The Top 10 Universities in the United States

Rank	University	Location	Notable Details
1	Harvard University	Cambridge, MA	Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest higher education institution in the US. It has produced 8 US presidents, over 150 Nobel laureates, and has the largest endowment of any university in the world at over $50 billion. With only a 5% acceptance rate, admission to Harvard is extremely competitive. But for those admitted, Harvard offers world-class education spanning medicine, law, business, sciences, arts and humanities.
2	Stanford University	Stanford, CA	Founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford, Stanford quickly rose to become a leading research and teaching institution. It revolutionized Silicon Valley and has produced companies like Google, Nike, Netflix and Hewlett-Packard. Stanford has had a plethora of famous alumni across business, politics, arts and sciences – including Charles Schwab, Elon Musk, Tiger Woods and Reese Witherspoon.
3	MIT	Cambridge, MA	The Massachusetts Institute of Technology excels in science and technology education. NASA has chosen more MIT alumni as astronauts than any other university. MIT professors and alumni have won 97 Nobel prizes and founded groundbreaking companies like Intel, Campbell Soup, Texas Instruments and Bose. MIT is also highly selective with only a 7.9% acceptance rate.
4	UC Berkeley	Berkeley, CA	As the top public university in the US, UC Berkeley provides access to an excellent education at a lower cost compared to elite privates. Berkeley excels in science, engineering and research, managing over $800 million in research expenditures each year. It has produced 107 Nobel laureates and scores of famous entrepreneurs. The iconic campus was also the site of major 1960s protests and the Free Speech Movement.
5	Yale University	New Haven, CT	Founded in 1701 as the third-oldest university in the US, Yale is renowned for excellence across the humanities, arts and sciences. Five US presidents have been Yale alumni including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Yale also has top-ranked programs in law, medicine, art, drama and forestry. Yale’s secret society “Skull and Bones” has produced influential members like John Kerry and George H. W. Bush.
6	Columbia University	New York, NY	Located in Upper Manhattan, Columbia was founded in 1754 and is the oldest higher education institution in New York. It has highly-ranked programs in medicine, engineering, business, law, journalism and more. Columbia has had influential alumni like Alexander Hamilton, Lou Gehrig, Julia Child and President Barack Obama (of Columbia undergrad).
7	Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Founded in 1746, Princeton’s historic campus and prestige has produced US presidents, Supreme Court justices and Nobel laureates. Princeton is especially known for excellence in its humanities and social sciences programs. Famous Princeton alumni include Jeff Bezos, Meg Whitman, Michelle Obama and E.F. Hutton.
8	University of Chicago	Chicago, IL	With a dedication to intellectual freedom, the UChicago has revolutionized fields like economics and sociology. It boasts 90 Nobel laureates including Milton Friedman and Barack Obama. UChicago manages $800 million in annual research funding across its national labs and institutes.
9	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MD	Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, excels in medicine and public health. Its hospital is ranked #1 in the country. Hopkins also has top programs in international affairs, economics, music and earth sciences. Famous alumni include Michael Bloomberg and House of Cards creator Beau Willimon.
10	Duke University	Durham, NC	Duke, founded in 1838, is known for excellence in medicine, business, law and basketball. Its student-run StartupConnect program helps launch an average of 15-20 companies each year. Famous alumni include Melinda Gates, Jeff Bezos and NBA star Kyrie Irving.

• For each university in the top 10, include details on history, reputation, famous alumni, selectivity, and flagship programs to showcase why they stand out.

The Top Public Universities

• Intro on great public universities providing excellent education at lower cost while driving innovation and economic growth
• Many flagships rival elite privates in academic rigor while providing more accessible price points

University of California System

• Overview of UC System’s history and impact training top scientists and innovators
• Breakdown of each elite UC campus – Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, etc.

University of Michigan

• Details on Michigan’s excellence across undergrad education, research, sports
• famous alumni, top programs

UNC Chapel Hill

• Overview of UNC’s strength in medicine, sciences, humanities
• Notable alumni and programs

University of Texas at Austin

• Discussion of Texas’ prowess in engineering and business
• Details on innovation and famous Longhorns

University of Wisconsin

• Overview of Wisconsin’s excellence in undergraduate education
• Details on research and alumni

The Best Undergraduate Teaching

• Intro on colleges focused on undergrad education with smaller classes and frequent professor interaction

Williams College

• Overview of academic rigor, professors, and outcomes

Amherst College

• Details on student experience and paths after Amherst

Swarthmore College

• Discussion of academics and student engagement

Pomona College

• Overview of collaborative community and undergraduate focus

Wellesley College

• Details on women’s leadership development and outcomes

Most Affordable Top Universities

• Intro on great value colleges providing elite academics at lower prices

Cooper Union

• Overview of Cooper Union’s programs, full-tuition scholarships, famous alumni

Berea College

• Discussion of Berea’s no-tuition model, focus on serving disadvantaged students

Brigham Young University

• Details on BYU’s low tuition for members of the LDS church

University of Florida

• Overview of Florida’s academic rigor at in-state rates

University of Washington

• Discussion of Washington’s research excellence and in-state value

Part 2

By Geographic Region

West Coast

• The West Coast is home to both top private universities like Stanford and excellent public options in the UC system
• Stanford, California’s elite private research university, excels across disciplines from tech to medicine with famous alumni like Elon Musk and Tiger Woods.
• UC Berkeley leads the UC system public universities that rival elite privates in research and innovation at lower cost. UC campuses excel across STEM fields and birthing Silicon Valley tech.
• Caltech is a powerhouse STEM school near Pasadena that manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Small classes and professors encourage hands-on learning.
• University of Southern California is a private LA institution strong across arts, medicine and engineering with ties to Hollywood and media.
• University of Washington is a public research leader offering strong academics especially in computer science and engineering.

Midwest

• America’s heartland is home to top public flagships providing accessible excellence in education and research.
• The University of Michigan is known for undergraduate education, research, and Division I sports across its three campuses. It provides opportunities for students to work on solving real-world problems.
• Northwestern pairs Ivy League-level academics with Midwest culture, offering top programs in journalism, theater, business and more. Famous alumni include Stephen Colbert.
• The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign excels in engineering and computer science, offering hands-on learning opportunities. Graduates contribute to technological innovations globally.
• The University of Wisconsin is known for undergraduate education, research prowess and opportunities for student engagement outside class.
• Washington University in St. Louis provides elite academics and research across medicine, law, business and social sciences.

East Coast

• Many of America’s oldest and most prestigious universities are clustered along the Eastern Seaboard.
• Harvard leads the Ivies known for elite academics, massive endowments and powerful alumni networks. Harvard offers global education and research leadership across disciplines.
• Princeton boasts Ivy pedigree in a small college environment with strength across humanities and sciences. Famous “Tiger” alumni range from Jeff Bezos to Michelle Obama.
• MIT, Caltech’s Ivy peer, excels in technological innovation with academic rigor across sciences and engineering. Real-world problem solving experience prepares students to be leaders.
• Columbia fuses Ivy League prestige with the dynamism of New York City. It excels in medicine, law, sciences, arts and humanities.
• University of Pennsylvania, known as “Penn”, is an Ivy league research and teaching powerhouse located in Philadelphia. Interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world experience train innovative graduates.

South

• Excellent universities can be found across the Southern states offering academic rigor with regional flair.
• Duke is known for excellence in medicine, business, law and basketball. Undergrads can help launch startup companies and conduct research. Famous alumni include Tim Cook and Melinda Gates.
• Vanderbilt pairs elite academics with Southern charm in Nashville, TN. It’s ranked #1 nationally for undergraduate teaching and excels in graduate medicine and business.
• Rice University boasts top-tier academics and research funding in Houston, TX. Collaborative culture encourages interdisciplinary studies pairing science, engineering, arts and humanities.
• University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson and pairs world-class academics with historic Southern character. It excels in business, leadership studies and STEM research.
• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is a research powerhouse offering rigorous academics spanning medicine, pharmacy, law and journalism. Tarheel basketball also draws school spirit.

By Speciality

Engineering

• For students interested in learning cutting edge engineering and collaborating with top technology companies, these schools stand out:
• MIT has educated astronauts and innovators, excelling in mechanical, computer, aerospace, robotic and other engineering disciplines.
• Stanford’s engineering pedigree spans Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Google and beyond. Hands-on learning opportunities supplement rigorous academics.
• Caltech manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab while training future scientists and engineers in state-of-the-art labs.
• Georgia Tech offers hands-on engineering training and research across aerospace, mechanical, biomedical, chemical and other disciplines.
• University of Michigan engineers work on real-world problems spanning biomedical devices, robotics, nanotechnology and more.

Business

• For future entrepreneurs and CEOs, these top business schools offer cutting-edge management education:
• Harvard Business School is world famous for training Fortune 500 executives and tech entrepreneurs like Michael Bloomberg. Case study method trains strategic leadership skills.
• The Wharton School at Penn fuses Ivy pedigree with finance prowess to train Wall Street and startup leaders.
• MIT Sloan Fellows work collaboratively to solve problems across analytics, finance, systems engineering and more.
• Columbia Business School in NYC connects students to the heartbeat of global business and finance.
• Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley combines innovation, entrepreneurship and social responsibility.

Medicine

• Aspiring doctors attend these leading medical schools for cutting edge education, research and clinical training:
• Harvard Medical School is world renowned for biomedical research and has educated 15 Nobel laureates in Physiology/Medicine.
• Johns Hopkins pioneered modern medical education and has had more top residency program placements than any other med school.
• Stanford Med pairs elite academics with groundbreaking biomedical research in stem cells, cancer, immunology and more.
• Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is the oldest med school in the U.S. and strong across specialties from cardiology to psychiatry.
• UCSF excels in biomedical research across medicine, pharmacy and dentistry disciplines.

Law

• For the best legal education and preparation for major law careers, these law schools stand out:
• Yale Law is consistently ranked #1 with former students including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Clarence Thomas.
• Harvard Law also produces graduates that lead across law, government and business like President Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts.
• Stanford Law pairs intellectual rigor with West Coast innovation to produce technology law leaders.
• Columbia Law’s location offers access to NYC’s legal and business communities for hands-on experience.
• The University of Chicago Law School is known for pioneering the study of law and economics while driving legal policy innovations.

Sciences

• For aspiring scientists, researchers and inventors, these colleges lead across natural sciences:
• Caltech is a world leader in training physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, chemists and biologists to make research breakthroughs.
• MIT excels across physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, oceanography, materials science, astrophysics and more.
• Harvard offers cutting-edge education, research and discovery across life, physical and social sciences.
• Stanford’s multidisciplinary approach allows scientists to collaborate across biology, chemistry, physics, environmental and other sciences.
• Princeton provides rigorous foundations in molecular biology, neuroscience, ecology, physics and more with strong research opportunities.

Arts

• These universities provide comprehensive arts training spanning music, drama, visual arts and more:
• Juilliard is world renowned for training actors, dancers, musicians and more with famous alumni ranging from Yo Yo Ma to Jessica Chastain.
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts offers BFA, MFA and PhD programs across performing arts, film and arts professions in the heart of NYC arts.
• UC Los Angeles School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT) is located at the heart of the entertainment industry and offers unmatched connections.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) provides rigorous visual arts training from painting and sculpture to graphic design and textiles.
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) offers immersive interdisciplinary arts training that pioneered performance art as a genre.

Key Takeaways

• The US has a high concentration of globally top-ranked universities spanning both private institutions and excellent public university systems.
• Prestigious universities like the Ivies, Stanford, MIT and UC campuses drive innovation and research while training leaders across disciplines like medicine, law, engineering, business and sciences.
• Regional schools provide benefits ranging from Southern charm at Duke, Midwest culture at Michigan, West Coast tech at Caltech and East Coast networks from Columbia in NYC.
• Finding the right academic, financial and cultural fit is key – many hidden gem colleges provide excellence at lower prices like Cooper Union and Berea College.

Conclusion

• The plethora of excellent universities across the US provides students many options to find the right academic and financial fit for their interests and career aspirations.
• Whether seeking prestige, innovative research, academic rigor, hands-on learning, affordability or other factors, there are plenty of colleges that can meet each student’s wish list.
• While rankings provide a starting point, finding the right cultural feel and academic environment for the next four years is just as important.
• The US university landscape offers no shortage of options for world-class education at all levels from undergraduate to graduate degrees. America’s colleges and universities drive innovation, research, sports and more while shaping future leaders.