Top 100 Colleges and Universities in America in 2024

Top colleges 2024

Our top 100 college rankings report for 2024 includes the 4-year colleges and universities in America that provide students the best overall experience and ROI. Ranking metrics include student satisfaction, debt, graduation rate and post-graduate success.
Methodology

See also:
Top 100 Most Affordable UniversitiesTop 100 Most Affordable Community CollegesTop 100 Highest AcceptanceTop 100 Lowest AcceptanceTop Colleges by Major

RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
1Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
98%0.8%$146,800$68,12016.38%
2Stanford University
Stanford, CA
95%0.5%$145,200$74,57015.98%
3Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
96%3.5%$139,400$65,20814.89%
4Yale University
New Haven, CT
96%0.6%$120,000$77,26814.11%
5Williams College
Williamstow, MA
95%2.3%$112,000$81,26012.91%
6Pomona College
Claremont, CA
93%0%$105,000$76,82012.46%
7Brown University
Providence, RI
96%0.5%$113,000$84,77213.17%
8Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
94%1.6%$115,000$90,22812.26%
9Amherst College
Amherst, MA
94%1.5%$98,600$58,74814.30%
10Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
91%1.7%$137,000$88,84814.92%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
11University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
96%1.1%$120,000$90,77613.13%
12University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
96%0.6%$111,000$108,10011.57%
13Dartmouth College
Hanvover, NH
95%1.7%$111,000$85,10812.74%
14Columbia University
New York, NY
95%1.7%$109,000$83,35213.11%
15Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
97%1%$102,000$114,66810.51%
16Duke University
Durham, IL
95%0.6%$122,000$87,05613.57%
17Tufts University
Medford, MA
97%1.5%$115,000$104,41211.69%
18Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
90%0%$105,000$95,92811.56%
19Georgetown University
Washington DC
95%0.6%$116,000$103,14411.83%
20Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
93%1%$114,000$114,14811.62%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
21Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
93%0.9%$103,000$96,62410.94%
22University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
93%1.4%$107,000$137,4089.43%
23Davidson College
Davidson, NC
93%1.3%$90,600$89,82810.45%
24Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
91%2.5%$83,700$84,86410.21%
25Rice University
Houston, TX
91%1.7%$114,000$82,04813.59%
26Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
88%1.7%$120,000$82,80013.31%
27Carleton College
Northfield, MN
93%0.4%$107,000$128,0689.32%
28California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
92%2.5%$125,000$107,64013.07%
29Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
94%1.1%$93,900$83,61211.19%
30University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
91%2.9%$120,000$66,62014.90%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
31University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
94%1.7%$102,000$56,27614.52%
32Boston College
Boston, MA
91%0.6%$109,000$105,34011.37%
33University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
91%1.5%$101,000$50,04014.85%
34College of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
90%0.6%$99,300$49,62414.37%
35Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
92%2.6%$115,000$86,59612.71%
36University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
91%1.6%$100,000$63,40013.93%
37Barnard College
New York, NY
89%0.8%$81,400$87,1649.67%
38Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
89%1.1%$107,000$132,50810.18%
39Colby College
Waterville, ME
90%0%$95,100$73,90811.85%
40Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
93%1.4%$102,000$88,69212.01%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
41Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
93%1.5%$107,000$100,82811.87%
42Kenyon College
Gambier, OH
89%0.9%$97,600$106,9369.75%
43University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
90%1.6%$108,000$43,74417.61%
44Oberlin College
Oberline, OH
88%2.2%$100,000$155,5487.54%
45Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA
87%2%$101,000$135,1528.44%
46Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
91%2.1%$94,600$89,56811.25%
47Reed College
Portland, OR
90%2.4%$103,000$74,68412.30%
48Lafayette College
Easton, PA
79%2.4%$102,000$108,07611.02%
49College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
92%2.5%$97,500$104,68810.41%
50Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
95%1.4%$113,000$133,49610.47%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
51Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
88%0.7%$125,000$134,68011.59%
52Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
90%0%$133,000$132,54812.50%
53Franklin and Marshall College
Lancaster, PA
87%1.8%$106,000$91,89611.28%
54Wake Forest University
Winston Salem, NC
88%1.2%$92,100$103,3049.78%
55University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
96%2%$111,000$131,98410.25%
56Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO
94%0.9%$85,100$96,5649.02%
57University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
91%1.2%$99,500$124,7569.63%
58Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
89%2%$92,100$99,5849.54%
59Macalester College
St Paul, MN
90%2.2%$89,300$111,9968.22%
60University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
84%2.1%$102,000$64,99613.80%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
61University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, WI
84%1.5%$91,400$64,52412.49%
62Bates College
Lewiston, ME
88%0.6%$95,000$88,24810.37%
63Villanova University
Villanova, PA
89%1.1%$101,000$130,8169.65%
64Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
87%1.1%$108,000$111,39211.32%
65Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
91%2.4%$96,200$105,4689.66%
66University of Washington
Seattle, WA
84%2.7%$92,600$41,49615.35%
67New York University
New York, NY
83%2%$99,000$142,1728.76%
68Emory University
Atlanta, GA
89%2.1%$95,100$112,8129.90%
69Trinity College
Hartford, CT
84%1.6%$86,500$100,4809.53%
70University Texas, Austin
Austin, TX
94%3.6%$97,200$67,32812.83%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
71University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
88%3%$86,300$59,14412.42%
72Sewanee-University of the South
Sewanee, TN
79%1.3%$74,000$101,6566.68%
73Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
85%2.2%$117,000$146,58010.27%
74Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
84%3%$94,900$133,8288.59%
75Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
87%2.3%$97,600$97,26410.03%
76Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
82%1.7%$112,000$48,74816.39%
77Centre College
Danville, KY
82%1.5%$86,700$99,4208.53%
78Boston University
Boston, MA
85%1.8%$93,900$130,1568.86%
79Connecticut College
New London, CT
83%1.4%$88,700$96,6089.61%
80University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD
85%2%$94,400$59,33213.55%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
81Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
85%2.8%$112,000$130,9849.71%
82Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
80%1.3%$79,400$109,5927.91%
83Denison University
Granville, OH
82%1.3%$88,500$117,6488.57%
84Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
78%2.3%$89,000$98,9249.48%
85Rhodes College
Memphis, TN
80%4%$90,700$114,4608.54%
86University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
84%1.5%$93,200$96,04410.23%
87Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
81%2.1%$93,400$111,4049.00%
88University of Georgia
Athens, GA
85%2.9%$83,600$53,14812.45%
89University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
81%4%$100,000$59,86413.56%
90Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
79%1.2%$97,900$49,33614.79%
RankSchool NameGraduation Rate1Default Rate2Mid-Career Salary3Net Price (4-year)420-year ROI5
91University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
83%2.7%$94,600$64,92412.74%
92St. John’s University
Collegeville, MN
80%0.2%$134,000$97,33213.55%
93Saint Olaf College
Northfield, MN
80%0.5%$89,400$112,0768.74%
94Colorado School of the Mines
Golden, CO
76%0.8%$109,000$100,55212.27%
95Northeastern University
Boston, MA
82%2.8%$91,900$122,1849.44%
96Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
81%1.2%$103,000$116,56010.63%
97Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
84%2%$100,000$133,3728.98%
98Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
77%3.3%$93,500$136,7568.59%
99University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
78%2.6%$87,200$62,35612.25%
100Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
78%3.9%$83,100$46,29213.18%

(1) Represents the graduation rate of full-time students who began their studies as first-time degree or certificate seeking students.
(2) Default rate is the % of student borrowers who enter repayment of loans in one year and default prior to the end of the next.
(3) Represents the median salary for alumni with 10+ years of full-time work experience, as reported by payscale.com.
(4) Average net price generated by subtracting grant or scholarship aid from total cost of attendance as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics.Total cost of attendance includes tuition, supplies (including books), and average cost of room and board.
(5) Return on investment (ROI) is generated using the formula (gain+principal/principal)^(1/years)-1. For a more indepth explanation, see the section below “Calculating ROI”.

See also:

Ranking Methodology

At the end of the day, going to college and earning a degree isn’t about prestige, diversity, scholarly publications, social mobility or even reputation–it’s about ROI. It’s about what students are going to receive from their college experience and education based on what they’re required to invest. That’s right, invest. College is an investment in the future. Our top colleges rankings include those “traditional” four-year colleges and universities that provide students the biggest return on their investment. Where other popular ranking publications focus on various selectivity metrics such as SAT scores, admission rates, or even “contribution to the public good” (ie., Washington Monthly, Princeton Review, etc.), we focus strictly on those metrics that have a direct correlation with ROI.

Our Top 100 Colleges rankings report is generated using the following five metrics:

  • Post-Graduate Success (35%)
  • Student Satisfaction (25%)
  • Student Debt (25%)
  • Graduation Rate (10%)
  • Academic Success (5%)

Post-Graduate Success

Whatever your motivation for attending college, if you can’t find a good job after you graduate or aren’t able to advance in your chosen career path, then your investment of time, money and resources in your college education is greatly depreciated. We believe that first and foremost the value of a college education should be evaluated based on the post-graduate career success of the students and the alumni it produces. As such, our rankings are weighted heavily on metrics we’ve believe to be the most accurate indicators of post-graduate success. The metrics we evaluate in calculating post-graduate success include: (1) Early and mid-career salary, (2) Net price of a 4-year undergraduate education and (3) whether or not an institution appears on the America’s Leaders List produced by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

Early and mid-career salary figures used in our calculations are based on surveys produced by payscale.com–a leader in employment, salary and compensation data. The “Early Career Salary” reflects the average salary for school alumni for years 1-5 following graduation from college. The “Mid Career Salary” reflects the average salary for school alumni with 10+ years of full-time work experience following graduation from college. Both figures are used in our calculation of ROI and overall college rankings. For sake of space, only mid-career salary figures are displayed in the rankings above.

Cost of education is an essential element of our college ranking calculation with respect to post-graduate success. Without cost, an absolute measure of ROI, or relative value, cannot be ascertained. The cost figure we use to calculate ROI, and determine relative value, is based on the “Net Price” of college attendance reported by each individual school in surveys published by the National Center for Education Statistics. Net price, as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics, is the total cost of attendance minus the average amount of financial aid, where total cost includes the cost of tuition, books and supplies, average room and board costs, fees and other expenses, and financial aid includes federal, state and local government grants, and scholarship aid. We calculate 4-year Net Price by multiplying the annual “Net Price” figure reported by the National Center for Education Statistics by 4–the average time required to graduate from a “traditional” undergraduate college program.

A few highly publicized college ranking reports rely heavily on the America’s Leaders List in their calculation college rankings with respect to post-graduate success. While we also rely on the America’s Leaders List in our calculation of college rankings, we place much less weight on this list than other publications such as Forbes. We feel that relying too heavily on this list, as a determination of post-graduate success, biases rankings in favor of colleges that have produced a few exemplary students. We do not believe this list accurately reflects the post-graduate success of an entire student body at any one institution.

Student Satisfaction

Student satisfaction is measured as a function of three variables: (1) Student “happiness” as reported by Ratemyprofessor.com (based on student surveys), (2) actual freshman-to-sophomore student retention rates and (3) predicted freshman-to-sophomore retention rates, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics. The student “happiness” score published by Ratemyprofessor.com offers a rough indication of how much students enjoy their education experience at a specific institution. It does not however, in our opinion, reflect the sentiment of most students, as survey size and scope is limited. For this reason, it is not weighted heavily in our calculation of student satisfaction. We feel that together, actual and predicted freshman-to-sophomore retention rates are a much better indication of how satisfied students are with the quality of education they’re receiving. That is, students attending schools with high levels of student retention are more satisfied with their education than students attending schools with lower levels of student retention. Student retention is assigned more weight in our calculation of overall student satisfaction.

Student Debt

As of 2019, around 70% of college students graduated with student debt. In 2018, seniors graduated from college with an average student debt of $29,200 – a 26% increase from 2008. This trend has been particularly troublesome among students graduating from for-profit colleges, where the average debt was $39,900 in 2019, a 26% increase from 2008. Student debt is becoming a problem of catastrophic proportion and it is a key component in our calculation of college rankings.

In our calculation of college rankings we evaluate two aspects of student debt: (1) default rates and (2) debt load. Together, these metrics (1) indicate the relative affordability of attending an institution and (2) the ability of graduates to pay off their student debt after graduation. The inability to qualify for jobs and salaries required to pay back student debt, is one indicator that students paid a price higher than the value of the education they received. If nothing more, when comparing one college to another, these metrics offer a very good indicator of relative value.

Graduation Rate

While not weighted as heavily as other ranking metrics, graduation rate is still an important component of our college ranking calculations. A low graduation rate can be a reflection of many things: lacking educational offering, low level of student support, an unclear communication of expectations, or simply the college overselling its offering to new students. However, graduation rates may also simply be a reflection of varying educational offerings and programs – which vary from school to school.

The graduation rates we use in our calculations are provided by the National Center for Education Statistics. They reflect those students who (1) began college as full-time students seeking either a degree or certificate and (2) finished their program within 150% of the “normal time” required for completion of that program on a national basis – in most cases four years.

One of the pitfalls of using graduation rate as a factor in generating college rankings is that it’s difficult to determine what a “normal time” is for completing a degree. For example, it may take only four-years to complete a full-time undergraduate bachelor’s degree at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) where the focus is purely academic, but because students at Northeastern are required to spend time on “co-ops” or extracurricular learning activities, it takes them substantially longer to complete a similar “four year” bachelor degree. This doesn’t mean that the educational offering at UCLA is substantially better than that provided at Northeastern. In this case, the difference in graduation rate is simply a reflection of two different educational programs. The same holds true for another college, Brigham Young University (BYU). In terms of ROI and other post-graduation metrics, BYU is an exceptional school. However, if you were to base their ranking heavily on the accepted definition of graduation rate (which some ranking reports do), they’d be at the bottom of the pack. Almost all male students at BYU leave to serve a 2-year religious mission after their freshman year. So does BYU have a lower calibur educational offering? Well, they have the No.1 ranked accounting program in the United. They also have one of the best finance programs in the nation and due to their international missionary program they offer one of the best foreign language programs in the world. In a uniformly perfect world, graduation rate would be a better metric for assessing relative value, but higher education doesn’t operate in a uniformly perfect world.

Academic Success

It would seem like academic success should be an important metric when it comes to calculating a college’s relative rank – and it is. But the fact is, academic success, when compared to other metrics, really isn’t the best measure of value, if ROI is at the core of your ranking methodology. The grades a student earned, and awards received, will mean little a few years after graduation when college is a thing of the past.

Our academic success metric rewards schools who have a relatively high number of students – compared with other schools – who (1) win prestigious awards and/or (2) go on to earn a graduate (Phd) or professional degree (JD, MBA, PsyD, etc.) after completing their undergraduate education.

Calculating ROI

As part of our Top 100 Colleges in America rankings we calculate and present an estimated Annualized Return on Investment (ARI) over a 20-year period for each college using the following commonly accepted ARI formula:

ARI=(gain+principal/principal)^(1/years)-1

  • Principal – reflects the Net Price of college attendance, as previously defined and reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, multiplied by 4–the average number of years required to complete an undergraduate degree
  • Gain – calculated by taking the sum of the early career salaries (years 1-5), estimated salaries for years 6-10, and mid career salaries (years 11-20) and adding them to the principal, then subtracting the 20 year estimated annual earnings for those with a high school diploma* minus the 4 years of lost earnings for the time required to complete a college degree. Annual salary for workers with only a high school diploma are based on a weekly earnings figure of $688–as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Years – 20 years
  • Estimated salaries years 6-10 – based on 1.5 times annual “Early career” salary as reported for school alumni on payscale.com

While the ARI figure we present may not be 100% accurate in absolute terms, it provides a very accurate measure of relative ROI and value when comparing one institution to another.