Ranked: America’s Best Universities

Visual Capitalist ^ | 11/30/2023 | Pallavi Rao, Niccolo Conte, Sabrina Lam

[SeekAndFind]

The latest ranking of America’s best universities is here, perfectly timed for the approaching admissions season.

“Best” is of course subjective, and U.S. News and World Report has compiled 19 metrics on which they evaluated more than 400 national universities. Some of them include:

• Graduation rates & performance: A four-year rolling average of the proportion of each entering class earning a bachelor’s degree in six years or less. Performance is measured against predictions made by the publishers, and when beaten, the university gains a higher scoring.

• Peer assessment: A two-year weighted average of ratings from top academics—presidents, provosts and deans of admissions—on academic quality of peer institutions with which they are familiar.

• Financial resources: The average per student spend on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures in the 2021 fiscal year.

• Debt: A school’s average accumulated federal loan debt among borrowers only.

• Pell graduation rates & performance: the same calculation as stated above, but focused only on Pell Grant students, adjusted to give more credit to schools with larger Pell student proportions.

The website’s methodology section details how they sourced their data, the weights assigned to each metric, and their changes over the years.

And, as Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao and Niccolo Conte detail below, from the hundreds assessed come the nearly 50 best universities that offer a variety of undergraduate majors, post-graduate programs, emphasize research, or award professional practice doctorates.

Which are the Best Universities in America?

At the top of the list, Princeton University is the best university in the country, known for its physics, economics, and international relations departments. Notably, it’s a rare Ivy league university that does not have a law, medical, or business school.

Here’s the full ranking of America’s best universities, along with annual tuition requirements.

Rank	School Name	State	Tuition
1	Princeton University	New Jersey	$59,710
2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts	$60,156
3	Harvard University	Massachusetts	$59,076
3	Stanford University	California	$62,484
5	Yale University	Connecticut	$64,700
6	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	$66,104
7	California Institute of Technology	California	$63,255
7	Duke University	North Carolina	$66,172
9	Brown University	Rhode Island	$68,230
9	Johns Hopkins University	Maryland	$63,340
9	Northwestern University	Illinois	$65,997
12	Columbia University	New York	$65,524
12	Cornell University	New York	$66,014
12	University of Chicago	Illinois	$65,619
15	University of California, Berkeley	California	$48,465 (out-state) $15,891 (in-state)
15	University of California, LA	California	$46,326 (out-state) $13,752 (in-state)
17	Rice University	Texas	$58,128
18	Dartmouth College	New Hampshire	$65,511
18	Vanderbilt University	Tennessee	$63,946
20	University of Notre Dame	Indiana	$62,693
21	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	Michigan	$57,273 (out-state) $17,786 (in-state)
22	Georgetown University	Washington, DC	$65,082
22	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina	$39,338 (out-state) $8,998 (in-state)
24	Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania	$63,829
24	Emory University	Georgia	$60,774
24	University of Virginia	Virginia	$58,950 (out-state) $22,323 (in-state)
24	Washington University, St. Louis	Missouri	$62,982
28	University of California, Davis	California	$46,043 (out-state) $15,266 (in-state)
28	University of California, San Diego	California	$48,630 (out-state) $16,056 (in-state)
28	University of Florida	Florida	$28,658 (out-state) $6,381 (in-state)
28	University of Southern California	California	$68,237
32	University of Texas, Austin	Texas	$41,070 (out-state) $11,698 (in-state)
33	Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia	$32,876 (out-state) $11,764 (in-state)
33	University of California, Irvine	California	$47,759 (out-state) $15,185 (in-state)
35	New York University	New York	$60,438
35	University of California, Santa Barbara	California	$45,658 (out-state) $14,881 (in-state)
35	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Illinois	$36,068 (out-state) $17,572 (in-state)
35	University of Wisconsin, Madison	Wisconsin	$40,603 (out-state) $11,205 (in-state)
39	Boston College	Massachusetts	$67,680
40	Rutgers University, New Brunswick	New Jersey	$36,001 (out-state) $17,239 (in-state)
40	Tufts University	Massachusetts	$67,844
40	University of Washington	Washington	$41,997 (out-state) $12,643 (in-state)
43	Boston University	Massachusetts	$65,168
43	The Ohio State University	Ohio	$36,722 (out-state) $12,485 (in-state)
43	Purdue University, Main Campus	Indiana	$28,794 (out-state) $9,992 (in-state)
46	University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland	$40,306 (out-state) $11,505 (in-state)
47	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	$62,180
47	Texas A&M University	Texas	$40,607 (out-state) $12,413 (in-state)
47	University of Georgia	Georgia	$30,220 (out-state) $11,180 (in-state)
47	University of Rochester	New York	$64,384
47	Virginia Tech	Virginia	$36,090 (out-state) $15,478 (in-state)
47	Wake Forest University	North Carolina	$64,758
53	Case Western Reserve University	Ohio	$62,234
53	Florida State University	Florida	$21,683 (out-state) $6,517 (in-state)
53	Northeastern University	Massachusetts	$63,141
53	University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	Minnesota	$36,402 (out-state) $16,488 (in-state)
53	William & Mary	Virginia	$48,841 (out-state) $25,041 (in-state)

MIT places second, and Harvard and Stanford tie for third. Yale rounds out the top five.

Private universities, including seven Ivy League colleges, dominate the top of the rankings. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked public schools are tied at 15th, both state schools in California.

For affordability, since the higher ranks are populated by private universities, there tends to be a broad correlation of better universities being more expensive. That said, the most expensive school in the top 50 ranks is actually the University of Southern California, tied at 28th, for $68,237/year.

As it happens, also tied at 28th, the University of Florida is the most affordable public school for in-state students ($6,381/year) and Florida State University tied at 53rd, is the most affordable for out-of-staters at $21,683/year.

However these costs are tuition-only, and don’t account for other necessary expenses: accommodation, food, and textbooks.

Best University versus Best “Fit”

Finding the best university for prospective students is more than just perusing a long ranking list.

Aside from the numerous schools present within each university—which can often be the best for specific majors—factors like location, proximity to family, campus culture, the non-academic pursuits (sports, extracurriculars, internships) are also taken into consideration.

In fact, research has found that just attaining a university degree improves future earnings potential and employability.

Furthermore, individual engagement at college (irrespective of the rank of the school in question) plays a far bigger role in learning and general well-being than simply attending a highly-ranked school.

However, for low income and minority students, attending a top-ranked school does improve future earnings considerably. For women, it also often results in delaying marriage and kids, which results in more work-hours and as a result, more pay.

[Altura Ct.]

Best at what?

Anti-American and anti-White indoctrination?

[VRW Conspirator]

Professor, question: Best for whom?

[zeestephen]

I love these lists.

And, their rank is...quantifiable!

Brown and Duke are usually just outside the Top 10, but both of them made it.

Brown - alma mater of Hermione Granger (aka - Emma Watson), the brightest witch of her age, according to Gary Oldman!

UC Berkeley is almost always in the Top 10, but they crashed to 15. I blame Gavin Newsom.

[Jumper]

Now they recommend you spend six years to get that four year degree, and they PRODUCE THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST?

I remember when my son enrolled at ECU in 2008. The School Promo flyer recommended you take 12 hours per semester for five years to get your four year degree, and to have the time of your life.

The school called in Guyana and told me a month after enrollment that he still needed his Student Loan Application signed by me, his parent. I told them I paid cash for his education by check; they told me it was a requirement to fill out a Student Loan Application. I told them I would not. The damn Dean then called me for the same. I asked him why and he said when they pushed student loans it was a money maker for the school and helped keep the costs of an overall education limited to five years.... Those student loans were for 17,000 USD and the fourth year was 19,000.

I paid cash for four years costing me 50,500 USD and made my son get a job. When he didn’t do his 15 hours, I sent him to summer sessions with no trips to Guyana, Hong Kong, Spain or Rio de Janeiro, as he was accustomed to living with a dad in the State Dept.

When he was finished with his four year degree, I gave him a second degree in one year, then his MA in two. It damn near killed me, but nobody is in debt.

Had he attended this new recommended six years for a 4 year degree I only shutter to think about the debt amassed for the average student.

My son got two BA’s and a MA for the price of six years student loans on daddy’s dime, and part time work.

[Vaduz]

Ranked: America’s Best Universities

That’s like rating the best out house.

[going hot]

Well, *I* would certainly want to know which ‘houses were on the lower end of that list. There are standards.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Proud graduate of FSU. Go Seminoles! 🏈

[1Old Pro]

Ranked: America's Best Universities That's like rating the best out house.

Or extravagant marble towered casino, where you spend all your money and walk away with nothing.

[blueunicorn6]

Northwestern University is number 9.

Good old Dildo U.

[dfwgator]

Just to twist that knife more, I am resigned to it being FSU and Georgia in the Championship Game, the ultimate Gator Nightmare.

[Georgia Girl 2]

😎

[Albion Wilde]

Members of my immediate family and myself attended four of those. Wouldn’t give you a nickel for them today. All über-woke now.

[Vaduz]

Good analogue indeed

[Fledermaus]

My list would be very short - Zero

[AppyPappy]

well, we are #47 anyway

[Jacquerie]

<>where it really matters.<>

You mean football, right?

[Fuzz]

My Alma mater is on the list.

[dfwgator]

It sure ain’t football these days.