Top 100 Colleges & Universities by US News and its 2025 Tuition

This page compares the acceptance rate, SAT scores, and tuition & fees between Top 100 Colleges selected by US News. Princeton University rank first and Massachusetts Institute of Technology is positioned in second place in the Top 100 Colleges by US News.

Academic Comparison Between Top 100 Colleges by US News

There are 47 public and 53 private schools in the Top 100 Colleges US News.
For the academic year 2026, the average acceptance rate of the schools is 36.85% where California Institute of Technology has the tightest (lowest) rate of 2.57% and University of California-Merced has the highest rate of 90.53%. The average SAT score of the schools is 1,425 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT score with 1,560.
Total 2,684,723 students including both undergraduate and graduate students are attending one of the schools. Texas A & M University-College Station is the largest with 76,633 students and California Institute of Technology is the smallest with 2,463 students. The average graduation rate is 86.36% and the average students to faculty ratio is 12.94 to 1.
The following table compares the Top 100 Colleges by US News with admission rate, SAT score, and other academic facts.
Table. 2025 Top 100 Colleges By US News
RankNameAcceptance RateSAT ScoreGraduation RatePopulationStudent-Faculty Ratio
1Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
4.62%1,55098%8,9225 to 1
2Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
4.55%1,56096%11,9203 to 1
3Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
3.65%1,55098%30,3867 to 1
4Stanford University
Stanford, CA
3.61%1,55092%18,4466 to 1
4Yale University
New Haven, CT
3.87%1,54096%15,0816 to 1
6University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
4.48%1,55096%18,3395 to 1
7Duke University
Durham, NC
5.71%1,54097%17,1126 to 1
7Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
6.44%1,55094%30,3626 to 1
7Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
7.69%1,54095%23,2036 to 1
7University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
5.40%1,55097%28,7118 to 1
11California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
2.57%-94%2,4633 to 1
12Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
8.76%1,54095%26,2649 to 1
13Brown University
Providence, RI
5.39%1,54096%11,5166 to 1
13Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
5.40%1,54096%6,7467 to 1
15Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
3.99%1,55096%35,2796 to 1
15University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
10.98%-93%45,69918 to 1
17Rice University
Houston, TX
8.00%1,55095%8,5566 to 1
17University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
8.97%-93%46,67818 to 1
17Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
5.86%1,54094%13,4567 to 1
20Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
11.66%1,54094%15,5965 to 1
20University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
15.64%1,46093%52,06511 to 1
20University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
11.27%1,52095%13,1749 to 1
20Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO
12.06%1,54094%16,5007 to 1
24Emory University
Atlanta, GA
10.65%1,52091%15,0469 to 1
24Georgetown University
Washington, DC
12.91%1,49095%20,39211 to 1
26University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
15.34%1,48091%32,23415 to 1
26University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA
16.81%1,48096%25,92415 to 1
28University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
9.81%1,50092%47,1479 to 1
29University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA
26.71%-86%42,37619 to 1
30University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
24.20%1,40091%54,81416 to 1
30The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
26.64%1,39089%53,08218 to 1
32Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA
14.07%1,48094%47,94618 to 1
32New York University
New York, NY
9.23%1,52088%57,3358 to 1
32University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
41.83%-86%39,70721 to 1
32University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA
28.57%-87%36,58218 to 1
36Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
16.43%1,50091%15,28013 to 1
36Tufts University
Medford, MA
11.49%1,51094%13,27410 to 1
36University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
42.37%1,44085%56,56320 to 1
36University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
45.20%1,46090%49,60518 to 1
40University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
32.97%-83%26,06817 to 1
41Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH
60.57%1,40088%60,04618 to 1
42Boston University
Boston, MA
11.11%1,48089%36,62410 to 1
42Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ
58.15%1,41084%50,61715 to 1
42University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD
44.79%1,46589%40,81318 to 1
42University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
39.15%-85%55,62020 to 1
46Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
25.93%1,44088%7,59010 to 1
46Northeastern University
Boston, MA
5.22%1,49091%31,15916 to 1
46Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN
49.87%1,35083%52,90514 to 1
46University of Georgia
Athens, GA
37.70%1,37090%41,61517 to 1
46University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
40.08%1,49085%12,1609 to 1
51Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
36.54%1,51087%12,2669 to 1
51Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
24.22%1,35086%43,23417 to 1
51Texas A & M University-College Station
College Station, TX
57.43%1,27084%76,63319 to 1
51Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA
54.78%1,36086%38,29417 to 1
51Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
21.67%1,47089%9,1219 to 1
51William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
34.07%1,47089%9,76213 to 1
57University of California-Merced
Merced, CA
90.53%-69%9,14721 to 1
57Villanova University
Villanova, PA
26.98%1,45092%10,11110 to 1
59George Washington University
Washington, DC
47.09%1,43084%25,56812 to 1
59Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PA
60.56%1,33086%50,39915 to 1
59Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
48.00%1,42088%9,34010 to 1
59Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
49.04%1,42076%25,86519 to 1
59University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
79.75%1,41085%54,89016 to 1
64Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
84.80%1,26081%51,31617 to 1
64North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
41.74%1,37085%37,32315 to 1
64Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY
63.47%1,45084%7,02414 to 1
64University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA
59.73%1,42083%31,81018 to 1
64University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
18.90%1,40084%19,59311 to 1
69Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
40.50%1,47086%5,30211 to 1
69Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
13.98%1,46586%13,0788 to 1
69University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
52.39%1,34083%27,36416 to 1
79University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA
58.08%1,36085%34,52513 to 1
73Binghamton University
Vestal, NY
38.61%1,41082%18,45618 to 1
73Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
78.21%1,29080%47,52718 to 1
75Clemson University
Clemson, SC
38.34%1,32087%28,74716 to 1
75Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ
71.36%-64%10,80913 to 1
75Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
45.92%1,36084%22,94815 to 1
75University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
74.18%1,29075%31,88911 to 1
75University of California-Riverside
Riverside, CA
76.39%-76%26,42623 to 1
80Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO
60.69%1,40082%7,59917 to 1
80Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
79.44%1,34078%21,7039 to 1
80New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ
65.07%1,33073%13,00716 to 1
80Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ
47.58%1,44087%8,84210 to 1
84Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
62.86%1,37083%9,54513 to 1
84University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
77.35%1,24062%33,52217 to 1
84Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
60.16%-90%7,35313 to 1
84Yeshiva University
New York, NY
55.62%1,44083%6,8267 to 1
88American University
Washington, DC
61.96%1,37075%13,01910 to 1
88Baylor University
Waco, TX
51.28%1,30080%20,82415 to 1
88Howard University
Washington, DC
41.34%1,21070%13,41611 to 1
88Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
81.34%1,29083%11,37313 to 1
88Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
66.93%1,37070%16,86313 to 1
88Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
63.35%1,42084%11,84211 to 1
88University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
65.79%-75%19,76422 to 1
88University of Delaware
Newark, DE
70.60%1,28081%24,22115 to 1
88University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
43.19%1,22077%48,57222 to 1
97Florida International University
Miami, FL
54.66%1,16074%53,95324 to 1
97Fordham University
Bronx, NY
59.31%1,41082%16,15314 to 1
97Rutgers University-Camden
Camden, NJ
66.29%1,18567%5,77612 to 1
97Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
44.49%1,25086%12,78514 to 1
Average36.85% 1,42586.36%2,684,723 (Total)12.94 to 1

Top 100 Colleges the best us top 100 colleges 2025 Tuition and 2026 Estimation

The following table and chart compare the 2025 tuition & fees between the Top 100 Colleges by the best us top 100 colleges and estimate 2026 costs. The 2024-2025 costs are officially published by IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education. The estimated costs for year 2025-2026 are calculated and estimated based on each school's tuition change for last 2 years.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of the top schools $53,091 where University of Southern California is the most expensive with $71,647 and University of South Florida has the cheapest tuition & fess of $17,324. The average graduate program tuition & fees is $41,847 where University of Southern California has the highest amount of tuition & fees of $71,515 and University of Delaware has the lowest amount of $20,304.
UndergraduateGraduate
Table. Best Us Top 100 Colleges 2025 Tuition Comparison and 2026 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2025 Tuition & Fees2026 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Princeton University $62,688$65,815
2Massachusetts Institute of Technology $62,396$64,719
3Harvard University $61,676$64,390
4Stanford University $65,910$69,524
4Yale University $67,250$69,901
6University of Chicago $69,324$73,238
7Duke University $68,758$71,844
7Johns Hopkins University $64,730$66,677
7Northwestern University $68,322$70,729
7University of Pennsylvania $68,686$71,369
11California Institute of Technology $65,898$68,651
12Cornell University $69,314$72,779
13Brown University $71,312$74,533
13Dartmouth College $68,019$70,623
15Columbia University in the City of New York $70,517$72,944
15University of California-Berkeley $15,377$47,265 $15,923 $48,962
17Rice University $61,247$64,533
17University of California-Los Angeles $14,233$46,121 $14,736 $47,775
17Vanderbilt University $67,498$71,247
20Carnegie Mellon University $65,636$68,086
20University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $18,848$63,081 $19,403 $66,202
20University of Notre Dame $65,025$67,444
20Washington University in St Louis $65,790$68,723
24Emory University $64,280$67,988
24Georgetown University $68,089$71,236
26University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $8,994$41,203 $8,999 $43,165
26University of Virginia-Main Campus $23,118$61,591 $23,941 $63,613
28University of Southern California $71,647$75,227
29University of California-San Diego $15,788$47,676 $16,329 $49,368
30University of Florida $6,381$28,659 $6,381 $28,659
30The University of Texas at Austin $11,688$44,908 $11,698 $47,144
32Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $12,058$34,484 $12,359 $36,171
32New York University $62,796$65,246
32University of California-Davis $15,804$47,692 $16,381 $49,420
32University of California-Irvine $14,752$46,640 $15,286 $48,325
36Boston College $70,702$73,859
36Tufts University $70,704$73,685
36University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign $18,267$40,096 $18,476 $41,021
36University of Wisconsin-Madison $11,603$42,103 $12,015 $43,658
40University of California-Santa Barbara $15,444$47,332 $15,938 $48,977
41Ohio State University-Main Campus $13,244$40,022 $13,641 $41,751
42Boston University $68,102$71,168
42Rutgers University-New Brunswick $17,929$37,441 $18,647 $38,939
42University of Maryland-College Park $11,809$41,186 $12,121 $42,085
42University of Washington-Seattle Campus $12,973$43,209 $13,312 $44,456
46Lehigh University $64,980$67,906
46Northeastern University $66,162$69,328
46Purdue University-Main Campus $9,992$28,794 $9,992 $28,794
46University of Georgia $11,450$31,688 $11,727 $33,227
46University of Rochester $67,080$69,928
51Case Western Reserve University $66,608$68,596
51Florida State University $6,517$21,683 $6,517 $21,683
51Texas A & M University-College Station $12,995$40,124 $13,151 $39,921
51Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University $15,948$37,764 $16,432 $38,865
51Wake Forest University $67,642$70,654
51William & Mary $25,734$51,038 $26,446 $52,718
57University of California-Merced $14,653$46,541 $15,156 $48,195
57Villanova University $67,776$70,997
59George Washington University $67,710$70,753
59Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus $20,644$41,790 $21,062 $43,456
59Santa Clara University $61,293$63,416
59Stony Brook University $10,931$32,741 $11,315 $35,320
59University of Minnesota-Twin Cities $17,214$38,362 $17,972 $40,428
64Michigan State University $18,079$44,850 $18,926 $45,675
64North Carolina State University at Raleigh $8,799$32,847 $8,704 $33,964
64Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute $64,078$66,350
64University of Massachusetts-Amherst $17,772$40,449 $18,197 $41,639
64University of Miami $62,616$65,427
69Brandeis University $68,080$71,365
69Tulane University of Louisiana $68,678$71,968
69University of Connecticut $21,044$43,712 $21,745 $44,401
79University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus $21,926$41,430 $22,336 $43,029
73Binghamton University $10,567$30,447 $10,775 $31,475
73Indiana University-Bloomington $12,144$41,891 $12,509 $43,349
75Clemson University $15,554$40,866 $15,554 $42,281
75Rutgers University-Newark $17,250$36,762 $17,941 $38,233
75Syracuse University $65,528$68,092
75University at Buffalo $10,936$31,536 $11,092 $32,530
75University of California-Riverside $14,636$46,524 $15,117 $48,156
80Colorado School of Mines $21,914$45,824 $22,667 $47,319
80Drexel University $62,412$64,211
80New Jersey Institute of Technology $19,974$37,664 $20,974 $39,477
80Stevens Institute of Technology $63,462$66,075
84Pepperdine University $69,918$73,245
84University of Illinois Chicago $15,949$32,009 $16,083 $32,521
84Worcester Polytechnic Institute $60,765$62,721
84Yeshiva University $51,800$53,772
88American University $58,771$61,087
88Baylor University $58,100$61,549
88Howard University $35,810$38,458
88Marquette University $51,170$53,765
88Rochester Institute of Technology $59,210$61,870
88Southern Methodist University $67,040$69,723
88University of California-Santa Cruz $15,035$46,923 $15,525 $48,564
88University of Delaware $16,810$41,400 $17,573 $43,151
88University of South Florida $6,410$17,324 $6,410 $17,324
97Florida International University $6,565$18,964 $6,565 $18,964
97Fordham University $64,470$67,510
97Rutgers University-Camden $17,764$37,276 $18,476 $38,768
97Texas Christian University $61,740$66,617
Average$14,756$53,091$15,160$55,247
Table. Best Us Top 100 Colleges 2025 Graduate School Tuition Comparison and 2026 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2025 Tuition & Fees2026 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Princeton University $65,936$69,163
2Massachusetts Institute of Technology $62,396$61,415
3Harvard University $57,248$59,115
4Stanford University $61,878$64,352
4Yale University $49,500$50,730
6University of Chicago $68,652$70,828
7Duke University $66,523$69,162
7Johns Hopkins University $64,730$63,527
7Northwestern University $54,655$55,450
7University of Pennsylvania $47,844$49,725
11California Institute of Technology $65,706$68,460
12Cornell University $30,160$30,235
13Brown University $69,948$73,019
13Dartmouth College $66,617$69,267
15Columbia University in the City of New York $57,973$59,718
15University of California-Berkeley $15,866$30,968 $15,866$16,495
17Rice University $57,030$59,719
17University of California-Los Angeles $14,476$29,578 $14,476$15,094
17Vanderbilt University $57,868$59,662
20Carnegie Mellon University $50,975$52,547
20University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $28,886$57,776 $28,886$30,315
20University of Notre Dame $64,826$67,236
20Washington University in St Louis $65,146$68,050
24Emory University $48,750$49,800
24Georgetown University $61,670$64,128
26University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $12,751$31,408 $12,751$12,979
26University of Virginia-Main Campus $23,526$37,628 $23,526$24,477
28University of Southern California $71,515$75,070
29University of California-San Diego $15,097$30,199 $15,097$15,681
30University of Florida $12,737$30,130 $12,737$12,737
30The University of Texas at Austin $12,006$22,954 $12,006$12,000
32Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $15,962$32,144 $15,962$16,364
32New York University $42,726$44,390
32University of California-Davis $15,141$30,243 $15,141$15,745
32University of California-Irvine $14,827$29,929 $14,827$15,400
36Boston College $37,520$39,213
36Tufts University $50,798$52,155
36University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign $19,278$34,406 $19,278$19,729
36University of Wisconsin-Madison $12,325$25,651 $12,325$12,361
40University of California-Santa Barbara $15,124$30,226 $15,124$15,826
41Ohio State University-Main Campus $13,901$42,740 $13,901$14,317
42Boston University $67,626$70,671
42Rutgers University-New Brunswick $23,241$37,689 $23,241$24,170
42University of Maryland-College Park $18,276$38,207 $18,276$18,720
42University of Washington-Seattle Campus $18,792$32,811 $18,792$18,952
46Lehigh University $28,840$29,684
46Northeastern University $29,174$30,289
46Purdue University-Main Campus $9,992$28,794 $9,992$9,992
46University of Georgia $11,002$29,774 $11,002$11,788
46University of Rochester $39,310$39,762
51Case Western Reserve University $53,980$55,606
51Florida State University $10,553$26,707 $10,553$9,640
51Texas A & M University-College Station $11,748$24,505 $11,748$12,442
51Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University $18,564$35,092 $18,564$19,132
51Wake Forest University $39,141$38,933
51William & Mary $17,666$36,684 $17,666$17,913
57University of California-Merced $14,753$29,855 $14,753$15,342
57Villanova University $22,335$23,353
59George Washington University $36,414$37,719
59Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus $26,034$45,574 $26,034$26,560
59Santa Clara University $31,694$38,825
59Stony Brook University $14,222$29,242 $14,222$14,507
59University of Minnesota-Twin Cities $22,017$33,249 $22,017$22,984
64Michigan State University $21,772$41,848 $21,772$22,414
64North Carolina State University at Raleigh $12,101$32,874 $12,101$12,390
64Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute $64,054$66,312
64University of Massachusetts-Amherst $17,410$35,726 $17,410$17,820
64University of Miami $46,870$48,972
69Brandeis University $60,153$58,761
69Tulane University of Louisiana $69,310$72,735
69University of Connecticut $22,872$44,784 $22,872$23,571
79University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus $27,580$46,786 $27,580$28,106
73Binghamton University $13,950$27,140 $13,950$14,122
73Indiana University-Bloomington $11,756$33,454 $11,756$11,903
75Clemson University $12,646$24,798 $12,646$12,646
75Rutgers University-Newark $23,221$37,669 $23,221$24,149
75Syracuse University $48,132$50,017
75University at Buffalo $14,530$28,210 $14,530$14,673
75University of California-Riverside $14,912$30,014 $14,912$15,479
80Colorado School of Mines $22,100$45,824 $22,100$22,872
80Drexel University $39,261$41,577
80New Jersey Institute of Technology $27,156$38,436 $27,156$28,453
80Stevens Institute of Technology $44,494$46,053
84Pepperdine University $44,056$46,191
84University of Illinois Chicago $17,550$27,748 $17,550$17,837
84Worcester Polytechnic Institute $29,040$29,040
84Yeshiva University $32,630$30,291
88American University $36,754$40,641
88Baylor University $43,578$46,172
88Howard University $39,178$40,339
88Marquette University $24,680$25,544
88Rochester Institute of Technology $60,052$62,431
88Southern Methodist University $37,278$37,495
88University of California-Santa Cruz $15,410$30,512 $15,410$15,986
88University of Delaware $20,304$20,304 $20,304$21,091
88University of South Florida $10,428$21,126 $10,428$10,428
97Florida International University $11,334$24,439 $11,334$11,334
97Fordham University $26,752$27,575
97Rutgers University-Camden $23,428$36,772 $23,428$24,364
97Texas Christian University $38,658$41,770
Average$17,005$41,847$17,474$43,169