The 25 Best Colleges in the Northeast – US College Rankings 2016

The Northeast is home to some of the most historic and well-respected institutions of higher learning in the country, as well as around the world.

From the well-known Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale to the possibly lesser-known (but still incredibly selective and rigorous) colleges like Brandeis University and Vassar College, this section of the country is jam-packed full of top-tier institutions.

Many of these schools, both large and small, are rooted in colonial and pre-Revolutionary history, with grand displays or architecture and ancient, looming buildings scattered throughout campus.

But, don’t let some of these old facades fool you. Many of the colleges on this list are also some of the wealthiest in the world, and inside the brick and mortar exteriors lie advanced technology and groundbreaking research facilities.

If you’re looking for a tradition-rich college experience that is also somewhere near the upper east coast, then one of these schools that made our Northeast US College Rankings 2016 list may be for you.

Here is the top 25 best Northeastern US College Rankings 2016 list:

25. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,614

One of just many top-caliber colleges near Boston, Brandeis stands alone in both having a castle on campus, and also for its nationally-recognized Heller School, which researches and drives public policy on mental health, substance abuse, and many other social issues and offers numerous graduate programs in these areas. For the 3,600 undergrads on campus, there are a total of 47 majors available from 24 unique academic departments as well as 22 interdepartmental programs.

Learn more about Brandeis University

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24. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 9,698

BC, although not technically within Boston city limits, is located just 6 miles west of the city. Boston College enrolls more than 9,500 undergrads and the school’s undergraduate business programs at the Carroll School of Management also have consistently ranked as top 5 in the country.

Learn more about Boston College

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23. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,926

“College on the Hill”, or Hamilton College, is a small, private liberal arts school located in rural New York. The campus enrolls just under 2,000 undergrads each year. Hamilton’s May Day Music Festival was started in 2004 and has drawn a number of national acts, including Chromeo, The Pharcyde, Eve 6, and more.

Learn more about Hamilton College

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22. Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,890

Colgate University is a medium-sized, private liberal arts college located in rural New York state. The campus sits lakeside and is surrounded mostly by forested areas, of which the college owns an additional 1,100 acres of undeveloped land.

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21. Barnard College

New York, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,489

Barnard College was established to be an Ivy League equivalent for women when many colleges were still all-men’s schools. This private liberal arts college in Manhattan enrolls just less than 2,500 undergrads.

Learn more about Barnard College

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20. Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,906

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college with more than 2,900 undergraduates. This school offers 47 majors in 40 academic departments, and students also have the ability to well as to create a custom major.

Learn more about Wesleyan University

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19. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,117

Johns Hopkins University enrolls over 6,100 undergraduate students each year, with Biomedical Engineering being one of the most popular majors. JHU is also America’s oldest research university and offers degrees in a number of engineering, science, and art fields.

Learn more about Johns Hopkins University

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18. Tufts University

Medford, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 5,180

After spending decades as a small, liberal arts college, Tufts has since transformed itself into a medium-sized, private research university that regularly earns top accolades. Its campus outside of Boston enrolls nearly 5,200 undergraduate students each year.

Learn more about Tufts University

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17. Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,477

Of the 2,400 undergraduate students enrolled at Vassar, the most common majors are English, Political Science, Psychology, Economics, and Biology. The medium-sized campus is also about half-way between NYC and Albany.

Learn more about Vassar College

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16. Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,187

The most popular majors among Haverford College’s 1,200 undergraduate students: Biology, Psychology, and English. The small, liberal arts college is also one of many well-respected schools nestled in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Learn more about Haverford College

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15. Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

Undergraduate enrollment: 7,636

Located in Washington, D.C., GU is a private research university with more than 7,600 undergrads enrolled. Its Law and Public Policy programs are among the top in the nation, and President Bill Clinton is just one of the many notable alumni to study at this top-tier institution.

Learn more about Georgetown University

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14. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 14,393

Cornell is a private, Ivy League research university that enrolls more than 14,000 undergraduates each year, with students studying in such programs at Biology, Hotel Administration, and Labor and Industrial Relations. The historic campus is both scenic and surrounded by natural beauty in the Finger Lakes region of New York. It sits just near Cayuga Lake.

Learn more about Cornell University

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13. Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,795

Nearly 1,800 undergraduates are enrolled at Bowdoin, a private liberal arts school that is often given the distinction of being a “New Ivy League” college. Students at this college in Maine can choose from any number of majors, although it may be best known for its top-notch Government and Legal Studies programs.

Learn more about Bowdoin College

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12. Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,474

Wellesley University, a private liberal arts college, is often regarded as the top women’s college in the U.S. Along with offering excellent educational opportunities from 32 academic departments, Wellesley also allows students to take advantage of educational partnership programs with other top-tier colleges, such as Harvard, Olin, MIT, Babson, and more.

Learn more about Wellesley College

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11. Brown University

Providence, RI

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,455

Brown University is well known for its unique “New Curriculum”, which has no general education course requirements and instead allows students to build a class schedule entirely of their own choosing. Students at this Ivy League college are then graded as simply having completed the course in a “satisfactory” manner or receive a mark of “unrecorded no-credit”.

Learn more about Brown University

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10. Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,785

Approximately 1,800 undergrads call Amherst College home. The small, private liberal arts college allows students to create a curriculum of their own choosing from numerous interdisciplinary programs. Each student is also paired with a faculty advisor, who works with the student to guide their curriculum selection process. The student-to-advisor ratio is just 5:1.

Learn more about Amherst College

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9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,267

The smallest college in the Ivy League, Dartmouth is home to about 4,200 undergraduate students. The Dartmouth Plan, or the “D-Plan” as it’s often known, is an unconventional academic calendar practiced at Dartmouth, which has classes run in four, 10-week blocks.

Learn more about Darthmouth College

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8. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,534

Swarthmore is a small, liberal arts college just outside of Philadelphia. Political Science, Biology, and Economics are three of the most popular majors for the college’s 1,500 undergrads. Swarthmore is also a member of the “Tri-College Consortium” along with Bryn Mawr and Haverford. Students at each of these schools share library facilities and are able to cross-register for courses offered at any of the three.

Learn more about Swarthmore College

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7. Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,046

Williams College is a private liberal arts school with approximately 2,000 undergraduate students. There are four separate “Neighborhoods” around campus, where undergraduate students of all levels live together. First-year students live in groups of 20, alongside two juniors.

Learn more about Williams College

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6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY

Undergraduate enrollment: 7,970

Columbia is one of the oldest colleges in the United States, originally named King’s College before the Revolutionary War took place. The Manhattan campus houses more than 7,900 undergraduate students from around the country and also around the world.

Learn more about Columbia University in the City of New York

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5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,525

The three most popular undergrad majors among UPenn’s 11,500 undergraduate students are Finance, Nursing, and Economics. Penn boasts the highest graduation rate of any college in Pennsylvania, with 87% of all students obtaining a degree within 4 years. The campus is located in Philly proper.

Learn more about University of Pennsylvania

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4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,357

The MIT Engineers–their sports teams, as well as many of their students–count more than 4,300 undergraduates among their ranks. Located near Boston, this college is one of the most highly-regarding scientific and engineering research universities in the world.

Learn more about Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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3. Yale University

New Haven, CT

Undergraduate enrollment: 5,430

Approximately 5,400 undergraduate students are enrolled at Yale, which is one of the world’s most famous institutions of higher education with an endowment over $25 billion. Well known for academic excellence in nearly all areas, Yale University is especially known for producing a huge number of U.S. politicians, including five former presidents and hundreds of members of Congress.

Learn more about Yale University

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2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Undergraduate enrollment: 10,534

Harvard enrolls about 10,500 undergrads on its campus in the greater Boston area. It neighbors many other prestigious and well-known colleges, including MIT and Boston University. As one of the nation’s best and most well-respected colleges, Harvard also boasts the largest endowment (more than $36 billion) of any college in the U.S.

Learn more about Harvard University

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1. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Undergraduate population: 5,323

Among the 5,300 undergraduate students at Princeton University, Economics, Political Science, and Public Policy are some of the top majors. Princeton is one of the oldest colleges in the U.S. and once housed the United States government for a short period of time in the oldest campus building, Nassau Hall.

Learn more about Princeton University

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About our methodology

Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology

View all of the 2016 Best Colleges rankings from College Raptor