The 610 smartest colleges in America

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Where should you go if you want to be among the smartest college students in the nation?

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Exclusively for Business Insider, Jonathan Wai, a Duke University Talent Identification Program research scientist, calculated a ranking of America's colleges and universities based on brainpower, as reflected by the school's average standardized test scores.

These tests are often criticized, but research shows that both the SAT and ACT are good measures of general cognitive ability, since just about any mental test measures one's ability to reason. Therefore, the scores that schools report to U.S. News & World Report give a reasonable snapshot of a school's overall smarts.

We updated last year's ranking by including all the schools in the national university, liberal arts college, regional university, and regional college lists that reported SAT or ACT scores in the latest U.S. News ranking.

ACT scores were converted to SAT scores (math + verbal) using this concordance table so all schools could be compared on one metric. Then, an average of the 25th and 75th percentile was computed (see more detail on methods and limitations here). This resulted in a total of 1,338 schools analyzed this year, from which we pulled the top 610.

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On the following ranking, a (2) next to the school's name indicates that some or all students aren't required to supply scores; a (3) indicates that the school did not supply all students it has scores for, or did not tell U.S. News if it had; a (4) indicates that the data is from a previous year, rather than from the most recent year; and a (9) indicates that the school may not require scores from all applicants and that it may not have submitted data for all students.

Here are the smartest colleges in America:

Smarts Rank SchoolAverage SAT
1California Institute of Technology1550
2University of Chicago1510
3Harvard University1505
3Yale University1505
5Princeton University1500
6Massachusetts Institute of Technology1495
7Harvey Mudd College1494
8Columbia University1480
9Stanford University1475
9Northwestern University1475
11Rice University1470
12Vanderbilt University1465
12Washington University in St. Louis1465
12University of Notre Dame1465
15Duke University1460
15Pomona College1460
17University of Pennsylvania1455
17Dartmouth College1455
17Williams College1455
20Amherst College1450
20Swarthmore College1450
22Johns Hopkins University1445
22Bowdoin College (2)1445
24Brown University1440
24Carnegie Mellon University1440
24Tufts University1440
27Claremont McKenna College1435
28Cornell University1420
28Georgetown University1420
28Northeastern University1420
31Carleton College1415
32Haverford College1410
33Vassar College1405
34Georgia Institute of Technology1400
34Grinnell College1400
36Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute1395
37University of California-?Berkeley1390
37Hamilton College1390
37Washington and Lee University1390
40Wellesley College1385
40Wesleyan University (2)1385
42University of Southern California1380
42University of Michigan-?Ann Arbor1380
44Colgate University (3)1375
44Reed College (4)1375
44Cooper Union1375
47Emory University1370
47College of William and Mary1370
47Case Western Reserve University1370
50Macalester College1368
51Boston College1365
51Brandeis University1365
51Middlebury College1365
54Tulane University1360
54Scripps College (3)1360
56University of Virginia1355
56Smith College (2)1355
56Oberlin College1355
56Bates College (2)1355
60New York University1345
60University of Rochester (2)1345
60Barnard College1345
63Colorado School of Mines1340
63Stevens Institute of Technology1340
63Colorado College (2)1340
63United States Air Force Academy1340
63Bard College at Simon's Rock (9)1340
68Davidson College1335
68Mount Holyoke College (2)1335
70Colby College (2)1330
70Pitzer College (2)1330
70Connecticut College (2)1330
70St. John's College (NM) (2)1330
74University of California-?Los Angeles1325
74Kenyon College1325
74University of Richmond1325
77Lehigh University1320
77University of Miami1320
77Southern Methodist University1320
77Bryn Mawr College (2)1320
77St. John's College (MD) (2)1320
77Wheaton College (IL)1320
83Wake Forest University (2)1315
83University of Maryland-?College Park1315
83Whitman College1315
86Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)1310
86Villanova University1310
88University of North Carolina-?Chapel Hill1305
88University of Illinois-?Urbana-?Champaign1305
88University of Tulsa1305
88Bucknell University1305
88College of the Holy Cross (2)1305
88Union College (NY) (2)1305
88Franklin and Marshall College (2)1305
88St. Olaf College1305
96University of California-?San Diego1300
96Boston University1300
96Ohio State University-?Columbus1300
96Brigham Young University-?Provo1300
96Lafayette College1300
96Occidental College1300
96Rhodes College1300
96Hillsdale College1300
96Santa Clara University1300
105George Washington University1295
106Binghamton University-?SUNY1290
107University of Wisconsin-?Madison1285
107Missouri University of Science & Technology1285
107United States Naval Academy1285
107Centre College1285
107Gettysburg College1285
107Denison University (9)1285
107Lewis & Clark College (2)1285
107Bennington College (9)1285
115University of Texas-?Austin1280
115Dickinson College (2)1280
115Bard College (2)1280
115New College of Florida1280
119United States Military Academy1275
120University of Pittsburgh1270
120Sarah Lawrence College (2)1270
122University of Florida1265
122University of Minnesota-?Twin Cities1265
122Illinois Institute of Technology1265
122Sewanee-?University of the South (2)1265
122Lawrence University (2)1265
122Hendrix College1265
122Thomas Aquinas College1265
122Trinity University1265
122United States Merchant Marine Academy1265
131Earlham College (2)1260
132Clemson University1255
132University of Texas-?Dallas1255
132United States Coast Guard Academy1255
135University of California-?Santa Barbara1250
135University of Connecticut1250
135Fordham University1250
135Stony Brook University-?SUNY1250
139American University (2)1245
139Miami University-?Oxford1245
139University of Denver1245
139North Carolina State University-?Raleigh1245
139Florida State University1245
139Saint Louis University1245
139Michigan Technological University1245
139Trinity College (CT)1245
139College of Wooster1245
139Kalamazoo College1245
139Illinois Wesleyan University1245
139Transylvania University1245
139Butler University (3)1245
139Drake University1245
139Milwaukee School of Engineering1245
154Yeshiva University1240
154Skidmore College1240
154Bentley University1240
157University of Georgia1235
157Furman University (2)1235
157Wheaton College (MA) (2)1235
157Emerson College1235
161University of Washington1230
161Soka University of America1230
161Hobart and William Smith Colleges (2)1230
164Pepperdine University1225
164Baylor University1225
164Texas Christian University1225
164Marquette University1225
164University of Colorado-?Boulder1225
164University of San Diego1225
164Loyola University Chicago1225
164Auburn University1225
164University of Alabama-?Huntsville1225
164DePauw University1225
164Beloit College (2)1225
164Muhlenberg College (2)1225
164Gustavus Adolphus College (2)1225
164Wofford College1225
164Marlboro College (2)1225
164CUNY-?Baruch College (3)1225
164Elon University1225
164Truman State University1225
164Kettering University1225
164California Polytechnic State University-?San Luis Obispo (3)1225
164Taylor University1225
185Clark University (2)1221
186University of Puget Sound1220
186College of the Atlantic (2)1220
186SUNY-?Geneseo1220
189University of California-?Davis1215
189Virginia Tech1215
189Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-?New Brunswick (3)1215
189University of Massachusetts-?Amherst1215
189College of New Jersey1215
189Rochester Institute of Technology1215
195University of Maryland-?Baltimore County1210
196Purdue University-?West Lafayette1205
196University of Alabama1205
196University of Tennessee1205
196University of Dayton1205
196University of South Carolina1205
196University of St. Thomas1205
196Knox College (2)1205
196Cornell College1205
196Berry College1205
196Creighton University1205
206Grove City College1202
207University of Delaware1200
207St. Lawrence University (2)1200
207Willamette University1200
207Ithaca College (2)1200
207Loyola Marymount University1200
207Chapman University1200
207University of Dallas (3)1200
214Drexel University1195
214University of North Carolina-?Asheville1195
214Gonzaga University1195
214University of Portland1195
218St. Mary's College of Maryland1194
219Pennsylvania State University-?University Park1190
219Clarkson University1190
219New Jersey Institute of Technology1190
219Rollins College (2)1190
219Mercer University1190
219University of North Carolina-?Wilmington1190
225Texas A&M University-?College Station1185
225SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry1185
225University of Vermont1185
225University of Oklahoma1185
225University of Central Florida1185
225College of St. Benedict1185
225Millsaps College1185
225Hope College1185
225Augustana College (2)1185
225Birmingham-?Southern College1185
225Calvin College (2)1185
225Loyola University Maryland (2)1185
225Samford University1185
225Belmont University1185
225Lipscomb University1185
225Valparaiso University1185
225Drury University1185
225Franciscan University of Steubenville1185
225New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology1185
225Covenant College1185
225North Greenville University (3)1185
225Ohio Northern University (3)1185
225Cedarville University1185
248Marist College (9)1180
248Cogswell Polytechnical College1180
250University of the Pacific1176
251University of California-?Irvine1175
251Syracuse University1175
251Indiana University-?Bloomington1175
251Fairfield University (2)1175
251Pratt Institute1175
256Stetson University (2)1173
257Westmont College1170
257Seattle University1170
257LeTourneau University (2)1170
260Michigan State University1165
260University of Iowa1165
260University of Missouri1165
260DePaul University (2)1165
260Louisiana State University-?Baton Rouge1165
260University of Arkansas1165
260University of Cincinnati1165
260St. John's University1165
260St. Mary's College1165
260Luther College1165
260Lake Forest College (2)1165
260Concordia College-?Moorhead1165
260Simmons College1165
260Wagner College (2)1165
260CUNY-?Hunter College1165
260Union University1165
260Bradley University1165
260Rockhurst University1165
260Whitworth University (9)1165
260Oklahoma City University (3)1165
260John Brown University1165
260Augustana University1165
282University of South Florida1160
282Agnes Scott College (2)1160
282Allegheny College1160
282Virginia Military Institute (3)1160
286Southwestern University1155
286Ursinus College (2)1155
286Washington College (2)1155
286Gordon College (3)1155
286New York Institute of Technology1155
286Christopher Newport University (2)1155
292Bryant University (2)1153
293University at Buffalo-?SUNY1150
293George Mason University (2)1150
293St. Michael's College (2)1150
293Goucher College (2)1150
293Salisbury University (9)1150
293Appalachian State University1150
299University of California-?Santa Cruz1145
299University of Nebraska-?Lincoln1145
299Iowa State University1145
299University of San Francisco1145
299University of Kansas1145
299Arizona State University-?Tempe (2)1145
299University of Kentucky1145
299Kansas State University (2)1145
299Oklahoma State University1145
299University of Massachusetts-?Lowell1145
299Maryville University of St. Louis1145
299University of Louisville (3)1145
299University of Houston1145
299Juniata College (9)1145
299Ohio Wesleyan University (2)1145
299Coe College1145
299University of Minnesota-?Morris1145
299Wittenberg University (2)1145
299William Jewell College (2)1145
299Judson College (4)1145
299Providence College (2)1145
299Loyola University New Orleans1145
299Harding University1145
299Bethel University1145
299University of Wisconsin-?La Crosse1145
299Oklahoma Christian University (3)1145
299Asbury University1145
299Carroll College1145
327Hofstra University (2)1140
327Florida Institute of Technology1140
327St. Anselm College (2)1140
327James Madison University1140
327University of South Florida-?St. Petersburg1140
327Seattle Pacific University (3)1140
327Champlain College (3)1140
334Duquesne University (2)1135
334Washington and Jefferson College (2)1135
334Oglethorpe University1135
334Mills College1135
338University of California-?Riverside1130
338Seton Hall University1130
338Wabash College1130
338College of Charleston1130
338Georgia College & State University1130
338Elizabethtown College1130
338Florida Southern College1130
345University of Utah1125
345The Catholic University of America1125
345Colorado State University1125
345University of Illinois-?Chicago (3)1125
345Mississippi State University1125
345University of Wyoming1125
345Montana State University1125
345Nova Southeastern University1125
345Berea College1125
345Austin College1125
345Albion College1125
345Eckerd College (3)1125
345St. Norbert College1125
345Nebraska Wesleyan University1125
345Simpson College1125
345Centenary College of Louisiana1125
345Westminster College1125
345Ouachita Baptist University1125
345Lyon College1125
345University of Scranton1125
345St. Joseph's University (2)1125
345Bellarmine University1125
345Spring Hill College1125
345Mississippi College (3)1125
345Freed-?Hardeman University1125
345Xavier University (3)1125
345John Carroll University1125
345University of Evansville1125
345North Central College1125
345Lawrence Technological University1125
345Westminster College1125
345Regis University (3)1125
345Messiah College1125
345Aquinas College1125
345Benedictine College1125
345Martin Luther College (4)1125
345Montana Tech of the University of Montana1125
382Temple University (2)1120
382Siena College (2)1120
384New School (2)1115
384Adelphi University (9)1115
384Florida International University1115
384Stonehill College (2)1115
384Susquehanna University (2)1115
384Goshen College1115
384Warren Wilson College (2)1115
384Rowan University1115
384SUNY-?New Paltz1115
384Roger Williams University (2)1115
384Point Loma Nazarene University1115
384Wentworth Institute of Technology1115
396University of Oregon1110
396Ohio University1110
396Illinois State University1110
396San Diego State University1110
396Biola University1110
396Drew University (2)1110
396The King's College1110
396Quinnipiac University1110
396Assumption College (2)1110
396Embry-?Riddle Aeronautical University (2)1110
396University of Mary Washington1110
396University of North Florida1110
396University of Detroit Mercy1110
396University of Wisconsin-?Eau Claire1110
396University of Minnesota-?Duluth1110
396St. Edward's University1110
396Massachusetts Maritime Academy1110
396Milligan College1110
414Howard University1105
414Oregon State University1105
414University of Mississippi (2)1105
414University of Alabama-?Birmingham1105
414Virginia Commonwealth University (2)1105
414University of Rhode Island (3)1105
414University of Missouri-?Kansas City1105
414Louisiana Tech University1105
414Georgia Southern University (3)1105
414University of Missouri-?St. Louis1105
414Ripon College1105
414Central College1105
414Houghton College1105
414Salem College1105
414Alma College1105
414Wartburg College1105
414Carthage College1105
414Georgetown College1105
414Hartwick College (2)1105
414SUNY-?Oswego (3)1105
414Albertus Magnus College (3)1105
414Christian Brothers University1105
414Tennessee Technological University1105
414Lee University (3)1105
414University of North Georgia1105
414Hamline University1105
414Webster University1105
414Indiana Wesleyan University1105
414College of St. Scholastica1105
414Capital University (3)1105
414University of Michigan-?Dearborn1105
414Olivet Nazarene University1105
414Abilene Christian University1105
414Western Washington University1105
414University of St. Thomas1105
414SUNY Maritime College1105
414Marietta College (4)1105
414Northwestern College1105
414Dordt College (3)1105
414University of Northwestern-?St. Paul1105
414Oklahoma Baptist University1105
455Hampden-?Sydney College1103
456High Point University1101
457University of New Hampshire1100
457St. John's University1100
457Texas Tech University1100
457University of North Texas (3)1100
457Purchase College-?SUNY1100
457Arcadia University1100
457CUNY-?Queens College1100
457CUNY-?City College (3)1100
457University of Redlands1100
457California Lutheran University1100
467University of Arizona (2)1095
467University at Albany-?SUNY1095
467Ball State University (2)1095
467Roanoke College1095
467Salve Regina University (2)1095
467Pacific Lutheran University1095
467California Maritime Academy (4)1095
474Sacred Heart University (2)1092
475West Virginia University1090
475University of North Dakota (3)1090
475North Dakota State University (3)1090
475University of West Florida (3)1090
475Wichita State University (2)1090
475Presbyterian College (2)1090
475McDaniel College1090
475Wisconsin Lutheran College1090
475Northland College1090
475Manhattan College (3)1090
475Ramapo College of New Jersey1090
475Stockton University1090
475Emmanuel College (2)1090
475SUNY Polytechnic Institute (3)1090
475The Citadel1090
475Arkansas State University1090
475University of Tennessee-?Chattanooga1090
475Elmhurst College1090
475Otterbein University1090
475St. Catherine University1090
475Grand Valley State University1090
475Carroll University1090
475Aquinas College (3)1090
475Concordia University Wisconsin (3)1090
475Missouri State University1090
475Viterbo University (4)1090
475St. Mary's College of California1090
475Pacific University (3)1090
475University of Colorado-?Colorado Springs1090
475Lebanon Valley College (2)1090
475Carson-?Newman University1090
475Loras College1090
507University of Hawaii-?Manoa (3)1085
507Andrews University1085
507University of North Carolina-?Charlotte1085
507Randolph-?Macon College1085
507Nazareth College (2)1085
507SUNY College-?Oneonta (3)1085
507Towson University1085
507Lesley University1085
507Columbia International University1085
507William Carey University (3)1085
507University of Illinois-?Springfield1085
507Concordia University1085
507Newman University (9)1085
507George Fox University1085
507Hastings College1085
507Trinity Christian College1085
523Hollins University1080
523Linfield College1080
523Kennesaw State University1080
523Walla Walla University1080
523Master's College and Seminary1080
528University of Maine1075
528University of Nevada-?Reno1075
528Principia College1075
528Randolph College1075
528Canisius College1075
528Philadelphia University1075
528Endicott College (2)1075
528West Chester University of Pennsylvania1075
528University of Tampa1075
537St. Mary's University of Minnesota1070
537South Dakota State University1070
537Oakland University1070
537Trevecca Nazarene University (3)1070
537Trinity International University1070
537University of Louisiana-?Lafayette1070
537University of Memphis1070
537University of Montana (3)1070
537University of New Orleans1070
537Utah State University1070
537Wayne State University1070
537Doane College (3)1070
537Ave Maria University (4)1070
537Bethany Lutheran College1070
537Maryville College1070
537Misericordia University (3)1070
537Western New England University1070
537University of New England1070
537Murray State University1070
537University of Montevallo1070
537University of Central Arkansas1070
537King University (3)1070
537Augsburg College (3)1070
537Lewis University1070
537Baker University1070
537University of St. Francis1070
537Southern Illinois University-?Edwardsville1070
537University of Wisconsin-?Platteville (3)1070
537California State Polytechnic University-?Pomona (3)1070
537Southern Utah University1070
537University of the Ozarks1070
537Southern Adventist University1070
537Bryan College1070
537Florida College (3)1070
537College of the Ozarks (3)1070
537University of Mount Union1070
537Marian University (3)1070
537Stephens College (3)1070
537Judson University1070
537Greenville College1070
537Evangel University (3)1070
537Kansas Wesleyan University1070
537Lake Superior State University (2)1070
537Rocky Mountain College1070
581St. John Fisher College1065
581Georgia State University (3)1065
581Whittier College1065
581SUNY-?Plattsburgh (3)1065
581CUNY-?Brooklyn College1065
581Manhattanville College (2)1065
581Lincoln Memorial University1065
588Green Mountain College (4)1060
588Molloy College1060
588Alfred University1060
588Houston Baptist University1060
588Seton Hill University (2)1060
588Elmira College1060
588Brigham Young University-?Hawaii (4)1060
595Alaska Pacific University (3)1058
596Hanover College1055
596College of Idaho1055
596Albright College (2)1055
596Marymount Manhattan College1055
596Le Moyne College1055
596Robert Morris University1055
596Roberts Wesleyan College1055
596University of New Haven1055
596Winthrop University1055
596California State University-?Long Beach1055
596University of Houston-?Clear Lake1055
596Geneva College1055
608Trine University1053
609University of Texas-?Tyler1052
610Southern Illinois University-?Carbondale1050
610Edgewood College1050
610Kent State University1050
610Pace University (2)1050
610University of New Mexico1050
610University of South Dakota1050
610Bowling Green State University1050
610Central Michigan University1050
610Ashland University1050
610University of Colorado-?Denver1050
610Florida Atlantic University1050
610University of Akron1050
610University of Alaska-?Fairbanks1050
610University of Massachusetts-?Boston1050
610University of Nebraska-?Omaha1050
610University of South Alabama (2)1050
610Westminster College1050
610University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma1050
610Xavier University of Louisiana1050
610Mount St. Mary's University1050
610St. Bonaventure University1050
610Monmouth University1050
610College at Brockport-?SUNY1050
610SUNY College-?Cortland (2)1050
610York College of Pennsylvania1050
610Western Kentucky University1050
610University of Tennessee-?Martin1050
610Troy University (3)1050
610Northern Kentucky University1050
610University of the Cumberlands1050
610Cumberland University1050
610Jacksonville State University (3)1050
610Louisiana State University-?Shreveport (3)1050
610Baldwin Wallace University (2)1050
610University of Northern Iowa1050
610St. Ambrose University1050
610University of Nebraska-?Kearney1050
610University of Wisconsin-?Stevens Point (9)1050
610University of Wisconsin-?Whitewater (2)1050
610University of Findlay1050
610Walsh University1050
610Malone University1050
610Mount Vernon Nazarene University1050
610McKendree University1050
610University of Wisconsin-?River Falls1050
610Winona State University1050
610Northwest Missouri State University1050
610College of St. Mary1050
610Concordia University Chicago1050
610University of Wisconsin-?Green Bay1050
610Fontbonne University1050
610William Woods University1050
610Southeast Missouri State University (3)1050
610Madonna University1050
610Cornerstone University1050
610Lindenwood University1050
610Minnesota State University-?Moorhead1050
610Minot State University1050
610Roosevelt University1050
610University of Mary (3)1050
610Hardin-?Simmons University (3)1050
610San Jose State University1050
610Flagler College1050
610Wheeling Jesuit University1050
610Brescia University1050
610Williams Baptist College (4)1050
610Midway College (4)1050
610Millikin University1050
610Buena Vista University1050
610Clarke University (4)1050
610Morningside College1050
610Eureka College1050
610Central Methodist University1050
610University of Jamestown (3)1050
610Grace College and Seminary (3)1050
610Tabor College1050
610Maranatha Baptist University1050
610Oregon Institute of Technology1050

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