
Whether you plan to go to school in-state or to some far-flung city in the US, this map shows you the top-ranking schools within each state, along with the vital statistics you need to know when making your post-secondary school choices.
Don't forget to check out the detailed breakdown below of the top seven colleges in the country, and the seven colleges that provide you the best bang for your buck.
IN THE US
These colleges were rated the best all-around by Forbes Magazine for 2016.


- Direct relationship with Silicone Valley
- Alma mater includes 13 billions & 17 astronauts
- There are 20 Nobel laureates currently at Stanford
- Since 1908, Stanford students have won Olympic medals in every game for a total of 244 — 129 gold medals — more than any other US college.







- Business
- Earth Sciences
- Education
- Engineering
- Humanities and Sciences
- Law
- Medicine

- Computer Science
- Human Biology
- Engineering, Other

- Former President Herbert Hoover
- Pulitzer Prize winning author John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
- Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
- Award-winning journalist Ted Koppel
- Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight
- Actress Sigourney Weaver, “Alien”
- 1st woman in space Sally Ride
- Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings
- PayPal Co-Founder & Facebook Investor Peter Thiel
- TV host & political commentator Rachel Maddow
- Championship golfer Tiger Woods
- Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin

The screenplay for “Legally Blonde” was based on writer Amanda Brown’s experiences in Stanford’s law school.


- Superior academics — 40% of students are double majors
- Superior athletics — more than 1/3rd of students are varsity athletes
- 35 Rhodes Scholars
- 7 Pulitzer Prize winners







There are many majors, but no academic schools. Students choose from a list in the following requirements:
- three humanities
- three social sciences
- three maths & sciences
- two writing
- one abstract reasoning
- one culture class

- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- English Language and Literature, General

Although the tuition is very expensive, William’s provides a need-blind admissions policy in which students are given 100% of their demonstrated need by the college for all four years of their program.

- Former President James Garfield
- AOL Co-founder Steve Case
- Composer Stephen Sondheim, “West Side Story”
- Jay McInerney, author, “Bright Lights, Big City”
- Author & Journalist Dominick Dunne
- Director Elia Kazan, “A Streetcar Named Desire”

Author Charles Webb began his semi-biographical novel The Graduate during his final year at William’s College. It went on to become a defining movie of the 60s generation.


- Extensive engineering research Superior academics
- Alumni leadership
- Lowest tuition of any ivy-league school







- 35 undergraduate and graduate departments
- Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Public Policy Analysis, General

- Former President James Madison
- Former PResident Woodrow Wilson
- Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”
- Actor Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
- Former Secretary of State James Baker
- Writer & Director Ethan Coen, “No Country For Old Men”
- Editor-in-chief of The New Yorker David Remnick
- “X-Files” actor David Duchovny
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos
- HP CEO Meg Whitman
- FORBES Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes

Princeton’s historic campus makes it the perfect setting for Hollywood movies including “A Beautiful Mind,” “Across the Universe,” and “I.Q.”


- Oldest college in the U.S.
- Has the highest number of graduates that went
- John Adams, 1735-1826
- John Quincy Adams, 1767-1848
- Rutherford B. Hayes, 1822-1893
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945
- John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963
- George W. Bush, 1946-
- Barack Obama, 1961-







- Harvard Business School
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Harvard Divinity School
- Faculty of Arts & Sciences
- Graduate School of Design
- Graduate School of Education
- Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
- Harvard Law School
- Harvard Medical School
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

- Political Science and Government, General
- Economics, General
- Social Sciences, General

- Former President James Madison
- Former PResident Woodrow Wilson
- Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”
- Actor Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
- Former Secretary of State James Baker
- Writer & Director Ethan Coen, “No Country For Old Men”
- Editor-in-chief of The New Yorker David Remnick
- “X-Files” actor David Duchovny
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos
- HP CEO Meg Whitman
- FORBES Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes

Harvard student Ted Kaczyski, a mathematician, was identified as the “Unibomber,” who sent letter bombs to university professors resulting in three fatalities.


- 85 Nobel laureates
- 65 Marshall Scholars
- 52 National Medal of Science Recipients
- 45 Rhodes Scholars
- 38 MacArthur Fellows
- 19 Turing award winners
- 6 Fields Medalists
- 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners
- 2 Millennium Technology Prize Winners







- Engineering
- Science
- Management
- Humanities, Arts, and Social
- Sciences
- Architecture

- Computer Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mathematics, General

- Former UN Head Kofi Annan
- Architect IM Pei, Rock-n-roll Hall of Fame
- Architect Daniel Chester French, the Lincoln Memorial
- Technicolor Inventor Herbert Kalmus
- Bose Corporation Founder Amar Bose
- iRobot Co-founder Colin Angle
- iRobot Co-founder Helen Greiner, Founder & President, CyPhy Works
- Ethernet Inventor & 3COM Founder Robert Metcalfe
- Developer of Google Voice, Google Toolbar, and Google Analytics Wesley Chan
- Optical Mouse Inventor Steve Kirsch, Founder, Infoseek Corporation
- Guitar Hero and Rock Band Developer Alex Rigopulos
- Eric Wilhelm, Founder & CEO of Instructables

MIT has a tradition of “hacks,” or elaborate practical jokes the students play on the campus community. Some of the most famous include:
- Putting a police car on the roof of the Great Dome
- Transforming a campus tower into the world's largest volume meter during a Boston Pops concert
- Launching a giant "MIT" balloon from beneath the football field at a Harvard-Yale football game
- Replacing the Lobby 7 skylight with the Jurassic Park logo
- Transforming the Great Dome into an enormous R2D2


- Top-ranking law school
- Highly-regarded schools of management, medicine, art and nursing
- Famous drama and music schools







- Architecture
- Art
- Divinity
- Drama
- Forestry & Environmental Studies
- Law
- M.D.
- Music
- Nursing
- Physician Associate
- Public Health

- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- History, General

- Former President George H. W. Bush
- Former President George W. Bush
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Actor & Director Paul Newman, “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid”
- Author Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
- Journalist Bob Woodward, “The Washington Post”
- FDirector Oliver Stone, “Platoon”
- Actress Meryl Streep, “Sophie’s Choice”
- Economist & Author Paul Krugman/li>
- Actress & Director Jodie Foster, “Silence of the Lambs”
- Journalist Anderson Cooper, CNN
- Actress Jennifer Connelly, “A Beautiful Mind”
- Actor Edward Norton, “Fight Club”
- Actress Claire Danes, “Homeland”

Yale’s underground society Skull & Bones is rumored to house the skull of Geronimo and maintains top secret traditions. Members are selected from those in the junior class who show influence and breeding. Famous members include John F. Kerry, FedEx Founder Frederick Wallace Smith, George W. Bush, Journalist Dana Milbank,


- Small college with intimate classes
- 8:1 student-faculty ratio







Part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, meaning that students can also attend classes at these other colleges:
- Scripps College
- Claremont McKenna College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Pitzer College
- Claremont Graduate University
- Keck Graduate Institute of Applied
- Life Sciences.

- Economics, General
- Mathematics, General Biology/Biological Sciences, General

- Actor Richard Chamberlain, “The Thornbirds”
- Actor & Musician Kris Kristofferson, “A Star is Born”
- Writer & Director David Ward, “Major League”
- Actress Kelly Perine, “The Drew Carey Show”

Pomona College students enjoy a tradition called “Ski-Beach Day,” where they spend the morning skiing at a resort and the afternoon relaxing on an Orange County beach.
BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
These colleges have the highest graduation rate and starting salaries with the lowest tuition costs.




- Political Science and Government, General
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
- Economics, General










- Mechanical Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Economics, General










- Business Administration and Management, General
- Systems Engineering
- Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering










- Mechanical Engineering
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Industrial Engineering







Mining and Technology




- Mechanical Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Chemical Engineering











- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- Business/Commerce, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General











- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Psychology, General









- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Business/Commerce, General
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Biomedical Sciences, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Journalism





- Biology
- Psychology
- Accounting






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Psychology, General
- Accounting






- Business
- Social Sciences
- Biological/Life Sciences






- Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
- Journalism, Other
- Social Work






- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Elementary Education and Teaching






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology





- Nursing
- Finance
- Kinesiology






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Early Childhood Education and Teaching





- Computer Science
- Human Biology
- Engineering, Other





- Economics, General
- Mathematics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- Accounting
- International Relations and Affairs





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Systems Engineering
- Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering





- Economics, General
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Fine/Studio Arts, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric






- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- History, General





- Economics, General
- Psychology, General
- Psychology, General





- Economics, General
- Psychology, General
- lnternational Relations and Affairs





- Finance, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Kinesiology and Exercise Science






- Nursing Practice
- Behavioral Sciences
- Business Administration and Management, General




- International Relations and Affairs
- Political Science and Government, General
- Finance, General





- International Relations and Affairs
- Political Science and Government, General
- Psychology, General





- International Relations and Affairs
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General
- Business Administration and Management, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Psychology, General
- Finance, General





- Psychology, General
- Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
- English Language and Literature, General






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General





- Mechanical Engineering
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Industrial Engineering






- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences,
- General Finance, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Psychology, General
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric






- Economics, General
- Psychology, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- Actuarial Science





- Kinesiology and Exercise Science
- Finance, General
- Psychology, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General





- General Studies
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Exercise Physiology





- Psychology, General
- General Studies
- Mechanical Engineering






- Economics, General
- Journalism
- Psychology, General





- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Accounting
- Psychology, General
- Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology






- Economics, General
- Public Policy Analysis, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Business/Commerce, General
- Public Administration
- Kinesiology and Exercise Science





- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Criminology
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric






- Journalism
- Psychology
- General Accounting






- Human Development and Family Studies, General
- Animal Sciences, General
- Elementary Education and Teaching






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Business/Commerce, General
- Mass Communication/Media Studies





- English Language and Literature, General
- Economics, Other
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Kinesiology and Exercise Science
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General





- Psychology, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Finance, General
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
- Psychology, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Business Administration and Management, General






- General Studies
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Business Administration and Management, General






- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- English Language and Literature, General





- Political Science and Government, General
- Economics, General
- Social Sciences, General





- Computer Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mathematics, General





- Political Science and Government, General
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
- Economics, General





- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
- Public Health, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Criminology






- Political Science and Government, General
- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Psychology, General





- Economics, General
- Psychology, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Experimental Psychology
- Economics, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General
- Chemistry, General





- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Psychology, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Chemistry, General





- Psychology, General
- Finance, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Elementary Education and Teaching
- Psychology, General





- Business/Commerce, General
- Journalism
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General





- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Elementary Education and Teaching
- Psychology, General






- Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Elementary Education and Teaching






- Political Science and Government, General
- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- Public Policy Analysis, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General
- Mass Communication/Media Studies






- General Studies
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Psychology, General






- Human Development and Family Studies, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Zoology/Animal Biology






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Business/Commerce, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- Economics, General
- Engineering Science





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Criminology
- Business/Commerce, General





- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Public Policy Analysis, General





- Psychology, General
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Elementary Education and Teaching






- Liberal Arts and Sciences
- General Studies and Humanities





- Mechanical Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Chemical Engineering






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General






- Hospitality Administration/Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Mechanical Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Economics, General





- Economics, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Political Science and Government, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Hotel/Motel Administration/Management
- Labor and Industrial Relations





- Music Performance, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- English Language and Literature, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Economics, General
- Mass Communication/Media Studies
- Psychology, General





- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General
- Organizational Behavior Studies
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies






- Petroleum Engineering
- Finance, General
- Psychology, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- Accounting






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- English Language and Literature, General
- Anthropology





- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General





- Psychology, General
- International Relations and Affairs
- English Language and Literature, General





- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Computer and Information Sciences, General





- Finance, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Psychology, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Economics, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Neuroscience





- Illustration
- Industrial and Product Design
- Architecture





- Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- Accounting
- Finance, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Finance, General
- Business/Managerial Economics





- Political Science and Government, General
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
- Business Administration and Management, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Business Administration and Management, General





- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
- Psychology, General






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Animal Sciences, General
- Economics, General






- Economics, General
- Social Sciences, General
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other





- English Language and Literature, General
- Economics, General
- Psychology, General






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Psychology, General





- Biochemistry
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Psychology, General






- Mass Communication/Media Studies
- Engineering Science
- Accounting





- Exercise Physiology
- Psychology, General
- English Language and Literature, General





- Psychology, General
- Communication, General
- Human Development and Family Studies, General






- Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
- Economics, General
- Business Administration and Management, General






- Economics, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Environmental Studies





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Environmental Studies






- Visual and Performing Arts, General
- English Language and Literature, General
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General





- Business Administration and Management, General
- Economics, General
- Accounting and Business/Management





- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- Business/Commerce, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Political Science and Government, General
- Psychology, General






- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- English Language and Literature, General
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology





- Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General






- Business Administration and Management, General
- Psychology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General





- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Economics, General
- Psychology, General






- Music Performance, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Political Science and Government, General





- Psychology, General
- Anthropology
- Science, Technology and Society





- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
- Journalism
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse






- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Athletic Training/Trainer





- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Elementary Education and Teaching
- Psychology, General



