There are a number of different college rankings, each using a different set of criteria to rank colleges. For example, the U.S. News and World Report rankings use a number of academic criteria to determine their top colleges.
Other college rankings such as Forbes and Wall Street Journal use a more finance-focused approach to determine their top colleges. While these rankings are useful, it is important to take them with a grain of salt.
1. Harvard University
The oldest institute of higher learning in the United States, Harvard University was established in 1636. It boasts one of the world’s largest endowments and a prestigious reputation. Eight of the current presidents have graduated from the school and the alumni include prominent figures such as Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The prestigious university has many notable campus landmarks including its library, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and the Harvard-Yenching Institute in Washington, D.C. Its undergraduate program is renowned and it offers a variety of fields of study such as liberal arts, area studies, astronomy and computer science.
In terms of quality, Harvard ranks first in most categories but loses ground to Yale on diversity and faculty/student ratio. Overall, the college is a top-ranked choice for students interested in a traditional four-year degree that will provide a great return on their investment.
2. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a leading international university renowned for its research and teaching. Its faculty and students conduct world-class research across a wide range of disciplines.
Its reputation is built mainly on its strength in theology and philosophy but it has always given serious treatment to the physical sciences, too: Roger Bacon conducted his scientific experiments there from 1247 to 1257.
The university has a total of 38 independent colleges and is a member of the Russell Group of top research universities in England and the Coimbra Group of European elite universities. The academic heads of the colleges are known as wardens, provosts, principals or presidents. Oxford also offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Its graduates go on to become notable politicians, scientists, lawyers and authors.
3. University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is considered one of the best scientific, technical and literary colleges in the world. It has been discovering, challenging and inspiring for 800 years. Its academics and students continue to be bold and innovative, undertaking journeys of discovery that range from splitting the atom to understanding DNA, from developing medicines to addressing global challenges like climate change and poverty.
Its collegiate system allows it to provide a unique blend of undergraduate and graduate teaching, with lectures and seminars taught by university departments and more personalised instruction delivered through the colleges. The colleges are also responsible for arranging most supervisions and providing student accommodation.
Notable alumni of the University of Cambridge include Francis Bacon, who developed the scientific method of inquiry; physicists Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell; and pure mathematicians G. H. Hardy, John Edensor Littlewood, and Srinivasa Ramanujan. The university has produced nine Poets Laureate and is home to influential critics such as F. R. Leavis and Raymond Williams.
4. University of California at Berkeley
The University of California at Berkeley, known as UC Berkeley or Cal, is widely considered the best scientific, technical and literary college in the world. It has a long history of social activism, including the Free Speech Movement and student opposition to the Vietnam War, and its campus is sprinkled with Beaux-Arts buildings that are recognized as California Historical Landmarks.
In addition to evaluating academic quality, WalletHub’s rankings also factor in how well students do financially after they graduate. The site considers factors such as post-attendance earnings and student loan default rates, while weighing them against overall costs and benefits for each school.
UC Berkeley also scored high on the website’s ranking of schools based on social mobility, with six campuses in the top 30 nationwide. This year, the university was ranked as the best for students from low-income families.
5. University of California at Los Angeles
Founded in 1919, University of California at Los Angeles is a very large, non-profit public higher education institution. This coeducational college is located in an urban setting and is primarily a residential campus. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees.
This school embodies the "work hard, play hard" philosophy. It has many student clubs and social activities, free tutoring for undergrad students and helpful career services. However, the quarter-based class enrollment system can be stressful.
There is much debate about the value of university rankings, which are often based on measures like wealth, research output and selective admissions. Yet they remain influential, especially among students and governmental leaders around the world. WalletHub's 2024 rankings of the best scientific, technical and literary colleges are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from millions of college reviews. This year, we've also added a ranking of the best colleges for STEM majors.
6. University of California at San Diego
The University of California at San Diego is a top scientific, technical and literary college in the world. It is known for its research in medicine, oceanography and the arts and sciences. UCSD also encourages student-centered research and civic engagement. Students can fulfill general education requirements by taking courses on a pass/not-pass basis, but must earn units for major requirements.
College and university rankings have become inescapable part of the higher education landscape. They are used by magazines, newspapers and websites to rank entire institutions and specific programs, departments or schools. Rankings take into account factors like selectivity, scholarly publications and social mobility.
Newer rankings, such as WalletHub’s Best Colleges ranking, use data that considers a student’s return on investment. This includes things like average post-attendance salary, graduation rates and student-loan default rates. The rankings spotlight colleges that provide the best possible education for their students at the most affordable price.
7. University of California at Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is one of the best scientific, technical and literary colleges in the world. It attracts students with its cutting-edge research, outstanding scholarship and dynamic social culture. Its graduates include Nobel laureates, astronauts and Oscar winners.
Located on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, UCSB is home to 400 clubs and organizations and offers students a diverse educational experience. The College of Engineering has been recognized as a top engineering school in the world, and it is known for its research in the areas of education and environmental economics.
The university has received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of fields, including biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, math, literature, music composition and physics. The university also offers study abroad programs in a number of countries.
8. University of California at Santa Cruz
UCSC is renowned for its progressive on-campus education. It has a number of unique attributes, including pass/fail evaluations and narrative evaluations for courses, a collegiate system modeled loosely after UK universities, and an emphasis on teaching rather than the “publish or perish” ethos that is prevalent at many American universities.
Moreover, UCSC’s graduate programs in literature, engineering and education are ranked among the best in the nation. The college is also a leader in research on wildfires, oceans and climate change.
UCSC students live in one of 10 residential colleges, each with their own unique architecture and programming. It is an excellent choice for students who want to experience the intimacy of a small liberal arts school with the academic rigor of a top research university. The school offers in-state tuition to California residents, and out-of-state students pay around $45,000 in gross academic costs, which include living expenses.
9. University of California at Irvine
UC Irvine is best known for its environmental and sustainability credentials, as well as the world-famous guests it invites to speak on campus, including XIV Dalai Lama, Jordan’s Queen Noor, British business magnate Sir Richard Branson and United Nations Messenger of Peace Charlize Theron. But it also offers 87 bachelor’s degrees, and employees say it has an excellent culture for collaborating and getting things done.
WalletHub’s rankings compare 913 higher-education institutions across 30 relevant metrics, such as student selectivity, costs and financing, academic outcomes and career outcomes. These are combined to create a ranking of the best colleges and universities for delivering a good return on your education investment. Unlike other rankings, WalletHub considers the value of a college beyond its sticker price, by looking at things like average student-loan default rates and post-attendance income. Ultimately, we believe students should have access to higher education that provides them with the greatest financial and social returns.
10. University of California at Santa Barbara
The University of California at Santa Barbara is the best scientific, technical and literary college in the world. Its faculty includes six Nobel Prize laureates, one Fields Medalist and 39 members of the National Academy of Sciences. It also has an excellent reputation for attracting students from all over the world.
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) is a global college rankings system that evaluates academic and research institutions around the world. Its methodology is based on an outcome-based sampling rather than survey submissions and prestige-based metrics such as scholarly journals. It also produces region-specific and subject-specific global rankings.
Unlike other popular rankings that focus on selectivity, SAT scores, alumni success, or even social mobility, our top colleges ranking emphasizes ROI, which measures what you get out of your degree versus how much you have to spend on it.
