America's Elite Colleges and Universities 2025
Ranked by performance, not reputation
America's Elite Colleges and Universities 2025
Ranked by performance, not reputation
The Elite 35
1. Princeton University*
Location: Mideast (New Jersey); Setting: Small City; Enrollment: 5579; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (highest); Endowment per student: $3,750,669 (highest); Adjusted median SATs: 1532; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 93 (Fall 2022); Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 5.1:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 87.8; Return on investment: very high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 97.6%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: moderate; Overall score: 0.794
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 4571; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $2,086,500; Adjusted median SATs: 1543; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 97 (Fall 2022); Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 3.1:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 87.6; Return on investment: very high; Rate of producing future PhDs: very high; Graduation rate: 96%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.751
3. California Institute of Technology*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 1023; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,682,826; Adjusted median SATs: 1544 (Fall 2020); Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 86.4; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-low; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 2.9:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 98.3; Return on investment: very high; Rate of producing future PhDs: highest; Graduation rate: 94.4%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: very low; Overall score: 0.715
4. Stanford University*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 7841; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $2,135,335; Adjusted median SATs: 1530; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 97.8; Socioeconomic diversity: low; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 5.6:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 88.1 (Fall 2022); Return on investment: very high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 91.9%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: very high; Overall score: 0.695
5. Yale University*
Location: New England (Connecticut); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 6811; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (very high); Endowment per student: $2,714,107; Adjusted median SATs: 1513; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 96; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 5.3:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 88.5; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 95.7%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.674
6. Harvard University
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 7755; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (highest); Endowment per student: $2,133,974; Adjusted median SATs: 1526; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 94.4; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: lowest; Student to faculty ratio: 7.2:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 89.4; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 98%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate; Overall score: 0.661
7. University of Chicago
Location: Great Lakes (Illinois); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 7540; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $590,518; Adjusted median SATs: 1528; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 97; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-high; Student to faculty ratio: 5:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 97.1; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 95%; Student satisfaction: moderate-high; Athletic excellence; moderate-high; Overall score: 0.638
8. Johns Hopkins University*
Location: Mideast (Maryland); Setting: large city; Enrollment: 5617; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $593,965; Adjusted median SATs: 1535; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 100; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 5.9:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 96 (Fall 2022); Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 93.8%; Student satisfaction: moderate; Athletic excellence: very high; Overall score: 0.625
9. Williams College*
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Town; Enrollment: 2060; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,708,205; Adjusted median SATs: 1508; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 88.4; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 6.9:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 96.1; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 93.6%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.614
10. Rice University
Location: Southwest (Texas); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 4562: Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $993,688; Adjusted median SATs: 1525; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 91.4; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 5.8:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 90.3; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 95.7%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.613
11. Swarthmore College*
Location: Mideast (Pennsylvania); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 1627; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $1,593,734; Adjusted median SATs: 1510; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 89; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 7.4:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 92.7; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 92.3%; Student satisfaction: moderate; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.612
12. Duke University
Location: Southeast (North Carolina); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 6417; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $705,638; Adjusted median SATs: 1525; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 95; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: moderate-high; Student to faculty ratio: 5.7:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 96.3; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 96%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.605
13. Washington University in St. Louis
Location: Plains (Missouri); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 7897; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (high); Endowment per student: $797,649; Adjusted median SATs: 1512; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 89; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-low; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 7.1:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 80.7; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 94%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.593
14. Brown University*
Location: New England (Rhode Island); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 7273; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance; Yes (very high); Endowment per student: $615,612; Adjusted median SATs: 1528; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 89; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 5.8:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 93.4; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 95.7%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.586
15. Pomona College*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 1638; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,810,914; Adjusted median SATs: 1508; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 90; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 7.2:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 90.9; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 93%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.582
16. Vanderbilt University*
Location: Southeast (Tennessee); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 7143; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $786,230; Adjusted median SATs: 1516; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 90; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 7.6:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 94.2; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 93.5%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.581
17. University of Virginia*
Location: Southeast (Virginia); Setting: Midsize Suburb; Enrollment: 17,315; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (very high); Endowment per student: $409,030; Adjusted median SATs: 1442; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 84; Socioeconomic diversity: very high; Free speech rating: highest; Student to faculty ratio:14.2:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 94.9; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 95.6%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.581
18. University of Notre Dame*
Location: Great Lakes (Indiana); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 8923; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,399,873; Adjusted median SATs: 1476; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 92; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 8.2:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 85.9; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs; moderate-low; Graduation rate: 95%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.576
19. Carnegie Mellon University*
Location: Mideast (Pennsylvania; Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 7187; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $256,224; Adjusted median SATs: 1521; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 96.8; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-high; Student to faculty ratio: 6.25:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 91.4; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 94.1%; Student satisfaction: moderate; Athletic excellence: moderate-high; Overall score: 0.574
20. Amherst College*
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Small City; Enrollment: 1907; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $1,858,417; Adjusted median SATs: 1510; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 93; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 6.85:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 93.8; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 94%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.572
21. Olin College of Engineering
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 373; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,065,460; Adjusted median SATs: 1503; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 80; Socioeconomic diversity: ND; Free speech rating: ND; Student to faculty ratio: 8.1:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 85.2; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 94%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: NA; Overall score: 0.572
22. Wellesley College*
Location: New England (Massachusetts); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 2318; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,272,249; Adjusted median SATs: 1486; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 90; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 7.4:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 93.5; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 91.5%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: very low; Overall score: 0.568
23. Dartmouth College*
Location: New England (New Hampshire); Setting: Town; Enrollment: 4367; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $1,234,823; Adjusted median SATs: 1517; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 93; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-low; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 6.5:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 90.4; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 95%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: very low; Overall score: 0.564
24. University of Pennsylvania
Location: Mideast (Pennsylvania); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 10,768; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (moderate); Endowment per student: $875,155; Adjusted median SATs: 1520; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 92; Socioeconomic diversity: low; Free speech rating: very low; Student to faculty ratio: 7.6:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 89.3; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 96.1%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.558
25. Northwestern University
Location: Great Lakes (Illinois); Setting: Small City; Enrollment: 8960; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $686,393; Adjusted median SATs: 1510; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 94; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 6.4:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 95; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 96%; Student satisfaction: moderate; Athletic excellence: moderate; Overall score: 0.557
26. Columbia University
Location: Mideast (New York); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 8899: Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (high); Endowment per student: $477,934; Adjusted median SATs: 1510; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 94.5; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: lowest; Student to faculty ratio: 6.1:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 76; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 95%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.556
27. Bowdoin College*
Location: New England (Maine); Setting: Town; Enrollment: 1846; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $1,397.968; Adjusted median SATs: 1486; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 85.1; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate-high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 8.7:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 95.8; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 95.3%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.556
28. Cornell University*
Location: Mideast (New York); Setting: Small City; Enrollment: 15,935; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $385,133; Adjusted median SATs: 1518; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 85.6; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 8.9:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 89.7; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 96%; Student satisfaction: moderate-high; Athletic excellence: moderate-low; Overall score: 0.555
29. Harvey Mudd College*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 915; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $497,864; Adjusted median SATs: 1521; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class 92; Socioeconomic diversity: ND; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 8.4:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 92.2; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: high; Graduation rate: 92%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.549
30. University of California-Berkeley*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Midsize City; Enrollment: 33,073; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (low); Endowment per student: $71,929; Adjusted median SATs: 1387 (Fall 2020); Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 96 (Fall 2020); Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 18.7:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: ND; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate; Graduation rate: 93%; Student satisfaction: moderate; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.537
31. Vassar College*
Location: Mideast (New York); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 2430; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (moderate); Endowment per student: $536,712; Adjusted median SATs: 1464; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 79; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate-low; Student to faculty ratio: 7.3:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 90.2; Return on investment: moderate-low; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-high; Graduation rate: 91%; Student satisfaction: moderate-high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.536
32. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill*
Location: Southeast (North Carolina); Setting: Small City; Enrollment: 20,556; Architectural beauty: Yes; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (moderate); Endowment per student: $190,139; Adjusted median SATs: 1415; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 77; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: moderate; Student to faculty ratio: 14.8:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 87.5; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 91.2%; Student satisfaction: moderate-high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.532
33. Washington and Lee University*
Location: Southeast (Virginia); Setting: Town; Enrollment: 1884; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: Yes (very high); Endowment per student: $900,099; Adjusted median SATs: 1442; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class 81.4; Socioeconomic diversity: moderate; Free speech rating: moderate-high; Student to faculty ratio: 7.6:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 89.7; Return on investment: moderate-high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 95%; Student satisfaction: very high; Athletic excellence: moderate; Overall score: 0.526
34. University of California-Los Angeles*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Large City; Enrollment: 33,040; Architectural beauty: Yes; National Historic Landmarks: 0; Endowment per student: $82,398; Adjusted median SATs: 1382 (Fall 2020);Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: ND; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: low; Student to faculty ratio: 19.8:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: ND; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 92.7%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: high; Overall score: 0.525
35. Claremont McKenna College*
Location: Far West (California); Setting: Large Suburb; Enrollment: 1379; Architectural beauty: No; Outstanding historical significance: No; Endowment per student: $898,167; Adjusted median SATs: 1486; Percent of students in top tenth of HS class: 75; Socioeconomic diversity: high; Free speech rating: high; Student to faculty ratio: 7.6:1; Percent of instructional faculty with doctorate or terminal degree: 95.7; Return on investment: high; Rate of producing future PhDs: moderate-low; Graduation rate: 91.1%; Student satisfaction: high; Athletic excellence: low; Overall score: 0.522