best schools in united states

Last Updated on January 17, 2023

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best schools in united states

Public universities deliver the most outstanding education to the broadest range of students at the most affordable price. That’s the message of Forbes’ 2021 ranking of top colleges. Using a new methodology that counts low-income student outcomes and adds a giant federal database to Forbes’ tally of graduate earnings, for the first time ever, Forbes has ranked a public school, the University of California at Berkeley, in the No. 1 spot. Harvard, unseated from first place, is a distant No. 7. There are five other publics in the top 25 including three UCs, the University of Michigan and the University of Florida. Forbes put the list together in consultation with higher ed consultant Michael Itzkowitz. See here for a complete methodology, here for a story about what makes the University of California great and here for a piece about the weirdest year in college sports.

America’s Top Colleges List

Filter list by:

Overall

State

public/private

School Size

Campus Setting

Rank

Name

State

Type

Av. Grant Aid

Av. Debt

Median 10-year Salary

America’s Top Colleges 2021: For The First Time A Public School Is Number One

After spending the pandemic year rethinking the way we evaluate the country’s finest schools, low-cost public universities surged up our ranking, grabbing six of the top 25 spots.

 1.

University of California, Berkeley

CA

Public

$19,126

$6,000

$138,800

Description: University of California, Berkeley

One of the top public universities in the country, UC Berkeley has a rich tradition of leading technological and social change.


Berkeley’s faculty has had a hand in the discovery of Vitamins E and K, the development of the atomic bomb and the creation of the flu vaccine.

Full Profile

AV. GRANT AID

$19,126

2.

Yale University

CT

Private

$55,827

$5,056

$141,300

3.

Princeton University

NJ

Private

$52,188

$3,888

$150,500

4.

Stanford University

CA

Private

$54,808

$8,205

$147,100

5.

Columbia University

NY

Private

$55,071

$10,493

$132,100

6.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MA

Private

$49,775

$8,568

$158,100

7.

Harvard University

MA

Private

$55,455

$5,770

$147,700

8.

University of California, Los Angeles

CA

Public

$19,595

$5,631

$122,400

9.

University of Pennsylvania

PA

Private

$50,532

$9,413

$142,900

10.

Northwestern University

IL

Private

$48,438

$5,670

$120,300

11.

Dartmouth College

NH

Private

$50,490

$5,412

$141,400

12.

Duke University

NC

Private

$50,719

$6,544

$135,000

13.

Cornell University

NY

Private

$44,955

$7,078

$133,100

14.

Vanderbilt University

TN

Private

$44,291

$8,934

$122,400

15.

University of California, San Diego

CA

Public

$18,237

$6,137

$128,900

Top Colleges 2021 – Inside The Methodology

The nuts and bolts underlying our annual list of the best schools

16.

Amherst College

MA

Private

$57,627

$7,348

$127,100

17.

University of Southern California

CA

Private

$37,217

$6,784

$126,300

18.

Williams College

MA

Private

$55,897

$4,163

$142,300

19.

Pomona College

CA

Private

$53,449

$6,834

$121,900

20.

University of California, Davis

CA

Public

$19,687

$5,368

$119,900

21.

Georgetown University

DC

Private

$45,398

$6,913

$134,500

23.

University of Chicago

IL

Private

$43,836

$9,735

$123,100

30.

University of Virginia

VA

Public

$23,377

$7,904

$125,200

Watch Now: Forbes releases their annual list of America’s Top Colleges 2021

Read More

31.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

IL

Public

$15,567

$6,481

$117,800

32.

Wellesley College

MA

Private

$52,403

$5,111

$109,300

33.

Washington University in St. Louis

MO

Private

$47,253

$6,170

$118,000

34.

Georgia Institute of Technology

GA

Public

$13,116

$7,015

$137,300

35.

Emory University

GA

Private

$43,560

$6,822

$116,900

36.

Bowdoin College

ME

Private

$46,902

$8,216

$124,400

37.

Johns Hopkins University

MD

Private

$42,902

$5,541

$117,300

38.

Tufts University

MA

Private

$47,191

$6,075

$124,800

39.

University of California, Santa Barbara

CA

Public

$20,253

$6,118

$124,400

40.

California Institute of Technology

CA

Private

$44,646

$6,596

$150,300

41.

University of Notre Dame

IN

Private

$41,252

$7,168

$136,900

42.

University of Maryland, College Park

MD

Public

$9,388

$8,702

$112,800

43.

Swarthmore College

PA

Private

$51,408

$8,986

$141,000

44.

Middlebury College

VT

Private

$48,613

$5,891

$118,400

45.

University of Texas, Austin

TX

Public

$10,724

$4,131

$115,600

Why Berkeley Is Number One

The flagship campus of the massive University of California system provides a top-drawer education to a diverse group of students at a fraction of the price of an elite private school.

Read More

46.

Claremont McKenna College

CA

Private

$49,354

$4,702

$138,500

47.

University of California, Irvine

CA

Public

$18,934

$5,378

$125,900

48.

Colgate University

NY

Private

$48,772

$7,289

$144,800

49.

Carnegie Mellon University

PA

Private

$41,645

$6,615

$136,500

50.

Texas A&M University, College Station

TX

Public

$10,984

$7,046

$119,000

51.

College of William & Mary

VA

Public

$20,591

$7,734

$115,200

52.

Barnard College

NY

Private

$48,128

$6,169

$119,900

53.

Brigham Young University

UT

Private

$5,164

$5,198

$113,400

54.

Wesleyan University

CT

Private

$50,786

$7,102

$123,600

55.

United States Naval Academy

MD

Public

$152,600

56.

Boston College

MA

Private

$44,700

$4,007

$119,700

57.

Davidson College

NC

Private

$40,880

$8,086

$118,900

58.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

CA

Public

$5,867

$5,873

$123,500

59.

University of Wisconsin, Madison

WI

Public

$8,324

$8,094

$105,000

60.

Cooper Union

NY

Private

$34,918

$6,948

$136,100

Top Public Schools

Public schools stole the show in this year’s Top Colleges list. From UC Berkeley to the military service academies, these 25 schools showcase the best in public higher education.

Read More

76.

Northeastern University

MA

Private

$34,094

$8,628

$109,700

77.

Binghamton University, SUNY

NY

Public

$9,398

$7,471

$115,100

78.

University of Rochester

NY

Private

$39,782

$6,976

$116,000

79.

North Carolina State University, Raleigh

NC

Public

$10,351

$6,834

$108,300

80.

New York University

NY

Private

$33,694

$7,956

$124,700

81.

Babson College

MA

Private

$42,103

$9,084

$146,200

82.

Trinity College (CT)

CT

Private

$46,132

$7,236

$116,800

83.

Boston University

MA

Private

$43,022

$10,980

$120,900

84.

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

MN

Public

$9,334

$8,166

$105,700

85.

California State University, Long Beach

CA

Public

$9,118

$5,417

$104,200

86.

Hamilton College

NY

Private

$40,873

$6,480

$106,000

87.

University of Miami (FL)

FL

Private

$33,931

$7,909

$101,000

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