The most beautiful and historic campuses
(combines architectural beauty and outstanding historical significance)
Schools with the most money per student
(endowment per student. Data from 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments)
Schools with the highest (adjusted) SAT scores
(Adjusted Median 50th percentile SAT scores for first-year students. Data from NCES Fall 2023 and the Common Data Set 2024-2025. Adjusted scores take into account the percentage of enrolled students who submitted SAT scores).
Schools with the best return on investment
(Third Way's Price to Earning Premium Rankings - lower values are better)
Schools with the highest student satisfaction
(Percentage of 5-star reviews on College Niche)
Schools with the highest socioeconomic diversity
(evenness of enrollment likelihood among 14 family income brackets; data from Opportunity Insights) - more diverse schools on top
Schools with the best free speech climate
(ratings are from College Pulse and Fire's 2025 Free Speech Rankings. Note that only three of the Elite 35 schools [Univ. of Virginia, Claremont McKenna, and Duke] are in the top 35 for free speech )
Elite schools with the hardest perceived workloads
(% of students who say the workload is easy to manage on College Niche - hardest schools are on top)
See Methods and Data page for additional information on categories and variables and the data sources used.