2024 Best Colleges in the United States
2,217
Colleges
$88,770
Avg Salary*
84%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Colleges ranking.
Our analysis looked at 2,217 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Customizing Your List
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Top Colleges in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best school in the United States in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,620 students in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $111,222 during the early years of their career..
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Out of the 2,217 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,805 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UChicago is $76,730 during the early years of their career.
Full University of Chicago Report
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the United States list means Stanford University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,821 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford make an average of $97,798 per year during the early years of their career.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges in the United States list. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9,822 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UPenn make an average of $103,246 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 in the United States on this year’s overall quality ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 9,290 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern make an average of $80,033 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Northwestern University Report
Harvard University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #6.Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,623 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Harvard go into careers with an average salary of $84,918 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Harvard University
Duke University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6,654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Duke make an average of $93,115 a year.
Full Duke University Report
Yale University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #8. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 4,383 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 88%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Yale is $88,655 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Yale University
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5,381 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon go into careers with an average salary of $99,998 during the early years of their career.
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Princeton University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 2,075 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton make an average of $95,689 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Princeton University Report
University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 17,749 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from USC make an average of $83,426 per year during the early years of their career.
Full University of Southern California Report
Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Teachers College at Columbia University is a small private not-for-profit school located in New York, New York that handed out 1,995 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #13. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 441 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna go into careers with an average salary of $86,571 during the early years of their career.
Full Claremont McKenna College Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Columbia is located in New York, New York and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13,952 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Columbia is $89,871 during the early years of their career.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Report
Georgetown University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #15. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 7,126 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown make an average of $96,375 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Georgetown University
Rice University landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 2,500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Rice is $77,683 during the early years of their career.
Full Rice University Report
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,763 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from WUSTL make an average of $82,732 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Washington University in St Louis Report
University of California - Berkeley landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school awarded 14,685 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 76%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley is $80,364 during the early years of their career.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking.Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,734 students in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt make an average of $79,872 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Vanderbilt University
University of Notre Dame landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 91%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame go into careers with an average salary of $88,962 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Notre Dame
Brown University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 3,032 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $78,943 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Brown University
Cornell University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7,952 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell make an average of $91,176 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Cornell University Report
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #23. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,486 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 87%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins is $83,287 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Johns Hopkins University
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta, Georgia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,219 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech make an average of $88,196 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #25.Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,220 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth make an average of $91,627 per year during the early years of their career.
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