Our Top 50 Best College award is the most-selective honor in our 2016 Best Colleges rankings.
We analyzed data on each school from thousands across the country and selected the 50 best of the four-year colleges throughout the nation. This list includes schools of all sizes, with varying majors and both public and private institutions.
In our rankings, we looked at factors such as graduation rates, student loan default rates, selectivity, and campus diversity to evaluate the quality of each college and award those schools that were the 50 best based on a combination of all criteria.
Here are the best colleges and universities in the U.S.:
50. Brandeis University
Source: Flickr user khargrav.
Waltham, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,614
Learn more about Brandeis University
49. Grinnell College
Source: Flickr user silversprite.
Grinnell, IA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,721
48. Boston College
Source: Flickr user masstransit.
Chestnut Hill, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 9,698
Learn more about Boston College
47. Hamilton College
Source: Flickr user chuckthewriter.
Clinton, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,926
Learn more about Hamilton College
46. Colgate University
“Colgate University Across Taylor Lake” by Balon Greyjoy – Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Commons.
Hamilton, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,890
Learn more about Colgate University
45. University of California-Los Angeles
“Royce Hall post rain” by Alton – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 28,674
44. Davidson College
Source: Flickr user melystu.
Davidson, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,788
Learn more about Davidson College
43. Emory University
By Revesq (Own work (Revesq)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Atlanta, GA
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,836
42. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“UNC South Building” by Yeungb – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons.
Chapel Hill, NC
Undergraduate enrollment: 18,370
Learn more about UNC Chapel Hill
41. Harvey Mudd College
By The original uploader was Imagine at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Claremont, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 807
40. Barnard College
“2014 Barnard College Lehman Hall” by Beyond My Ken – Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Commons.
New York, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,489
Learn more about Barnard College
39. Wesleyan University
“Wesolin” by Original uploader was Ychennay at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
Middletown, CT
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,906
Learn more about Wesleyan University
38. Soka University of America
By Beyond My Ken (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Aliso Viejo, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 412
Learn more about Soka University of America
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37. Middlebury College
“Midd wiki 2“. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia.
Middlebury, VT
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,495
Learn more about Middlebury College
36. Johns Hopkins University
“View from Levering Plaza” by Iracaz – iPhone photo. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia.
Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,117
Learn more about Johns Hopkins University
35. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Source: Flickr user beckstei.
Ann Arbor, MI
Undergraduate enrollment: 28,283
34. University of California-Berkeley
“UCBerkeleyCampus” by brainchildvn on Flickr – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.
Berkeley, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 25,951
Learn more about UC – Berkeley
33. Tufts University
“Tufts Tisch library entrance” by HereToHelp – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Medford, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,180
32. Vassar College
“Thompson Library (Vassar College)” by Noteremote. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Poughkeepsie, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,477
Learn more about Vassar College
31. Carleton College
By Dogs1337 (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Northfield, MN
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,045
Learn more about Carleton College
30. Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,187
Learn more about Haverford College
29. College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,271
Learn more about the College of William and Mary
28. Georgetown University
“Georgetown Riverview” by Patrickneil – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Washington, DC
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,636
27. Claremont McKenna College
Source: Flickr user campusgrotto.
Claremont, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,316
Learn more about Claremont McKenna College
26. Cornell University
Source: Flickr user 30416747@N00.
Ithaca, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 14,393
Learn more about Cornell University
25. Washington and Lee University
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Lexington, VA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,855
Learn more about Washington and Lee
24. Bowdoin College
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Brunswick, ME
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,795
23. Wellesley College
“Wellesley College Tower Court” by Jared and Corin – Tower Court. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Wellesley, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,474
Learn more about Wellesley College
22. Rice University
“Lovett Hall” by The original uploader was AniRaptor2001 at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Houston, TX
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,965
Learn more about Rice University
21. University of Virginia-Main Campus
Source: Flickr user marc_buehler.
Charlottesville, VA
Undergraduate enrollment: 16,087
Learn more about the University of Virginia
20. Vanderbilt University
“Bensontower” by Dansan4444 – Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Commons.
Nashville, TN
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,835
19. Washington University in St Louis
St Louis, MO
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,336
Learn more about Washington University in St Louis
18. Brown University
“Brown university robinson hall 2009a” by chensiyuan – chensiyuan. Licensed under GFDL via Commons.
Providence, RI
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,455
17. University of Notre Dame
“Main Building at the University of Notre Dame” by Matthew Rice – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons.
Notre Dame, IN
Undergraduate enrollment: 8,477
16. Duke University
Source: Flickr user OHinOZ.
Durham, NC
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,646
15. Northwestern University
By Rdsmith4 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Evanston, IL
Undergraduate enrollment: 9,283
Learn more about Northwestern University
14. Amherst College
Source: Flickr user David Brooks.
Amherst, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,785
Learn more about Amherst College
13. Dartmouth College
“Dartmouth College campus 2007-10-20 09” by Kane5187 – Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
Hanover, NH
Undergraduate enrollment: 4,276
12. Swarthmore College
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Swarthmore, PA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,534
11. Williams College
“Ephtowers” by SERSeanCrane – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Williamstown, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,096
Learn more about Williams College
10. California Institute of Technology
Source: Flickr user joebehr.
Pasadena, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 977
9. Pomona College
Source: Flickr user wlcarchitectsphotography.
Claremont, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,610
Learn more about Pomona College
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
“Walking Through Columbia University (5892973734)” by Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia – Walking Through Columbia UniversityUploaded by russavia. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.
New York, NY
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,970
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate enrollment: 11,525
Learn more about the University of Pennsylvania
6. University of Chicago
“Harper Library from the Midway Plaisance” by IceUnshattered – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons.
Chicago, IL
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,703
Learn more about the University of Chicago
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Source: Flickr user infanticida.
Cambridge, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 4,528
4. Stanford University
Source: Flickr user naotakem.
Stanford, CA
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,274
3. Yale University
Source: Flickr user 29457092@N07.
New Haven, CT
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,430
2. Harvard University
Source: Flickr user 127687091@N07.
Cambridge, MA
Undergraduate enrollment: 10,534
1. Princeton University
“Princeton (6035183309)” by popejon2 from Paddington, Australia – PrincetonUploaded by russavia. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.
Princeton, NJ
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,323
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
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