Interested in attending a STEM school? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.
A research university is a great option for students interested in obtaining STEM degrees. Such students benefit from engaging in experimental inquiry, exploring cutting-edge technologies, and pursuing innovation in a rich and dynamic campus atmosphere. The top research universities give students a chance to work closely with influential professors and choose from a wide range of well-funded degree programs and research opportunities.
A research university is any university that invests heavily in research, and which consequently provides meaningful and extensive opportunities for its students and faculty to participate in research. The best research universities are classified into different tiers based on their quantifiable commitment to research activities. This tiered ranking is called the Carnegie Classification. This is where terms like R1 university
and tier one university
come from.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
If you would like to see this ranking without school size considered, visit our best universities in the US ranking.
The following list of research universities is composed of both private and public schools. We’ve identified 394 research universities in the US. Of those, there are 185 private research universities in the US. In order to be included in this list of best research universities, a school must be a fully accredited university, offer doctoral degrees across the range of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), and it must report high levels of research activity based upon the number of research and/or practice doctorates awarded each year.
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
93%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1555/35
California Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
97%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Harvard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1545/35
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1495/33
Stanford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
98%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/33
Princeton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1535/34
University of Chicago’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Yale University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$64K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
97%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
Columbia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
Carnegie Mellon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
95%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/35
Johns Hopkins University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
95%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
Georgetown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Duke University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
95%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1490/34
Northwestern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1470/33
Cornell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
43K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
University of California, Berkeley’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/34
Brown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
92%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/35
Rice University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
94%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/33
Dartmouth College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
80%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Yeshiva University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
88%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Brandeis University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
94%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
University of Michigan’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
87%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
New York University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
94%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/33
Tufts University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
86%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
University of Rochester’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
93%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Washington University in St. Louis’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
93%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Vanderbilt University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
30%
Graduation
84%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
Case Western Reserve University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
15%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1475/33
University of Notre Dame’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
92%
Student body
38K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
University of Southern California’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Student body
5K
Graduate Center, CUNY’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
71%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1295/29
Illinois Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
92%
Student body
46K
University of California, Los Angeles’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
University of Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
90%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
Emory University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
74%
Student body
4K
The Catholic University of America’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
84%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1326/30
University of Washington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
84%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1360/31
George Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
79%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/29
Clark University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
79%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1305/29
American University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
84%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1331/30
University of Pittsburgh’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
89%
Student body
32K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/32
Boston University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
28%
Graduation
84%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/30
University of Miami’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
64%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/24
Howard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
90%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1385/30
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
91%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Boston College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Student body
1K
California Institute of Integral Studies’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
10%
Graduation
86%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/31
Tulane University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
70%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/28
The New School’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
57%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/27
City College of New York’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
A research university is a great choice for students who are interested in a STEM degree.
And as important as a great research university is, if attending a school near home is also important to you, check out our Complete List of Colleges and Universities by State.
Check out the College Admissions Process Guide for additional tips on finding, applying to, and getting into the college of your choice.
See our Resources Guide for much more on studying, starting your job search, and more.
Photo Credit: California Institute of Technology, Beckman Institute. By Canon.vs.nikon, via CC BY-SA 3.0.