R. Martin
J. Gordon Melton
Charles W. Morris
Walter Dill Scott
Alston Scott Householder
Rudolph Rummel
Joseph Greenberg
#17
Cornell University
Ithaca , NY
#10 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #10 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #12 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #15 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1470/33
What is Cornell University known for?

Cornell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Biology
Physics
Literature
Chemistry
Computer Science
Engineering
Anthropology
Earth Sciences
Psychology
History

Most Influential Alumni

Norbert Wiener
Harold Bloom
Freeman Dyson
Thomas Nagel
Abraham Maslow
Thomas Pynchon
Sheldon Glashow
Leonard Susskind
Francis Fukuyama
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Steven Weinberg
Frank Knight
#18
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley , CA
#1 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2022 #1 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2022 #1 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #1 Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
43K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
What is University of California, Berkeley known for?

University of California, Berkeley’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Biology
Physics
Engineering
Communications
Anthropology
Sociology
Philosophy

Most Influential Alumni

Daniel Kahneman
John Kenneth Galbraith
Timothy Leary
Shing-Tung Yau
Niklaus Wirth
Ken Thompson
Douglas Engelbart
George Dantzig
Betty Friedan
Octavio Paz
Peter Norvig
David Bohm
#19
Brown University
Providence , RI
#17 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #18 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #18 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #24 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/34
What is Brown University known for?

Brown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
Mathematics
History
Computer Science
Education
Political Science
Communications
Business
Economics
Sociology

Most Influential Alumni

Peter Norvig
John Tukey
Aaron Beck
Andy Hertzfeld
Richard Holbrooke
Jacob M. Appel
S. T. Joshi
Randy Pausch
Jeffrey Eugenides
John D. Rockefeller Jr.
David Kelley
Kenneth R. Miller
#20
Rice University
Houston , TX
#18 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #19 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #24 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #1 Best Private Colleges in Texas 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
92%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/35
What is Rice University known for?

Rice University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Engineering
Computer Science
Economics
Philosophy
Religious Studies
Business
History

Most Influential Alumni

Herman Daly
Robert Woodrow Wilson
Joyce Carol Oates
Dennis Sullivan
Robert Curl
George Mackey
Mary Sue Hubbard
Matthew Sands
John Morgan
Thomas W. Malone
David Eagleman
Peggy Whitson
#21
Amherst College
Amherst , MA
#4 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #6 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #20 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
92%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1495/33
What is Amherst College known for?

Amherst College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Sociology
Economics
Literature
Law
Political Science
Religious Studies
History
Philosophy
Computer Science
Chemistry

Most Influential Alumni

Joseph Stiglitz
Talcott Parsons
Stephen Cole Kleene
Carl Woese
Daniel Goleman
John J. McCloy
John Bates Clark
Edmund Phelps
Henry Ward Beecher
B. Alan Wallace
William H. Webster
David Suzuki
#22
Dartmouth College
Hanover , NH
#19 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #21 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #23 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #1 Best Grad Schools in New Hampshire 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
94%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/33
What is Dartmouth College known for?

Dartmouth College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Business
Literature
Computer Science
Political Science
History
Economics
Earth Sciences
Mathematics
Religious Studies
Medical

Most Influential Alumni

Joseph Campbell
Robert Frost
Dr. Seuss
Daniel Webster
Stuart Kauffman
Robert Reich
Jaegwon Kim
C. Everett Koop
Michael Gazzaniga
Robert Christgau
Edward Norton Lorenz
Jack Kornfield
#23
Yeshiva University
New York , NY
#2 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #20 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #22 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in New York 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
80%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
What is Yeshiva University known for?

Yeshiva University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Religious Studies
Social Work
Law
Philosophy
Mathematics
Physics
Education
Medical
History
Psychology

Most Influential Alumni

Hillel Furstenberg
John Taylor Gatto
Paul Gottfried
Chaim Potok
Herman Wouk
Efraim Zuroff
David Rosenhan
Leon Charney
Michael Schudrich
Norman Lamm
Howard Dean
Eddie Huang
#24
Williams College
Williamstown , MA
#5 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #7 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #23 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #2 Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
94%
Student body
2K
What is Williams College known for?

Williams College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
Political Science
Economics
History
Anthropology
Philosophy
Physics
Chemistry
Psychology
Religious Studies

Most Influential Alumni

G. Stanley Hall
Elia Kazan
Richard Helms
James C. Scott
Max Eastman
Walter Kaufmann
William Cullen Bryant
Robert F. Engle
James MacGregor Burns
Bernard Bailyn
Telford Taylor
Edward W. Morley
#25
Brandeis University
Waltham , MA
#21 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #24 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #5 Best Research Universities in Massachusetts 2022 #5 Best Grad Schools in Massachusetts 2022
Other Rankings
- #5 Best Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
- #5 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
88%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
What is Brandeis University known for?

Brandeis University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Sociology
Philosophy
Mathematics
Psychology
Political Science
History
Physics
Economics
Anthropology
Computer Science

Most Influential Alumni

Edward Witten
Angela Davis
Leslie Lamport
Michael Walzer
Thomas Friedman
Patricia Hill Collins
Abbie Hoffman
Michael Sandel
Elaine Showalter
Roderick MacKinnon
Christina Hoff Sommers
Jon Landau
#26
Haverford College
Haverford , PA
#15 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #16 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #25 50 Best Private Colleges and Universities for Undergrads 2022 #2 Best Small Colleges in Pennsylvania 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
90%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/33
What is Haverford College known for?

Haverford College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Religious Studies
Mathematics
Philosophy
Literature
Sociology
Anthropology
Physics
Chemistry
Economics
History

Most Influential Alumni

Fredric Jameson
Warren Sturgis McCulloch
Dave Barry
Juan Williams
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jonathan Z. Smith
James Clifford
George Marsden
Theodore William Richards
Curtis Callan
Henry H. Goddard
Maxfield Parrish
#27
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor , MI
#2 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2022 #2 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2022 #2 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #2 Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
94%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
What is University of Michigan known for?

University of Michigan’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Psychology
Engineering
Medical
Education
Anthropology
Sociology
Computer Science
Philosophy
Law
Political Science

Most Influential Alumni

Claude Shannon
Alvin Plantinga
Arthur Miller
George Dantzig
Edgar F. Codd
Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Jonas Salk
Stephen Smale
John Henry Holland
Amos Tversky
Marshall Sahlins
Clarence Darrow
#28
New York University
New York , NY
#8 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #9 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #10 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #13 Best Universities in the World 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
87%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
What is New York University known for?

New York University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Law
Social Work
Literature
Nursing
Philosophy
Economics
Medical
Psychology
Political Science
Communications

Most Influential Alumni

Erich Fromm
Robert Mueller
Martha Nussbaum
John Archibald Wheeler
Howard Zinn
Jonas Salk
Nathaniel Branden
Alvin Toffler
Paul Ekman
Lewis Mumford
Martin Hellman
Louis Nirenberg
#29
Tufts University
Medford , MA
#24 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023 #4 Best Research Universities in Massachusetts 2022 #4 Best Grad Schools in Massachusetts 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
94%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/33
What is Tufts University known for?

Tufts University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Medical
Economics
Political Science
Business
Engineering
Philosophy
Education
Computer Science
Psychology
Physics

Most Influential Alumni

Norbert Wiener
Vannevar Bush
Eugene Fama
Lew Rockwell
Jamie Dimon
Ram Dass
Gordon S. Wood
Roderick MacKinnon
Paul Offit
David Autor
Richard N. Goodwin
Peter Navarro
#30
Wesleyan University
Middletown , CT
#2 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #4 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in Connecticut 2022 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Connecticut 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
What is Wesleyan University known for?

Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Philosophy
Literature
Psychology
Sociology
History
Political Science
Mathematics
Religious Studies
Economics
Physics

Most Influential Alumni

Daniel Dennett
Joss Whedon
Edward Thorndike
Ram Dass
John Perry Barlow
Adolf Grünbaum
David McClelland
Elliot Aronson
Robert Stalnaker
H. Eugene Stanley
David Abram
Shelly Kagan
#31
University of Rochester
Rochester , NY
#21 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #25 50 Best Research Universities for Ranked for Undergrads in 2022 #4 Best Grad Schools in New York 2022 #4 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
86%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
What is University of Rochester known for?

University of Rochester’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Physics
Economics
Biology
Medical
Computer Science
Nursing
Psychology
Chemistry
Literature
Mathematics

Most Influential Alumni

Richard Thaler
Bob Ludwig
J. C. R. Licklider
Janet Maslin
Bruce Schneier
Steven Chu
John C. Slater
Masatoshi Koshiba
Arthur Kornberg
David Sloan Wilson
Robert Zubrin
Rush Rhees
University of Rochester’s Online Degrees
BSN in RN to BSN

Required Credits: 128
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
#32
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont , CA
#16 Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship #3 Best Small Colleges in California 2022 #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in California 2022 #9 Best Private Colleges in California 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
10%
Graduation
94%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1530/34
What is Harvey Mudd College known for?

Harvey Mudd College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
Engineering
Chemistry
Sociology
Biology
Economics
Political Science
Religious Studies

Most Influential Alumni

Robert Freitas
Donald D. Chamberlin
John Haugeland
Arif Zaman
Stanley G. Love
Patri Friedman
George Nelson
F. Michael Christ
Scott E. Fraser
Scott Pace
Jonathan Gay
Nabeel Gareeb
#33
Washington University in St. Louis
Saint Louis , MO
#22 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #1 Best Private Colleges in Missouri 2022 #1 Best Research Universities in Missouri 2022 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
93%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
What is Washington University in St. Louis known for?

Washington University in St. Louis’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Biology
Medical
Chemistry
Law
Engineering
Social Work
Business
Anthropology
Physics
Education

Most Influential Alumni

Tennessee Williams
J. C. R. Licklider
Phyllis Schlafly
Daniel Nathans
Charles Eames
Marilyn vos Savant
Edwin G. Krebs
Michael Isikoff
İhsan Doğramacı
Clyde Cowan
William E. Moerner
Rochelle Walensky
Washington University in St. Louis’s Online Degrees
BS in Integrated Studies

Degree Concentrations
Humanities
Social Science

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
#34
Vanderbilt University
Nashville , TN
#1 Best Grad Schools in Tennessee 2022 #1 Best Colleges in Tennessee 2022 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023 #1 Best Private Colleges in Tennessee 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
93%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
What is Vanderbilt University known for?

Vanderbilt University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Nursing
Medical
Biology
Law
Business
Education
Economics
History
Religious Studies
Political Science

Most Influential Alumni

Herman Daly
Allen Tate
Cleanth Brooks
James Patterson
Robert Penn Warren
John Crowe Ransom
David Brinkley
John Seigenthaler
Michael Burry
Steven E. Jones
David Boaz
Norman Shumway
#35
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr , PA
#17 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #20 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #3 Best Small Colleges in Pennsylvania 2022 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Pennsylvania 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
87%
Student body
1K
What is Bryn Mawr College known for?

Bryn Mawr College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
Anthropology
Mathematics
Philosophy
Earth Sciences
Sociology
Biology
History
Social Work
Political Science

Most Influential Alumni

John D. Caputo
Marianne Moore
A. S. Byatt
Drew Gilpin Faust
Elaine Showalter
Martha Gellhorn
H.D.
Nettie Stevens
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Emily Greene Balch
Olga Taussky-Todd
Kathy Boudin
#36
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland , OH
#1 Best Private Colleges in Ohio 2022 #2 Best Research Universities in Ohio 2022 #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023 #2 Best Grad Schools in Ohio 2022
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Colleges in Ohio 2022
- #19 Best Research Universities for Nursing Degrees
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
30%
Graduation
84%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
What is Case Western Reserve University known for?

Case Western Reserve University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Medical
Computer Science
Nursing
Chemistry
Psychology
Biology
Social Work
Engineering
Physics
Mathematics

Most Influential Alumni

Donald Knuth
Richard Thaler
Paul Berg
Edward C. Prescott
David Gorski
Donald A. Glaser
Paul Lauterbur
Ferid Murad
William Glasser
David Satcher
Alistair Cockburn
Polykarp Kusch
#37
Wellesley College
Wellesley , MA
#8 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #9 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #3 Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
16%
Graduation
92%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
What is Wellesley College known for?

Wellesley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Philosophy
Sociology
Literature
Political Science
Physics
Education
Economics
History
Psychology
Biology

Most Influential Alumni

Hillary Clinton
Diane Sawyer
Janet Asimov
Annie Jump Cannon
Joanna Macy
Mary Lefkowitz
Ayesha Jalal
Cokie Roberts
Bing Xin
Susan Estrich
Nergis Mavalvala
Emily Greene Balch
#38
Pomona College
Claremont , CA
#16 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #18 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #2 Best Small Colleges in California 2022 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in California 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
93%
Student body
2K
What is Pomona College known for?

Pomona College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Literature
Religious Studies
Psychology
Communications
Sociology
Philosophy
Anthropology

Most Influential Alumni

Jennifer Doudna
Roy E. Disney
Roger Revelle
Louis Menand
Norris Bradbury
James Turrell
Rick Strassman
Paul Fussell
Twyla Tharp
William Irwin Thompson
David Keirsey
George C. Wolfe
#39
Barnard College
New York , NY
#10 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #11 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #2 Best Small Colleges in New York 2022 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in New York 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
93%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1434/32
What is Barnard College known for?

Barnard College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Anthropology
Literature
Education
Sociology
Economics
Political Science
Philosophy
History
Psychology
Religious Studies

Most Influential Alumni

Margaret Mead
Anna Schwartz
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Zora Neale Hurston
Rebecca Goldstein
Carol Dweck
Judith Jarvis Thomson
Ellen Willis
Jean Houston
Twyla Tharp
Edwidge Danticat
Grace Lee Boggs
#40
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame , IN
#3 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2022 #20 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #1 Best Private Colleges in Indiana 2022 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1475/33
What is University of Notre Dame known for?

University of Notre Dame’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Religious Studies
Philosophy
Law
History
Mathematics
Business
Education
Political Science
Engineering
Chemistry

Most Influential Alumni

Jacques Maritain
Orson Scott Card
Saskia Sassen
John Burgee
Richard V. Allen
Condoleezza Rice
Virgil Exner
Eric F. Wieschaus
Joe Montana
Charles W. Misner
Amien Rais
W. Eugene Smith
#41
University of Southern California
Los Angeles , CA
#13 50 Best Private Grad Schools 2022 #16 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #18 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2022 #2 Best Private Colleges in California 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
92%
Student body
38K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
What is University of Southern California known for?

University of Southern California’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Social Work
Criminal Justice
Engineering
Business
Education
Communications
Medical
Computer Science
Political Science
Law

Most Influential Alumni

Frank Gehry
Neil Armstrong
Jim Lovell
Jack L. Warner
Daryl Gates
John Mearsheimer
Boris Podolsky
Maulana Karenga
Max More
Michael D. Griffin
Christine Blasey Ford
Thom Mayne
#42
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago , IL
#8 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in Illinois 2022 #3 Best Private Colleges in Illinois 2022 #5 Best Grad Schools Illinois 2022
Other Rankings
- #5 Best Colleges in Illinois 2022
- #5 Best Research Universities in Illinois 2022
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
71%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1295/29
What is Illinois Institute of Technology known for?

Illinois Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Engineering
Computer Science
Economics
Physics
Mathematics
Chemistry
Business
Law
Sociology
Social Work

Most Influential Alumni

Munir Ahmad Khan
Jack Dongarra
Jack Steinberger
Helmut Jahn
Sidney Coleman
Watts Humphrey
Virgil Abloh
Roger B. Chaffee
Kevin Roche
Grote Reber
Arthur Krock
Samuel Karlin
#43
Hampshire College
Amherst , MA
#2 Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship #8 Best Small Colleges in Massachusetts 2022 #8 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2022
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
62%
Student body
<1K
What is Hampshire College known for?

Hampshire College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Physics
Literature
Anthropology
Sociology
Mathematics
Computer Science
Psychology
Communications
History
Education

Most Influential Alumni

Lee Smolin
Jon Krakauer
Gary Marcus
Alan Edelman
George Bonanno
Ken Burns
Benjamin Mako Hill
David Shulkin
Tom Hull
Naomi Wallace
Heather Boushey
Ellis Henican
#44
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles , CA
#3 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2022 #3 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2022 #3 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #3 Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
92%
Student body
46K
What is University of California, Los Angeles known for?

University of California, Los Angeles’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Nursing
Philosophy
Anthropology
Chemistry
Sociology
Mathematics
Literature
History
Earth Sciences
Social Work

Most Influential Alumni

Hilary Putnam
Vint Cerf
Elinor Ostrom
Judea Pearl
Glenn T. Seaborg
Nathaniel Branden
Barry Boehm
Stanley Cavell
William F. Sharpe
John Ehrlichman
Edward O. Thorp
Stephen Krashen
#45
University of Virginia
Charlottesville , VA
#4 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #5 Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2023 #9 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2022 #10 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
What is University of Virginia known for?

University of Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Law
Literature
History
Political Science
Education
Philosophy
Psychology
Economics
Business
Communications

Most Influential Alumni

Ronald Coase
Edgar Allan Poe
John Backus
Tom Regan
William Faulkner
Francis Collins
Georgia O'Keeffe
Katie Couric
Anselm Strauss
Ferid Murad
Allen Tate
William M. Bass
#46
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont , CA
#4 Best Small Colleges in California 2022 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in California 2022 #10 Best Private Colleges in California 2022 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Earning Business Degrees in 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
93%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
What is Claremont McKenna College known for?

Claremont McKenna College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Economics
Philosophy
Political Science
Business
Religious Studies
Sociology
Law
Psychology
Mathematics
Computer Science

Most Influential Alumni

Tibor Machan
Robin Williams
Craig A. Evans
Orley Ashenfelter
Michael Arrington
Adam Kokesh
Gregg Jarrett
John B. Quinn
Heidi Cruz
David Daleiden
Ronald J. Pestritto
Michael D. Shear
#47
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie , NY
#14 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #15 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #3 Best Small Colleges in New York 2022 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in New York 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
93%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/33
What is Vassar College known for?

Vassar College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
Anthropology
Computer Science
Communications
Physics
Education
Psychology
History
Philosophy
Sociology

Most Influential Alumni

Grace Hopper
Ruth Benedict
Neil Strauss
Henry Seely White
Elizabeth Bishop
Philip Kitcher
Edith Clarke
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ellen Swallow Richards
Maria Mitchell
Mary McCarthy
Greg Rucka
#48
Oberlin College
Oberlin , OH
#9 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #10 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #1 Best Small Colleges in Ohio 2022 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Ohio 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
82%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1315/30
What is Oberlin College known for?

Oberlin College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Philosophy
Literature
Religious Studies
Sociology
Political Science
Education
Psychology
History
Physics
Economics

Most Influential Alumni

Willard Van Orman Quine
George Herbert Mead
Rollo May
Sinclair Lewis
Kenneth Waltz
Robert Andrews Millikan
Lucy Stone
John Wesley Powell
Douglas T. Ross
Elisha Gray
J. Hillis Miller
Roger Wolcott Sperry
#49
Emory University
Atlanta , GA
#4 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2022 #1 Best Christian Colleges in Georgia 2022 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023 #1 Best Private Colleges in Georgia 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
90%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
What is Emory University known for?

Emory University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Religious Studies
Medical
Nursing
Literature
Anthropology
History
Political Science
Education
Psychology
Philosophy

Most Influential Alumni

Newt Gingrich
David Brinkley
C. Vann Woodward
Jeffrey Burton Russell
Carl Hiaasen
Touré
Timothy Tyson
Kiyoshi Tanimoto
Lewis White Beck
John M. Dowd
Bernice King
Kenneth Cole
#50
Bowdoin College
Brunswick , ME
#21 50 Best Small Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2022 #24 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students #1 Best Colleges in Maine 2022 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maine 2022
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
94%
Student body
2K
What is Bowdoin College known for?

Bowdoin College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
History
Education
Religious Studies
Psychology
Physics
Political Science
Sociology
Earth Sciences
Mathematics

Most Influential Alumni

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Stephen A. Douglas
Robert Peary
Edwin Hall
Thomas R. Pickering
Oliver Otis Howard
Melville Fuller
Charles Otis Whitman
Geoffrey Canada
DeRay Mckesson
John P. Hale

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The Best Undergraduate Colleges and Universities by disciplines

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

You know by now that the best colleges and universities in the US offer a stellar education and the chance to edge out competition in the job market upon graduation.

But if attending a liberal arts school that is close to home is also important to you, check out our Complete List of Colleges and Universities by State.

50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2022

Top 10 US Colleges and Universities for Undergrads

Key Takeaways

Attention Undergrads!

How to Choose the College for You

50 Best US Colleges & Universities 2022

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