The 50 best colleges in America, ranked

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Duke University is ranked No. 8.

• 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.