Columbia University

Ever wondered what the top colleges in the US are?

US News and World Report’s college rankings try to determine the top colleges in the country every year. This year’s rankings place Harvard and Princeton at the top of the list of national universities.

Remember, no school is #1 for everyone! The US News and World Report college rankings prioritize schools with a great reputation and high-scoring students, but they leave out the strengths of specific majors, college social activities, and many other things that will determine the kind of school that’s right for you.

To find colleges that have exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll need to do more research than looking at rankings. Go to a school’s website, talk to a college counselor or go on a college visit to see it for yourself!

The US News and World Report Top 25 Colleges

What national universities made the grade? Check out the top 25 colleges according to the US News and World Report rankings. Schools with the same number indicates there was a tie among multiple schools.

1. Harvard University
1. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. Columbia University
4. University of Chicago
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Stanford University
8. Duke University
8. University of Pennsylvania
10. California Institute of Technology
10. Dartmouth College
12. Northwestern University
13. Johns Hopkins University
14. Washington University in St. Louis
15. Brown University
15. Cornell University
17. Emory University
17. Rice University
17. University of Notre Dame
17. Vanderbilt University
20. Emory University
21. Georgetown University
21. University of California – Berkeley
23. Carnegie Mellon University
24. University of California – Los Angeles

How Colleges Are Ranked

How does the US News and World Report come up with these college rankings?

Some of the main contributions to the college rankings are the opinions of high-ranking officials at peer colleges, such as university presidents and deans of admissions.

Other important factors in the college rankings include graduation rate, information about admitted students (their average test scores and high school class rank, for instance) and faculty information (the average salary of professors and class size). A college’s financial resources and alumni donation rate are also considered in the college rankings.

One feature of the 2012 US News and World Report college rankings is the inclusion of both the SAT and the ACT scores of admitted students in the data. The inclusion of both scores indicates that more students are using the ACT than ever before, so consider both options when picking the test that best highlights your skills.

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