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 most successful athletic programs
(number of NCAA team championships 2018-2024)
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. Only two of the Elite 35 schools [Univ. of Virginia and Claremont McKenna] are in the top 35 for free speech )
Elite schools with the hardest 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.