These are the top universities in the United States

Did you go to one of the best?
14 metrics used for the ranking
25. Bowdoin
24. Amherst College
23. Wellesley
22. Caltech (California Institute of Technology)
21. University of California San Diego
20. Duke University
19. Claremont McKenna College
18. Brown University
17. Williams College
16. Dartmouth
15. Vanderbilt University
14. The University of Chicago
13. UCLA (University of California Los Angeles)
12. John Hopkins University
11. Northwestern University
10. Cornell University
9. Rice University
8. Harvard University
7. Penn (University of Pennsylvania)
6. Columbia University
5. UC Berkeley (University of California)
4. Yale University
3. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
2. Stanford University
1. Princeton University
Did you go to one of the best?

The United States is home to many of the world’s top universities, but which institutions are the pinnacle of academic excellence? Forbes published a best-of-the-best list every year of the top institutions in 2024 including some interesting picks. 

14 metrics used for the ranking

Forbes used fourteen metrics to help determine which universities in the US were at the top of the pile, and these included important stuff like post-graduation salary, debt load, graduation rates, and one’s return on investment. Let’s look at the top 25 institutions. 

25. Bowdoin

State: Maine

Median 10-Year Salary: $152,900

Median Debt after Graduation: $10,512

Photo Credit: Facebook @Bowdoin

24. Amherst College

State: Massachusetts 

Median 10-Year Salary: $139,700

Median Debt after Graduation: $9,293

Photo Credit: Facebook @amherstcollege

23. Wellesley

State: Massachusetts

Median 10-Year Salary: $134,100

Median Debt after Graduation: $5,608

Photo Credit: Facebook WellesleyCollege

22. Caltech (California Institute of Technology)

State: California 

Median 10-Year Salary: $168,600

Median Debt after Graduation: $12,553

Photo Credit: Facebook @californiainstituteoftechnology

21. University of California San Diego

State: California

Median 10-Year Salary: $151,500

Median Debt after Graduation: $6,437

Photo Credit: Facebook @UCSanDiego

20. Duke University

State: North Carolina

Median 10-Year Salary: $158,700

Median Debt after Graduation: $6,351

Photo Credit: Facebook @DukeUniv

19. Claremont McKenna College

State: California 

Median 10-Year Salary: $167,000

Median Debt after Graduation: $7,631

Photo Credit: Facebook @ClaremontMcKennaCollege

18. Brown University

State: Rhode Island 

Median 10-Year Salary: $155,000

Median Debt after Graduation: $10,059

Photo Credit: Facebook @BrownUniversity

17. Williams College

State: Massachusetts

Median 10-Year Salary: $169,200

Median Debt after Graduation: $4,143

Photo Credit: Facebook @williamscollege

16. Dartmouth

State: New Hampshire 

Median 10-Year Salary: $173,300

Median Debt after Graduation: $6,404

Photo Credit: Facebook @Dartmouth

15. Vanderbilt University

State: Tennessee 

Median 10-Year Salary: $148,000

Median Debt after Graduation: $8,872

Photo Credit: Facebook @KIPPDC

14. The University of Chicago

State: Illinois 

Median 10-Year Salary: $150,600

Median Debt after Graduation: $12,150

Photo Credit: Facebook @uchicago

13. UCLA (University of California Los Angeles)

State: California 

Median 10-Year Salary: $144,400

Median Debt after Graduation: $6,418

Photo Credit: Facebook @UCLA

12. John Hopkins University

State: Maryland

Median 10-Year Salary: $142,300

Median Debt after Graduation: $

Photo Credit: Facebook @johnshopkinsuniversity

11. Northwestern University

State: Illinois 

Median 10-Year Salary: $141,300

Median Debt after Graduation: $6,973

Photo Credit: Facebook @NorthwesternU

10. Cornell University

State: New York 

Median 10-Year Salary: $155,400

Median Debt after Graduation: $8,309

Photo Credit: Facebook @Cornell

9. Rice University

State: Texas

Median 10-Year Salary: $152,100

Median Debt after Graduation: $10,818

Photo Credit: Facebook @RiceUniversity

8. Harvard University

State: Massachusetts

Median 10-Year Salary: $171,400

Median Debt after Graduation: $9,004

Photo Credit: Facebook @Harvard

7. Penn (University of Pennsylvania)

State: Pennsylvania

Median 10-Year Salary: $171,800

Median Debt after Graduation: $12,499

Photo Credit: Facebook @UnivPennsylvania

6. Columbia University

State: New York 

Median 10-Year Salary: $156,000

Median Debt after Graduation: $16,849

Photo Credit: Facebook @columbia

5. UC Berkeley (University of California)

State: California

Median 10-Year Salary: $167,000

Median Debt after Graduation: $7,238

Photo Credit: Facebook @UCBerkeley

4. Yale University

State: Connecticut

Median 10-Year Salary: $168,300

Median Debt after Graduation: $4,926

Photo Credit: Facebook @YaleUniversity

3. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

State: Massachusetts

Median 10-Year Salary: $189,400

Median Debt after Graduation: $13,792

Photo Credit: Facebook @MITnews

2. Stanford University

State: California

Median 10-Year Salary: $177,500

Median Debt after Graduation: $12,999

Photo Credit: Facebook @Stanford

1. Princeton University

State: New Jersey 

Median 10-Year Salary: $189,400

Median Debt after Graduation:$7,559

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Photo Credit: Facebook @PrincetonU

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