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Nearly 20 million students will enroll in colleges and universities this fall, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Niche ranked the 2019 best colleges based on academics, admissions rates, cost, and student life.We've listed the top 50 universities and colleges, plus figures for enrollment, acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings six years after graduation. Applying for college is more than taking a test or filling out an application, students decide on universities based on campus life, academics, and cost.
A projected 19.9 million students will enroll in colleges and universities this fall, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Niche ranked the best colleges for 2019 based on academic, admissions, financial, and student life data collected from the US Department of Education as well as student and alumni reviews.
The enrollment count for each college is the number of undergraduate students. The net price is the average cost after financial aid, grants, or scholarships as reported by the college. The earnings six years after graduation are the median earnings ten years after enrollment.
Keep scrolling to see the top-ranked US colleges.
50. Colby College
Enrollment: 1,879
Acceptance rate: 19%
Net price: $21,032
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $55,000
49. Lehigh University
Enrollment: 5,003
Acceptance rate: 26%
Net price: $27,478
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,200
48. University of Texas - Austin
Enrollment: 37,234
Acceptance rate: 40%
Net price: $16,010
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $54,900
47. Virginia Tech
Enrollment: 25,213
Acceptance rate: 71%
Net price: $17,190
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $ 60,500
46. Northeastern University
Enrollment: 13,444
Acceptance rate: 29%
Net price: $29,998
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,000
45. Wake Forest University
Enrollment: 4,900
Acceptance rate: 30%
Net price: $23,826
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,200
44. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Enrollment: 17,869
Acceptance rate: 27%
Net price: $10,077
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $54,100
43. Bates College
Enrollment: 1,780
Acceptance rate: 23%
Net price: $24,055
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $55,700
42. Williams College
Enrollment: 2,058
Acceptance rate: 18%
Net price: $18,167
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $54,100
41. Claremont McKenna College
Enrollment: 1,346
Acceptance rate: 9%
Net price: $30,527
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $75,000
40. Haverford College
Enrollment: 1,268
Acceptance rate: 21%
Net price: $21,144
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $56,300
39. Wellesley College
Enrollment: 2,347
Acceptance rate: 28%
Net price: $20,013
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,100
38. Georgia Institute of Technology
Enrollment: 13,815
Acceptance rate: 26%
Net price: $13,340
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $75,800
37. University of California - Berkeley
Enrollment: 28,108
Acceptance rate: 17%
Net price: $17,160
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $61,800
36. Washington & Lee University
Enrollment: 1,824
Acceptance rate: 24%
Net price: $23,867
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $72,300
35. Carleton College
Enrollment: 2,087
Acceptance rate: 23%
Net price: $28,587
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $52,600
34. Barnard College
Enrollment: 2,461
Acceptance rate: 15%
Net price: $22,815
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $56,400
33. Carnegie Mellon University
Enrollment: 6,069
Acceptance rate: 22%
Net price: $35,250
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $81,800
32. Middlebury College
Enrollment: 2,506
Acceptance rate: 16%
Net price: $21,437
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $55,600
31. United States Military Academy at West Point
Enrollment: $4,389
Acceptance rate: 10%
Net price: $0
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: Not reported
30. Swarthmore College
Enrollment: 1,542
Acceptance rate: 13%
Net price: $19,641
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $52,500
29. University of California - Los Angeles
Enrollment: 30,343
Acceptance rate: 18%
Net price: $14,236
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $58,700
28. University of Virginia
Enrollment: 15,476
Acceptance rate: 30%
Net price: $15,945
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,700
27. Emory University
Enrollment: 6,714
Acceptance rate: 25%
Net price: $24,804
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $61,500
26. Johns Hopkins University
Enrollment: 5,621
Acceptance rate: 13%
Net price: $27,352
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $69,800
25. Tufts University
Enrollment: 5,435
Acceptance rate: 14%
Net price: $28,076
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $66,500
24. Amherst College
Enrollment: $1,849
Acceptance rate: 14%
Net price: $19,055
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $59,700
23. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Enrollment: 27,969
Acceptance rate: 29%
Net price: $16,107
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,100
22. Georgetown University
Enrollment: 7,056
Acceptance rate: 17%
Net price: $26,625
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $90,100
21. Cornell University
Enrollment: 14,556
Acceptance rate: 14%
Net price: $30,014
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $73,600
20. University of Southern California
Enrollment: 18,195
Acceptance rate: 17%
Net price: $32,932
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $70,400
19. Dartmouth College
Enrollment: 4,270
Acceptance rate: 11%
Net price: $21,177
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $70,000
18. Vanderbilt University
Enrollment: 6,817
Acceptance rate: 11%
Net price: $23,150
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,500
17. Bowdoin College
Enrollment: 1,801
Acceptance rate: 15%
Net price: $24,888
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $58,700
16. Pomona College
Enrollment: 1,556
Acceptance rate: 9%
Net price: $18,140
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $56,600
15. University of Chicago
Enrollment: 5,978
Acceptance rate: 8%
Net price: $31,068
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,500
14. Northwestern University
Enrollment: 8,298
Acceptance rate: 11%
Net price: $29,326
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,900
13. University of Notre Dame
Enrollment: 8,514
Acceptance rate: 19%
Net price: $26,683
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $71,600
12. Rice University
Enrollment: 3,836
Acceptance rate: 15%
Net price: $22,061
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,300
11. Washington University in St. Louis
Enrollment: 6,915
Acceptance rate: 17%
Net price: $28,824
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $66,300
10. California Institute of Technology
Enrollment: 979
Acceptance rate: 8%
Net price: $26,839
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $74,200
9. Brown University
Enrollment: 6,565
Acceptance rate: 9%
Net price: $25,264
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $63,100
8. Duke University
Enrollment: 6,577
Acceptance rate: 11%
Net price: $19,950
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,900
7. Columbia University
Enrollment: 7,552
Acceptance rate: 7%
Net price: $22,973
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $78,200
6. University of Pennsylvania
Enrollment: 10,468
Acceptance rate: 9%
Net price: $22,944
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $82,400
5. Princeton University
Enrollment: 5,251
Acceptance rate: 7%
Net price: $17,732
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $80,500
4. Yale University
Enrollment: 5,469
Acceptance rate: 6%
Net price: $18,319
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $83,200
3. Harvard University
Enrollment: 7,151
Acceptance rate: 5%
Net price: $16,205
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $90,900
2. Stanford University
Enrollment: 7,034
Acceptance rate: 5%
Net price: $16,695
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $85,700
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Enrollment: 4,476
Acceptance rate: 8%
Net price: $21,576
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $94,200
