| America's Best Colleges |
*Cost / Year includes tuition, room and board, books, fees, and other expenses.
**SAT and ACT Range for Critical Reading and Mathematics sections. Does not include writing score. |
| Rank |
Name |
Website Address |
State |
Cost / Year |
Freshman
Class Size |
Student to
Faculty Ratio |
SAT
Range |
ACT
Range |
% of Applicants
Admitted |
Application
Deadline |
Early
Admission |
| 1 |
Princeton University |
www.princeton.edu |
NJ |
$47,975 |
1,242 |
5 to 1 |
1390-1580 |
30-34 |
10% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 2 |
California Institute of Technology |
www.caltech.edu |
CA |
$46,560 |
231 |
3 to 1 |
1470-1580 |
32-35 |
17% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 3 |
Harvard University |
www.harvard.edu |
MA |
$48,550 |
1,668 |
8 to 1 |
1400-1590 |
31-35 |
9% |
Jan. 1 |
Dec. 1 |
| 4 |
Swarthmore College |
www.swarthmore.edu |
PA |
$48,215 |
365 |
8 to 1 |
1360 - 1540 |
27 - 33 |
18% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 14 |
| 5 |
Williams College |
www.williams.edu |
MA |
$47,140 |
540 |
7 to 1 |
1340-1520 |
29-33 |
18.50% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 10 |
| 6 |
United States Military Academy |
www.usma.edu |
NY |
NA |
1,272 |
1 to 6 |
1160-1360 |
26-29 |
12.75% |
Feb. 28 |
|
| 7 |
Amherst College |
www.amherst.edu |
MA |
$48,352 |
NA |
8 to 1 |
1330-1530 |
|
18% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 8 |
Wellesley College |
www.wellesley.edu |
MA |
$47,870 |
590 |
9 to 1 |
1300-1480 |
29-32 |
35% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 1 |
| 9 |
Yale University |
www.yale.edu |
CT |
$50,350 |
1,318 |
5 to 1 |
1400-1590 |
30-34 |
10% |
Dec. 31 |
|
| 10 |
Columbia University |
www.columbia.edu |
NY |
$49,260 |
1,333 |
7 to 1 |
1330-1540 |
28-33 |
8.68% |
Jan. 2 |
Nov. 1 |
| 11 |
Northwestern University |
www.northwestern.edu |
IL |
$49,779 |
1,981 |
7 to 1 |
1350-1520 |
30-34 |
27% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 12 |
Wabash College |
www.wabash.edu |
IN |
$35,550 |
250 |
10 to 1 |
1060-1290 |
21-27 |
47% |
Mar. 31 |
|
| 13 |
Centre College |
www.centre.edu |
KY |
$37,000 |
316 |
11 to 1 |
1140-1340 |
26-30 |
60% |
Feb. 1 |
Dec. 1 |
| 14 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
www.mit.edu |
MA |
$48,200 |
1,067 |
6 to 1 |
1380-1560 |
31-34 |
11.90% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 15 |
Bowdoin College |
www.bowdoin.edu |
ME |
$48,260 |
476 |
10 to 1 |
1300-1470 |
|
19% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 16 |
United States Air Force Academy |
www.usafa.edu |
CO |
$0 |
1,214 |
8 to 1 |
1170-1340 |
27 - 31 |
14% |
Jan. 30 |
|
| 17 |
Middlebury College |
www.middlebury.edu |
VT |
$50,160 |
644 |
9 to 1 |
1300-1490 |
29-33 |
18% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 18 |
University of Chicago |
www.uchicago.edu |
IL |
$49,976 |
1,300 |
6 to 1 |
1330-1530 |
28-33 |
35% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 19 |
Smith College |
www.smith.edu |
MA |
$47,976 |
656 |
10 to 1 |
1150-1380 |
|
52% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 20 |
Pomona College |
www.pomona.edu |
CA |
$47,580 |
375 |
8 to 1 |
1380-1530 |
|
16% |
Jan. 2 |
Nov. 1 |
| 21 |
Wesleyan University |
www.wesleyan.edu |
CT |
$49,346 |
733 |
9 to 1 |
1300-1490 |
27-32 |
27% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 22 |
Haverford College |
www.haverford.edu |
PA |
$48,932 |
315 |
8 to 1 |
1290-1490 |
|
25% |
Jan. 15 |
|
| 23 |
Stanford University |
www.stanford.edu |
CA |
$49,227 |
1,721 |
6 to 1 |
1340 - 1550 |
29 - 33 |
10% |
Dec. 31 |
Oct. 31 |
| 24 |
Hamilton College |
www.hamilton.edu |
NY |
$47,900 |
468 |
9.7 to 1 |
1280-1460 |
|
28% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 25 |
Sarah Lawrence College |
www.sarahlawrence.edu |
NY |
$52,210 |
363 |
6 to 1 |
|
|
45% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 15 |
| 26 |
Barnard College |
www.barnard.edu |
NY |
$49,174 |
559 |
10 to 1 |
1260-1440 |
|
29% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 15 |
| 27 |
Brown University |
www.brown.edu |
RI |
$48,660 |
1,479 |
9 to 1 |
1330-1530 |
|
14% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 28 |
Whitman College |
www.whitman.edu |
WA |
$43,490 |
400 |
10 to 1 |
1240-1430 |
27-32 |
44.90% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 29 |
New College of Florida |
www.ncf.edu |
FL |
$15,430 |
202 |
10 to 1 |
1230-1420 |
|
57% |
April. 15 |
Feb.15 |
| 30 |
Brandeis University |
www.brandeis.edu |
MA |
$47,310 |
701 |
8 to 1 |
1280-1460 |
|
34% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 31 |
Vassar College |
www.vassar.edu |
NY |
$48,565 |
678 |
9 to 1 |
1300-1460 |
29-32 |
25% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 15 |
| 32 |
Boston College |
www.bc.edu |
MA |
$48,384 |
2,291 |
13 to 1 |
1240-1420 |
|
27% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 33 |
Bryn Mawr College |
www.brynmawr.edu |
PA |
$47,674 |
352 |
8 to 1 |
1200-1420 |
|
45% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 34 |
Kenyon College |
www.kenyon.edu |
OH |
$46,690 |
458 |
10 to 1 |
1240-1420 |
28-32 |
29% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 35 |
Franklin and Marshall College |
www.fandm.edu |
PA |
$47,254 |
569 |
10 to 1 |
1210-1380 |
|
37% |
Feb. 1 |
|
| 36 |
United States Naval Academy |
www.usna.edu |
MD |
NA |
1,161 |
|
1160-1350 |
|
12% |
Jan. 31 |
|
| 37 |
Colby College |
www.colby.edu |
ME |
$47,700 |
467 |
10 to 1 |
1280-1440 |
28-31 |
32% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 15 |
| 38 |
Washington and Lee University |
www.wlu.edu |
VA |
$47,096 |
463 |
10 to 1 |
1300-1470 |
28-31 |
27.40% |
Jan. 15 |
|
| 39 |
Westminster College |
www.westminster-mo.edu |
MO |
$25,316 |
224 |
14 to 1 |
980-1230 |
23-28 |
70% |
Rolling |
|
| 40 |
Claremont McKenna College |
www.claremontmckenna.edu |
CA |
$48,520 |
268 |
9 to 1 |
1290-1480 |
|
16% |
Jan. 2 |
Nov. 15 |
| 41 |
Rice University |
www.rice.edu |
TX |
$41,775 |
742 |
5 to 1 |
1330-1530 |
29-34 |
25% |
Jan. 2 |
Nov. 1 |
| 42 |
Cooper Union |
www.cooper.edu |
NY |
$50,225 |
219 |
8 to 1 |
1250-1470 |
29-33 |
11% |
Jan. 1 |
|
| 43 |
University of Virginia |
www.virginia.edu |
VA |
$19,325 |
3,248 |
15 to 1 |
1200-1420 |
|
35% |
Jan. 2 |
|
| 44 |
Colgate University |
www.colgate.edu |
NY |
$48,710 |
744 |
10 to 1 |
1260-1430 |
29-32 |
24% |
Jan. 15 |
Nov. 15 |
| 45 |
Bates College |
www.bates.edu |
ME |
$48,850 |
442 |
10 to 1 |
1270-1410 |
|
30% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 15 |
| 46 |
Knox College |
www.knox.edu |
IL |
$36,678 |
307 |
12 to 1 |
1190-1380 |
27-31 |
61% |
Feb. 1 |
Dec. 1 |
| 47 |
DePauw University |
www.depauw.edu |
IN |
$39,400 |
664 |
10 to 1 |
1130-1320 |
25-29 |
69% |
Feb. 1 |
|
| 48 |
Tufts University |
www.tufts.edu |
MA |
$48,900 |
1,370 |
9 to 1 |
1340 - 1490 |
29 - 32 |
28% |
Dec. 31 |
Oct. 31 |
| 49 |
College of William and Mary |
www.wm.edu |
VA |
$37,119 |
1,346 |
11 to 1 |
1250-1450 |
27-32 |
34% |
Jan. 1 |
Nov. 1 |
| 50 |
Hampden-Sydney College |
www.hsc.edu |
VA |
$38,603 |
334 |
11 to 1 |
1020-1230 |
20-26 |
67% |
Mar. 1 |
Mar. 1 |
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| Source: Forbes (2008). |
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