U.S. News & World Report released the list of Best Colleges in 2016 to help future students make comparison of the academic quality in US-based colleges. The rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 16 measures of academic quality. They emphasize outcomes, especially graduation and retention rates are most important aspects. The rankings are great place to start looking for your future college in the States.
Best National Universities
1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Yale University (CT)
4. Columbia University (NY)
4. Stanford University (CA)
4. University of Chicago (IL)
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Duke University (NC)
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. California Institute of Technology
10. Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Below is a full list of top 100 colleges
| Rank | School | Tuition and Fees | Total enrollment | Acceptance rate | Average freshman retention rate | 6-year graduation rate |
| #1 | Princeton University | $43,450 | 8,088 | 7.4% | 98% | 97% |
| Princeton, NJ | ||||||
| #2 | Harvard University | $45,278 | 19,929 | 6% | 97% | 98% |
| Cambridge, MA | ||||||
| #3 | Yale University | $47,600 | 12,336 | 6.3% | 99% | 96% |
| New Haven, CT | ||||||
| #4 | Columbia University | $51,008 | 24,221 | 7% | 99% | 96% |
| New York, NY | ||||||
| #4 | Stanford University | $46,320 | 16,795 | 5.1% | 98% | 95% |
| Stanford, CA | ||||||
| #4 | University of Chicago | $50,193 | 12,558 | 8.8% | 99% | 93% |
| Chicago, IL | ||||||
| #7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $46,704 | 11,319 | 7.9% | 98% | 91% |
| Cambridge, MA | ||||||
| #8 | Duke University | $49,341 | 15,856 | 11.4% | 97% | 95% |
| Durham, NC | ||||||
| #9 | University of Pennsylvania | $49,536 | 21,296 | 10.4% | 98% | 96% |
| Philadelphia, PA | ||||||
| #10 | California Institute of Technology | $45,390 | 2,209 | 8.8% | 97% | 92% |
| Pasadena, CA | ||||||
| #10 | Johns Hopkins University | $48,710 | 21,484 | 15% | 97% | 94% |
| Baltimore, MD | ||||||
| #12 | Dartmouth College | $49,506 | 6,298 | 11.5% | 98% | 95% |
| Hanover, NH | ||||||
| #12 | Northwestern University | $49,047 | 20,336 | 13.1% | 97% | 94% |
| Evanston, IL | ||||||
| #14 | Brown University | $49,346 | 9,181 | 8.7% | 98% | 96% |
| Providence, RI | ||||||
| #15 | Cornell University | $49,116 | 21,850 | 14.2% | 97% | 93% |
| Ithaca, NY | ||||||
| #15 | Vanderbilt University | $43,838 | 12,686 | 13.1% | 97% | 93% |
| Nashville, TN | ||||||
| #15 | Washington University in St. Louis | $48,093 | 14,348 | 17.1% | 97% | 95% |
| St. Louis, MO | ||||||
| #18 | Rice University | $42,253 | 6,621 | 15.1% | 97% | 93% |
| Houston, TX | ||||||
| #18 | University of Notre Dame | $47,929 | 12,179 | 21.1% | 98% | 96% |
| Notre Dame, IN | ||||||
| #20 | University of California—Berkeley | in-state: $13,432, out-of-state: $38,140 | 37,581 | 16% | 97% | 91% |
| Berkeley, CA | ||||||
| #21 | Emory University | $46,314 | 14,769 | 26.8% | 95% | 91% |
| Atlanta, GA | ||||||
| #21 | Georgetown University | $48,611 | 17,858 | 17.4% | 96% | 95% |
| Washington, DC | ||||||
| #23 | Carnegie Mellon University | $50,410 | 13,285 | 24.6% | 95% | 88% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | ||||||
| #23 | University of California—Los Angeles | in-state: $12,753, out-of-state: $35,631 | 43,239 | 18.6% | 97% | 91% |
| Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| #23 | University of Southern California | $50,210 | 42,469 | 18% | 97% | 91% |
| Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| #26 | University of Virginia | in-state: $14,526, out-of-state: $43,822 | 23,732 | 29% | 97% | 94% |
| Charlottesville, VA | ||||||
| #27 | Tufts University | $50,604 | 10,907 | 17.3% | 96% | 92% |
| Medford, MA | ||||||
| #27 | Wake Forest University | $47,682 | 7,788 | 34.4% | 94% | 88% |
| Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| #29 | University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | in-state: $14,336, out-of-state: $43,377 | 43,625 | 32.2% | 97% | 91% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | ||||||
| #30 | Boston College | $49,324 | 13,575 | 33.9% | 95% | 91% |
| Chestnut Hill, MA | ||||||
| #30 | University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill | in-state: $8,562, out-of-state: $33,644 | 29,135 | 28.5% | 97% | 90% |
| Chapel Hill, NC | ||||||
| #32 | New York University | $46,170 | 49,274 | 35.5% | 92% | 82% |
| New York, NY | ||||||
| #33 | University of Rochester | $48,290 | 11,060 | 36.4% | 96% | 84% |
| Rochester, NY | ||||||
| #34 | Brandeis University | $49,598 | 5,945 | 35.2% | 94% | 91% |
| Waltham, MA | ||||||
| #34 | College of William and Mary | in-state: $16,919, out-of-state: $40,516 | 8,437 | 33% | 96% | 90% |
| Williamsburg, VA | ||||||
| #36 | Georgia Institute of Technology | in-state: $12,204, out-of-state: $32,396 | 23,109 | 33.4% | 96% | 82% |
| Atlanta, GA | ||||||
| #37 | Case Western Reserve University | $44,560 | 10,771 | 38.3% | 93% | 81% |
| Cleveland, OH | ||||||
| #37 | University of California—Santa Barbara | in-state: $13,865, out-of-state: $38,573 | 23,051 | 36.3% | 92% | 87% |
| Santa Barbara, CA | ||||||
| #39 | University of California—Irvine | in-state: $14,577, out-of-state: $37,455 | 30,051 | 37.4% | 93% | 87% |
| Irvine, CA | ||||||
| #39 | University of California—San Diego | in-state: $14,042, out-of-state: $38,066 | 29,909 | 33.5% | 95% | 86% |
| La Jolla, CA | ||||||
| #41 | Boston University | $48,436 | 32,112 | 34.5% | 93% | 85% |
| Boston, MA | ||||||
| #41 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $49,341 | 7,028 | 37.5% | 93% | 82% |
| Troy, NY | ||||||
| #41 | Tulane University | $49,638 | 13,531 | 28% | 90% | 83% |
| New Orleans, LA | ||||||
| #41 | University of California—Davis | in-state: $13,951, out-of-state: $38,659 | 34,508 | 40.6% | 93% | 87% |
| Davis, CA | ||||||
| #41 | University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign | in-state: $15,626, out-of-state: $30,786 | 45,140 | 59% | 94% | 84% |
| Champaign, IL | ||||||
| #41 | University of Wisconsin—Madison | in-state: $10,415, out-of-state: $29,665 | 43,193 | 49.8% | 95% | 85% |
| Madison, WI | ||||||
| #47 | Lehigh University | $46,230 | 7,119 | 34.3% | 95% | 87% |
| Bethlehem, PA | ||||||
| #47 | Northeastern University | $45,530 | 19,798 | 32.2% | 96% | 82% |
| Boston, MA | ||||||
| #47 | Pennsylvania State University—University Park | in-state: $17,514, out-of-state: $31,346 | 47,040 | 50.3% | 92% | 86% |
| University Park, PA | ||||||
| #47 | University of Florida | in-state: $6,313, out-of-state: $28,591 | 50,350 | 47.1% | 96% | 88% |
| Gainesville, FL | ||||||
| #51 | University of Miami | $45,724 | 16,774 | 38.2% | 92% | 81% |
| Coral Gables, FL | ||||||
| #52 | Ohio State University—Columbus | in-state: $10,037, out-of-state: $26,537 | 58,322 | 53% | 93% | 83% |
| Columbus, OH | ||||||
| #52 | Pepperdine University | $48,342 | 7,417 | 35.5% | 92% | 84% |
| Malibu, CA | ||||||
| #52 | University of Texas—Austin | in-state: $9,830, out-of-state: $34,836 | 51,313 | 39.7% | 94% | 81% |
| Austin, TX | ||||||
| #52 | University of Washington | in-state: $12,394, out-of-state: $33,513 | 44,784 | 55.2% | 93% | 84% |
| Seattle, WA | ||||||
| #52 | Yeshiva University | $39,530 | 6,438 | 81.8% | 91% | 89% |
| New York, NY | ||||||
| #57 | George Washington University | $50,435 | 25,613 | 43.8% | 93% | 79% |
| Washington, DC | ||||||
| #57 | University of Connecticut | in-state: $13,364, out-of-state: $34,908 | 26,541 | 50% | 93% | 81% |
| Storrs, CT | ||||||
| #57 | University of Maryland—College Park | in-state: $9,996, out-of-state: $31,144 | 37,610 | 47.8% | 95% | 85% |
| College Park, MD | ||||||
| #57 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $45,590 | 6,381 | 43.8% | 96% | 85% |
| Worcester, MA | ||||||
| #61 | Clemson University | in-state: $14,240, out-of-state: $32,796 | 21,857 | 52.8% | 91% | 82% |
| Clemson, SC | ||||||
| #61 | Purdue University—West Lafayette | in-state: $10,002, out-of-state: $28,804 | 38,770 | 59.2% | 92% | 74% |
| West Lafayette, IN | ||||||
| #61 | Southern Methodist University | $48,190 | 11,272 | 52.4% | 90% | 77% |
| Dallas, TX | ||||||
| #61 | Syracuse University | $43,318 | 21,492 | 53.2% | 92% | 80% |
| Syracuse, NY | ||||||
| #61 | University of Georgia | in-state: $11,622, out-of-state: $29,832 | 35,197 | 55.8% | 94% | 85% |
| Athens, GA | ||||||
| #66 | Brigham Young University—Provo | $5,150 | 30,484 | 47% | 88% | 79% |
| Provo, UT | ||||||
| #66 | Fordham University | $45,623 | 15,231 | 48.1% | 89% | 80% |
| New York, NY | ||||||
| #66 | University of Pittsburgh | in-state: $18,192, out-of-state: $28,958 | 28,617 | 53.1% | 92% | 82% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | ||||||
| #69 | University of Minnesota—Twin Cis | in-state: $13,560, out-of-state: $20,810 | 51,147 | 45.4% | 91% | 78% |
| Minneapolis, MN | ||||||
| #70 | Texas A&M University—College Station | in-state: $9,180, out-of-state: $26,356 | 61,263 | 71% | 91% | 79% |
| College Station, TX | ||||||
| #70 | Virginia Tech | in-state: $12,017, out-of-state: $27,444 | 31,224 | 72.6% | 92% | 83% |
| Blacksburg, VA | ||||||
| #72 | American University | $43,103 | 13,061 | 45.8% | 89% | 82% |
| Washington, DC | ||||||
| #72 | Baylor University | $40,198 | 16,263 | 55.4% | 87% | 72% |
| Waco, TX | ||||||
| #72 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick | in-state: $14,131, out-of-state: $29,521 | 48,378 | 60.5% | 92% | 80% |
| Piscataway, NJ | ||||||
| #75 | Clark University | $41,940 | 3,423 | 54% | 89% | 78% |
| Worcester, MA | ||||||
| #75 | Colorado School of Mines | in-state: $17,383, out-of-state: $34,828 | 5,795 | 36.5% | 91% | 76% |
| Golden, CO | ||||||
| #75 | Indiana University—Bloomington | in-state: $10,388, out-of-state: $33,741 | 46,416 | 76.1% | 89% | 78% |
| Bloomington, IN | ||||||
| #75 | Michigan State University | in-state: $13,560, out-of-state: $36,360 | 50,085 | 66.1% | 91% | 79% |
| East Lansing, MI | ||||||
| #75 | Stevens Institute of Technology | $47,190 | 6,125 | 43.8% | 95% | 82% |
| Hoboken, NJ | ||||||
| #75 | University of Delaware | in-state: $12,342, out-of-state: $30,692 | 21,870 | 65.9% | 92% | 81% |
| Newark, DE | ||||||
| #75 | University of Massachusetts—Amherst | in-state: $14,356, out-of-state: $30,689 | 28,635 | 61.3% | 89% | 76% |
| Amherst, MA | ||||||
| #82 | Miami University—Oxford | in-state: $14,287, out-of-state: $30,987 | 18,620 | 65.8% | 90% | 79% |
| Oxford, OH | ||||||
| #82 | Texas Christian University | $40,720 | 10,033 | 48.9% | 89% | 76% |
| Fort Worth, TX | ||||||
| #82 | University of California—Santa Cruz | in-state: $13,481, out-of-state: $38,189 | 17,866 | 57% | 90% | 80% |
| Santa Cruz, CA | ||||||
| #82 | University of Iowa | in-state: $8,104, out-of-state: $27,890 | 31,387 | 81% | 86% | 70% |
| Iowa City, IA | ||||||
| #86 | Marquette University | $37,170 | 11,745 | 66.7% | 90% | 79% |
| Milwaukee, WI | ||||||
| #86 | University of Denver | $44,178 | 11,809 | 76.5% | 87% | 76% |
| Denver, CO | ||||||
| #86 | University of Tulsa | $36,962 | 4,682 | 40.3% | 88% | 70% |
| Tulsa, OK | ||||||
| #89 | Binghamton University—SUNY | in-state: $9,044, out-of-state: $22,164 | 16,695 | 44.1% | 91% | 81% |
| Binghamton, NY | ||||||
| #89 | North Carolina State University—Raleigh | in-state: $8,581, out-of-state: $24,932 | 33,989 | 51.4% | 92% | 76% |
| Raleigh, NC | ||||||
| #89 | Stony Brook University—SUNY | in-state: $8,855, out-of-state: $23,935 | 24,607 | 41.3% | 90% | 69% |
| Stony Brook, NY | ||||||
| #89 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | in-state: $7,770, out-of-state: $17,620 | 2,457 | 51.1% | 85% | 68% |
| Syracuse, NY | ||||||
| #89 | University of Colorado—Boulder | in-state: $11,091, out-of-state: $34,125 | 32,080 | 84.2% | 84% | 70% |
| Boulder, CO | ||||||
| #89 | University of San Diego | $44,586 | 8,349 | 46.3% | 89% | 77% |
| San Diego, CA | ||||||
| #89 | University of Vermont | in-state: $16,226, out-of-state: $37,874 | 12,856 | 73.4% | 86% | 76% |
| Burlington, VT | ||||||
| #96 | Florida State University | in-state: $6,507, out-of-state: $21,673 | 41,226 | 55.4% | 92% | 79% |
| Tallahassee, FL | ||||||
| #96 | Saint Louis University | $39,226 | 13,287 | 60.3% | 88% | 72% |
| St. Louis, MO | ||||||
| #96 | University of Alabama | in-state: $10,170, out-of-state: $25,950 | 36,047 | 51.1% | 87% | 66% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | ||||||
| #99 | Drexel University | $48,791 | 23,890 | 76% | 85% | 67% |
| Philadelphia, PA | ||||||
| #99 | Loyola University Chicago | $39,179 | 15,902 | 63.3% | 86% | 73% |
| Chicago, IL | ||||||
| #99 | University at Buffalo—SUNY | in-state: $8,870, out-of-state: $22,290 | 29,944 | 57.8% | 88% | 72% |
| Buffalo, NY | ||||||
| #102 | Auburn University | in-state: $10,424, out-of-state: $28,040 | 25,912 | 83.5% | 90% | 71% |
| Auburn, AL | ||||||
| #103 | University of Missouri | in-state: $9,509, out-of-state: $25,166 | 35,441 | 77.7% | 85% | 69% |
| Columbia, MO | ||||||
| #103 | University of Nebraska—Lincoln | in-state: $8,382, out-of-state: $22,790 | 25,006 | 69.9% | 84% | 67% |
| Lincoln, NE | ||||||
| #103 | University of New Hampshire | in-state: $16,552, out-of-state: $29,532 | 15,169 | 80% | 86% | 77% |
| Durham, NH | ||||||
| #103 | University of Oregon | in-state: $9,918, out-of-state: $30,888 | 24,096 | 74.9% | 86% | 69% |
| Eugene, OR | ||||||
| #103 | University of Tennessee | in-state: $11,948, out-of-state: $30,138 | 30,386 | 74.8% | 86% | 69% |
| Knoxville, TN |