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AdmissionsOS

The Best Colleges in America

The top colleges in the country, ranked on selectivity and student outcomes.

How this list is ranked

Ranked by a blend of selectivity (acceptance rate), graduation rate, and first-year retention. Every figure comes from federal data. Earnings after graduation are not in this mix yet.

50% Selectivity
35% Graduation rate
15% First-year retention
Schools on this list 150
Source Federal data, same records as every school page

Admit rate, net price, and SAT in the table are for context. Rank order is the blend above, not those columns.

Rank School Admit Net price SAT
1 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 3.6% $19,066 1510-1580 See record
2 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.6% $6,128 1510-1580 See record
3 Yale University New Haven, CT 3.9% $23,777 1470-1570 See record
4 Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, PA 4.6% - - See record
5 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 2.6% $16,075 - See record
6 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 4.0% $21,590 1510-1580 See record
7 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.5% $20,111 1520-1580 See record
8 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 4.5% $14,860 1510-1580 See record
9 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 5.4% $28,699 1510-1570 See record
10 Duke University Durham, NC 5.7% $29,612 1500-1570 See record
11 Brown University Providence, RI 5.4% $25,184 1510-1580 See record
12 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 5.4% $29,519 1500-1570 See record
13 Stanford University Stanford, CA 3.6% $13,807 1510-1580 See record
14 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 6.4% $18,809 1520-1570 See record
15 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 7.1% $14,398 1470-1550 See record
16 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 5.9% $15,846 1500-1570 See record
17 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 7.7% $29,167 1510-1570 See record
18 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 8.8% $28,690 1500-1570 See record
19 Rice University Houston, TX 8.0% $13,370 1510-1570 See record
20 Pomona College Claremont, CA 7.1% $19,285 1490-1560 See record
21 Northeastern University Boston, MA 5.2% $30,915 1440-1540 See record
22 Riverside College of Health Careers Newport News, VA 12.9% $20,744 - See record
23 Williams College Williamstown, MA 8.3% $17,716 1490-1570 See record
24 Amherst College Amherst, MA 9.0% $23,367 1490-1580 See record
25 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA 7.5% $23,149 1490-1560 See record
26 Barnard College New York, NY 8.8% $28,800 1470-1560 See record
27 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 11.3% $26,780 1455-1560 See record
28 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 9.0% $12,548 - See record
29 The Juilliard School New York, NY 9.2% $43,571 - See record
30 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 9.3% - 1210-1410 See record
31 Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA 9.6% $28,849 1470-1560 See record
32 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 11.7% $31,944 1500-1570 See record
33 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 9.8% $32,740 1450-1550 See record
34 Colby College Waterville, ME 7.1% $17,180 1460-1550 See record
35 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 11.0% $13,481 - See record
36 Tufts University Medford, MA 11.5% $39,998 1470-1560 See record
37 Georgetown University Washington, DC 12.9% $40,815 1390-1550 See record
38 Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO 12.1% $21,786 1500-1570 See record
39 Emory University Atlanta, GA 10.7% $22,585 1470-1550 See record
40 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT 10.8% $31,483 1445-1550 See record
41 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA 14.1% $12,116 1370-1540 See record
42 New York University New York, NY 9.2% $37,050 1480-1560 See record
43 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 14.0% $23,781 1430-1540 See record
44 Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 12.7% $35,924 1500-1570 See record
45 University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 16.8% $21,565 1410-1540 See record
46 Boston University Boston, MA 11.1% $24,402 1420-1530 See record
47 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA 14.1% $25,496 1460-1560 See record
48 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 15.6% $13,138 1360-1530 See record
49 Davidson College Davidson, NC 13.4% $17,379 1400-1530 See record
50 Haverford College Haverford, PA 12.4% $25,314 1460-1550 See record
51 Hamilton College Clinton, NY 13.6% $28,985 1450-1550 See record
52 Colgate University Hamilton, NY 13.9% $28,786 1430-1540 See record
53 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 15.3% $11,655 1390-1530 See record
54 United States Military Academy West Point, NY 12.4% - 1200-1430 See record
55 Bates College Lewiston, ME 13.3% $29,351 1420-1530 See record
56 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 16.5% $30,177 1415-1540 See record
57 Babson College Wellesley, MA 17.1% $40,514 1390-1530 See record
58 United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO 14.1% - 1230-1440 See record
59 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 16.4% $41,704 1440-1540 See record
60 Webb Institute Glen Cove, NY 14.0% $73,043 1430-1530 See record
61 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 14.5% $17,648 1410-1540 See record
62 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA 14.0% $39,949 1400-1520 See record
63 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY 18.6% $39,343 1450-1550 See record
64 United States Coast Guard Academy New London, CT 22% - 1240-1400 See record
65 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI 18.7% $50,507 1396-1530 See record
66 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 17.6% $38,782 1240-1410 See record
67 Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA 25% $25,171 1493-1558 See record
68 Carleton College Northfield, MN 20% $25,407 1450-1560 See record
69 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI 21% - 1320-1490 See record
70 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO 18.5% $33,375 1230-1460 See record
71 Smith College Northampton, MA 21% $27,579 1420-1540 See record
72 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 24% $6,541 1320-1480 See record
73 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 22% $28,719 1410-1520 See record
74 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 18.9% $37,244 1320-1480 See record
75 Villanova University Villanova, PA 27% $43,756 1395-1510 See record
76 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA 22% $31,309 1410-1530 See record
77 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 27% $19,857 1250-1510 See record
78 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 24% $11,297 1270-1410 See record
79 Denison University Granville, OH 17.4% $40,007 1320-1490 See record
80 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA 26% $36,931 1370-1500 See record
81 The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY 21% $13,269 1295-1501 See record
82 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY 21% $32,297 1340-1480 See record
83 Washington University of Science and Technology Alexandria, VA 7.3% - - See record
84 University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 27% $12,470 - See record
85 Pitzer College Claremont, CA 25% $34,191 - See record
86 Trinity University San Antonio, TX 26% $23,464 1340-1500 See record
87 University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 29% $14,251 - See record
88 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN 29% $32,149 1350-1510 See record
89 College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO 12.0% $6,100 1050-1220 See record
90 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA 29% $40,766 1310-1470 See record
91 Stanbridge University Irvine, CA 10.0% $45,372 - See record
92 Spelman College Atlanta, GA 25% $38,967 1108-1320 See record
93 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA 31% $16,665 - See record
94 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA 28% $36,425 1310-1463 See record
95 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA 34% $19,096 1400-1530 See record
96 Lafayette College Easton, PA 31% $34,433 1350-1500 See record
97 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Concord, NC 23% $17,618 1150 See record
98 Trinity College Hartford, CT 29% $34,832 1298-1470 See record
99 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC 23% $20,723 1085-1285 See record
100 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 29% $31,759 1280-1510 See record
101 Gnomon North Hollywood, CA 42% $51,949 - See record
102 Kenyon College Gambier, OH 31% $38,512 1358-1503 See record
103 University of Georgia Athens, GA 38% $13,936 1270-1480 See record
104 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT 33% $48,095 1260-1390 See record
105 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 33% $16,109 - See record
106 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC 30% $14,906 1140-1370 See record
107 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH 37% $41,190 1430-1540 See record
108 Reed College Portland, OR 25% $33,013 1290-1520 See record
109 American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY 24% $41,416 - See record
110 Clemson University Clemson, SC 38% $22,253 1240-1410 See record
111 Laboure College of Healthcare Milton, MA 50% $36,863 - See record
112 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH 34% $38,645 1360-1520 See record
113 Messenger College Bedford, TX 38% $26,433 - See record
114 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA 36% $26,441 1380-1530 See record
115 Yeshivath Zichron Moshe South Fallsburg, NY 30% $8,894 - See record
116 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 39% $14,091 - See record
117 United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY 34% $6,174 1110-1300 See record
118 Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, CA 43% $18,260 1333-1510 See record
119 Scripps College Claremont, CA 38% $36,294 1440-1540 See record
120 Connecticut College New London, CT 37% $36,175 1350-1500 See record
121 University of Rochester Rochester, NY 40% $29,278 1410-1540 See record
122 American College of Healthcare Sciences Portland, OR 53% $23,782 - See record
123 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 45% $17,354 1380-1520 See record
124 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA 39% $31,490 1270-1460 See record
125 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 45% $15,678 1400-1530 See record
126 University of California-Davis Davis, CA 42% $14,741 - See record
127 North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC 42% $17,303 1300-1470 See record
128 Brandeis University Waltham, MA 41% $35,736 1390-1520 See record
129 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 42% $14,355 1310-1520 See record
130 Binghamton University Vestal, NY 39% $21,620 1340-1500 See record
131 Berea College Berea, KY 19.3% $6,106 1156-1335 See record
132 San Diego State University San Diego, CA 36% $15,364 - See record
133 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA 38% $33,313 1310-1480 See record
134 California Miramar University San Diego, CA 18.5% $12,480 - See record
135 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL 21% $13,739 1030-1180 See record
136 Bentley University Waltham, MA 45% $37,930 1280-1430 See record
137 Jewish Theological Seminary of America New York, NY 49% $43,195 1440-1580 See record
138 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 44% $36,660 1140-1350 See record
139 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 40% $10,411 1200-1350 See record
140 Manhattan School of Music New York, NY 41% $51,754 - See record
141 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA 48% $50,062 1350-1490 See record
142 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 42% $37,607 1310-1460 See record
143 Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 48% $41,346 1380-1505 See record
144 Yeshiva Gedola Tiferes Yerachmiel Lakewood, NJ 51% $10,016 - See record
145 Clark University Worcester, MA 40% $28,714 1288-1460 See record
146 Carolinas College of Health Sciences Charlotte, NC 60% - 950-1380 See record
147 Auburn University Auburn, AL 46% $24,323 1260-1390 See record
148 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 46% $38,793 1270-1440 See record
149 Union College Schenectady, NY 44% $34,561 1310-1480 See record
150 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA 44% $38,263 1380-1520 See record