Unlike public colleges—which are funded by local and state governments—private colleges and universities are funded by private sources—like tuition and fees. Many assume that private colleges are too expensive; however, students who attend private colleges rarely pay the entirety of the “sticker
price”, instead, they have significant financial aid pay for a good portion of their cost of attendance.
Many of the greatest and most prestigious institutions in America are private colleges—in fact, each one of the schools on the following list were also featured in our Top 50 Best Colleges in the United States in 2017 list!
25. Rice University
Flickr user Ed Schipul
Location: Houston, TX
Student Enrollment: 6,621
College Type: Private, nonprofit, 4 year or above
Sporting the colors blue and grey, the students at Rice are nicknamed the Owls, and their mascot is Sammy the Owl. Science and mathematics are highly regarded at this school, the most common majors being: Biochemistry, Psychology, Chemical Engineering, Kinesiology, and Mechanical Engineering.
Learn more about Rice University
24. Cornell University
Flickr user Robert Thompson
Location: Ithaca, NY
Student Enrollment: 21,679
College Type: Private, nonprofit, 4 year or above
Nearly 42,000 applications are sent to this school, and with an acceptance rate of 15%, only about 6,300 of those applicants are chosen. Cornell boasts a 97% first-year retention rate and a student-faculty ratio of 9:1. They have a total of about 1,086 athletes on campus and are considered an NCAA Division I-AA school.
Learn more about Cornell University
23. Vanderbilt University
Flickr user Brent Moore
Location: Nashville, TN
Student Enrollment: 12,686
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Nicknamed “Vandy”, this school is also a nationally recognized arboretum, with an abundance of trees and shrubs throughout the campus. The two most popular majors are economics and social sciences. The average ACT composite score for incoming first-year students is between 32 and 35, and the average SAT combined score is between 1,424 and 1,572.
Learn more about Vanderbilt University
22. Dartmouth College
Flickr user Dennis Yang
Location: Hanover, NH
Student Enrollment: 6,298
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is the smallest of all Ivy League schools. Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was a 1925 graduate of the college and worked for the school’s humor magazine during his years there.
Learn more about Dartmouth College
21. The Juilliard School
Flickr user Brian Lauer
Location: New York City, NY
Student Enrollment: 926
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Juilliard is a performing arts conservatory, with programs in music, drama, and dance. The school has a 5:1 student to faculty ratio, and a 98% first-year retention rate. Notable alumni include Yo-Yo Ma, Sara Ramirez, and Robin Williams.
Learn more about The Juilliard School
20. Washington University in St. Louis
Flickr user jayo128
Location: St. Louis, MO
Student Enrollment: 14,348
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Psychology and Biology are the most popular majors at this university, where incoming ACT composite scores are between 32 and 34, and SAT combined scores are between 14,12 and 1,526. The university offers classes on campus and through distance learning, for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Learn more about Washington University in St. Louis
19. Northwestern University
Flickr user Allan Tokuda
Location: Evanston, IL
Student Enrollment: 21,554
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Settled near the city of Chicago, Northwestern University offers more than 120 majors for undergraduate students to choose from. The school is a NCAA Division-I university, with close to 500 student-athletes.
Learn more about Northwestern University
18. Duke University
Flickr user Alex Wheatley
Location: Durham, NC
Student Enrollment: 15,856
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Duke has produced an impressive number of Rhodes, Fulbright, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall Scholars. The most popular degrees are public policy analysis and economics, and the university has a first-year retention rate of 97%.
Learn more about Duke University
17. Williams College
Flickr user SERSeanCrane
Location: Williamstown, MA
Student Enrollment: 2,126
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
The average ACT composite for incoming first-year students ranges between 30 and 34, and the average SAT combined score ranges between 1,349 and 1,535. Williams College also boasts a delightful purple cow as their mascot, nicknamed Ephelia.
Learn more about Williams College
16. Notre Dame University
Flickr user R.S. Photo
Location: Notre Dame, IN
Student Enrollment: 12,179
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
At the University of Notre Dame, students can live in one of 29 single-sex residence halls on campus. The most popular majors are finance and accounting, followed closely by accounting. Condoleezza Rice received her master’s degree in political science from the university in 1975.
Learn more about the University of Notre Dame
15. Brown University
Flickr user Matt
Location: Providence, RI
Student Enrollment: 9,181
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Home to Bruno the Bear, Brown University has graduated a wealth of notable alumni. This research university was the first to accept students regardless of their religious affiliation, and has a 9:1 student to faculty ratio.
Learn more about Brown University
14. Swarthmore College
Flickr user Simon
Location: Swarthmore, PA
Student Enrollment: 1,542
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
This college is well-known for having an impressive first-year retention rate of 98%. Notable alumni Alice Paul, popular for her work with the women’s rights movement, graduated from Swarthmore College in 1905 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Learn more about Swarthmore College
13. Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Flickr user Wally Gobetz
Location: New York City, NY
Student Enrollment: 405
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
This school has a 5:1 student to faculty ratio, and a 100% first-year retention rate. The school was the first institution of Conservative Judaism in the United States.
Learn more about the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
12. Amherst College
Flickr user lookcatalog
Location: Amherst, MA
Student Enrollment: 1,792
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Amherst College has students from around the country and the globe, including noteworthy alum Uhuru Kenyatta, the current President of Kenya. The most popular majors are Economics and English Language and Literature, followed closely by history.
Learn more about Amherst College
11. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Flickr user Sean Munson
Location: Needham, MA
Student Enrollment: 350
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
The average ACT composite for this school is between 32 and 36, and the average SAT combined score is between 1,431 and 1,581. The student body is about 52% male students and 48% female.
Learn more about Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
10. Columbia University in New York
Flickr user Mike Steele
Location: New York City, NY
Student Enrollment: 27,589
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Columbia was founded before the Declaration of Independence was signed, and was the first school to in America to grant an M.D. degree. Columbia has a 6:1 student to faculty rate. Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are all graduates of Columbia Law.
Learn more about Columbia University in the City of New York
9. University of Pennsylvania
Flickr user Rob Pettengill
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Student Enrollment: 24,806
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Nicknamed “Penn”, the university was founded by Benjamin Franklin, and has an acceptance rate of 10%, admitting a little more than 3,700 students each year. Distinguished alumni include Warren Buffett, John Legend, Noam Chomsky, and John Heisman.
Learn more about the University of Pennsylvania
8. Pomona College
Flickr user Dave and Margie Hill
Location: Claremont, CA
Student Enrollment: 1,650
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Pomona is well-known for its career preparation programs, with on-campus internships and research opportunities for students. The college has a 93% four year graduation rate, and a 7:1 student to faculty rate.
Learn more about Pomona College
7. California Institute of Technology
Flickr user Flora Tsai
Location: Pasadena, CA
Student Enrollment: 2,209
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
The average ACT composite score for incoming students ranges from 34 to 36, and the average SAT combined score ranges from 1,504 to 1,584. “The truth shall make you free” as the CalTech motto states, and while the school is well-known for academics and alumni, it is also known for the pranks that happen on campus.
Learn more about the California Institute of Technology
6. University of Chicago
Flickr user Don Burkett
Location: Chicago, IL
Student Enrollment: 15,097
College Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
The University of Chicago boasts a 100% first-year retention rate, and a 6:1 student to faculty ratio. Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1890, UChicago has since given birth to 89 Nobel Prize winners, 5 of whom currently still teach at the institution.
Learn more about University of Chicago
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Flickr user Stacey Kizer
Location: Cambridge, MA
Student Enrollment: 11,319
College Type: Private, not-for-profit, 4 year or above
Also known as MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is well known for its science, technology and engineering programs as well economics and management. Alumni are responsible for creating 4.6 million jobs among 30,000 companies. The overall revenue of these companies comes to approximately $1.9 trillion which equates MIT alumni with the 10th largest economy in the world.
Learn more about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. Stanford University
Flickr user Robbie Shade
Location: Stanford, CA
Student Enrollment: 16,963
College Type: Private, not-for-profit, 4 year or above
Stanford University has a 4:1 student to faculty ratio and an average ACT score of 33. Of the nearly 17,000 enrolled students, 97% live on central campus which is primarily located in Silicon Valley. Its location fosters an innovative, entrepreneurial mindset and culturally diverse student population.
Learn more about Stanford University
3. Yale University
Flickr user m01229
Location: New Haven, CT
Student Enrollment: 12,336
College Type: Private, not-for-profit, 4 year or above
Founded in 1701, Yale is the third oldest higher education institution in the country. It is also home to the third largest University library collection in the country with 15 million volumes. Furthermore, Yale is the alma mater of 5 U.S presidents, 19 supreme court justices and 13 living billionaires.
Learn more about Yale University
2. Harvard University
Flicker user Yu-Jen Shih
Location: Cambridge, MA
Student Enrollment: 28,791
College Type: Private, not-for-profit, 4 year or above
Harvard University is the oldest and one one of the most reputable institutions of higher education in the United States. With $37.6 billion in financial endowment, it is also the largest academic institution in the country.
Learn More about Harvard University
1. Princeton University
Flickr user Harshil Shah
Location: Princeton, NJ
Student Enrollment: 8,088
College Type: Private, not-for-profit, 4 year or above
Princeton was established prior to the American Revolution as one of the nine colonial colleges. Today, it offers highly esteemed programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. Notable Princeton alumni include Michelle Obama, John Adams, Woodrow Wilson, Scott Fitzgerald, Steve Forbes, Meg Whitman, and Brooke Shields.
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.
