National University Rankings
National University Methodology
Schools in the National Universities category, such as Columbia University and Stanford University, offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and Ph.D. programs. These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.
To see full rankings, SAT/ACT scores, scholarship and grant information, graduation rates, and more, sign up for the U.S. News College Compass!
| Save | U.S. News rank | School | Tuition | Total enrollment | Fall 2011 acceptance rate | Average freshman retention rate | 6-year graduation rate | Classes with under 20 students | SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #120 |
Catholic University of America
Washington, DC |
$36,820 | 6,894 | 75.1% | 80% | 68 | Locked | Locked | |
| #113 |
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL |
$37,093 | 7,787 | 63.5% | 91% | 64 | Locked | Locked | |
| #17 |
Rice University
Houston, TX |
$37,292 | 6,224 | 18.8% | 97% | 92 | Locked | Locked | |
| #125 |
New School
New York, NY |
$37,846 | 10,797 | 69.3% | 81% | 61 | Locked | Locked | |
| #106 |
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA |
$38,320 | 6,710 | 35.8% | 84% | 69 | Locked | Locked | |
| #83 |
Clark University
Worcester, MA |
$38,450 | 3,462 | 67.9% | 89% | 80 | Locked | Locked | |
| #115 |
Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY |
$38,610 | 3,539 | 77.5% | 86% | 75 | Locked | Locked | |
| #1 |
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ |
$38,650 | 7,859 | 8.5% | 98% | 96 | Locked | Locked | |
| #106 |
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA |
$38,884 | 9,734 | 58.0% | 84% | 70 | Locked | Locked | |
| #58 |
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY |
$39,004 | 20,829 | 49.4% | 91% | 80 | Locked | Locked | |
| #83 |
University of Denver
Denver, CO |
$39,177 | 11,797 | 68.2% | 88% | 79 | Locked | Locked | |
| #77 |
American University
Washington, DC |
$39,499 | 12,724 | 41.6% | 90% | 77 | Locked | Locked | |
| #139 |
Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Brooklyn, NY |
$39,566 | 4,487 | 68.2% | 85% | 54 | Locked | Locked | |
| #10 |
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA |
$39,588 | 2,231 | 12.8% | 98% | 87 | Locked | Locked | |
| #56 |
Northeastern University
Boston, MA |
$39,736 | 19,719 | 34.5% | 93% | 77 | Locked | Locked | |
| #92 |
University of San Diego
San Diego, CA |
$39,970 | 8,317 | 47.5% | 86% | 75 | Locked | Locked | |
| #68 |
Brigham Young University–Provo
Provo, UT |
$4,710 | 34,101 | 62.8% | 85% | 78 | Locked | Locked | |
| #37 |
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH |
$40,490 | 9,636 | 51.3% | 92% | 78 | Locked | Locked | |
| #1 |
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA |
$40,866 | 19,872 | 6.3% | 98% | 97 | Locked | Locked | |
| #65 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA |
$41,380 | 5,778 | 56.7% | 94% | 76 | Locked | Locked | |
| #58 |
Fordham University
New York, NY |
$41,732 | 15,189 | 42.4% | 90% | 78 | Locked | Locked | |
| #58 |
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX |
$41,750 | 10,982 | 54.6% | 89% | 75 | Locked | Locked | |
| #6 |
Stanford University
Stanford, CA |
$41,787 | 19,945 | 7.1% | 98% | 96 | Locked | Locked | |
| #6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA |
$42,050 | 10,894 | 9.7% | 98% | 93 | Locked | Locked | |
| #17 |
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN |
$42,118 | 12,836 | 16.4% | 97% | 92 | Locked | Locked |













