collageIn this post, we will review the top 100 colleges northeast, top colleges in the northeast by size and the best public colleges in the northeast. Our top 100 college rankings report for 2021 includes the 4-year colleges and universities in America that provide students the best overall experience and ROI. Ranking metrics include student satisfaction, debt, graduation rate and post-graduate success.
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The Northeast is full of some of the most prestigious colleges in the country. The Northeast is home to Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a myriad of other great schools.
top colleges in the northeast by size
top 100 colleges northeast
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 1 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | 98% | 0.8% | $146,800 | $68,120 | 16.38% |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | 95% | 0.5% | $145,200 | $74,570 | 15.98% |
| 3 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 97% | 3.5% | $139,400 | $65,208 | 14.89% |
| 4 | Yale University New Haven, CT | 96% | 0.6% | $120,000 | $77,268 | 14.11% |
| 5 | Williams College Williamstow, MA | 95% | 2.3% | $112,000 | $81,260 | 12.91% |
| 6 | Pomona College Claremont, CA | 93% | 0% | $105,000 | $76,820 | 12.46% |
| 7 | Brown University Providence, RI | 96% | 0.5% | $113,000 | $84,772 | 13.17% |
| 8 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | 94% | 1.6% | $115,000 | $90,228 | 12.26% |
| 9 | Amherst College Amherst, MA | 94% | 1.5% | $98,600 | $58,748 | 14.30% |
| 10 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | 91% | 1.7% | $137,000 | $88,848 | 14.92% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 11 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | 96% | 1.1% | $120,000 | $90,776 | 13.13% |
| 12 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | 96% | 0.6% | $111,000 | $108,100 | 11.57% |
| 13 | Dartmouth College Hanvover, NH | 95% | 1.7% | $111,000 | $85,108 | 12.74% |
| 14 | Columbia University New York, NY | 95% | 1.7% | $109,000 | $83,352 | 13.11% |
| 15 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | 97% | 1% | $102,000 | $114,668 | 10.51% |
| 16 | Duke University Durham, IL | 95% | 0.6% | $122,000 | $87,056 | 13.57% |
| 17 | Tufts University Medford, MA | 97% | 1.5% | $115,000 | $104,412 | 11.69% |
| 18 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | 90% | 0% | $105,000 | $95,928 | 11.56% |
| 19 | Georgetown University Washington DC | 95% | 0.6% | $116,000 | $103,144 | 11.83% |
| 20 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | 93% | 1% | $114,000 | $114,148 | 11.62% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 21 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 93% | 0.9% | $103,000 | $96,624 | 10.94% |
| 22 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 93% | 1.4% | $107,000 | $137,408 | 9.43% |
| 23 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | 93% | 1.3% | $90,600 | $89,828 | 10.45% |
| 24 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | 91% | 2.5% | $83,700 | $84,864 | 10.21% |
| 25 | Rice University Houston, TX | 91% | 1.7% | $114,000 | $82,048 | 13.59% |
| 26 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | 88% | 1.7% | $120,000 | $82,800 | 13.31% |
| 27 | Carleton College Northfield, MN | 93% | 0.4% | $107,000 | $128,068 | 9.32% |
| 28 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | 92% | 2.5% | $125,000 | $107,640 | 13.07% |
| 29 | Middlebury College Middlebury, VT | 94% | 1.1% | $93,900 | $83,612 | 11.19% |
| 30 | University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA | 91% | 2.9% | $120,000 | $66,620 | 14.90% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 31 | University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA | 94% | 1.7% | $102,000 | $56,276 | 14.52% |
| 32 | Boston College Boston, MA | 91% | 0.6% | $109,000 | $105,340 | 11.37% |
| 33 | University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 91% | 1.5% | $101,000 | $50,040 | 14.85% |
| 34 | College of William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | 90% | 0.6% | $99,300 | $49,624 | 14.37% |
| 35 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 92% | 2.6% | $115,000 | $86,596 | 12.71% |
| 36 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 91% | 1.6% | $100,000 | $63,400 | 13.93% |
| 37 | Barnard College New York, NY | 89% | 0.8% | $81,400 | $87,164 | 9.67% |
| 38 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 89% | 1.1% | $107,000 | $132,508 | 10.18% |
| 39 | Colby College Waterville, ME | 90% | 0% | $95,100 | $73,908 | 11.85% |
| 40 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | 93% | 1.4% | $102,000 | $88,692 | 12.01% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 41 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | 93% | 1.5% | $107,000 | $100,828 | 11.87% |
| 42 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH | 89% | 0.9% | $97,600 | $106,936 | 9.75% |
| 43 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | 90% | 1.6% | $108,000 | $43,744 | 17.61% |
| 44 | Oberlin College Oberline, OH | 88% | 2.2% | $100,000 | $155,548 | 7.54% |
| 45 | Whitman College Walla Walla, WA | 87% | 2% | $101,000 | $135,152 | 8.44% |
| 46 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY | 91% | 2.1% | $94,600 | $89,568 | 11.25% |
| 47 | Reed College Portland, OR | 90% | 2.4% | $103,000 | $74,684 | 12.30% |
| 48 | Lafayette College Easton, PA | 79% | 2.4% | $102,000 | $108,076 | 11.02% |
| 49 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 92% | 2.5% | $97,500 | $104,688 | 10.41% |
| 50 | Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO | 95% | 1.4% | $113,000 | $133,496 | 10.47% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 51 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | 88% | 0.7% | $125,000 | $134,680 | 11.59% |
| 52 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | 90% | 0% | $133,000 | $132,548 | 12.50% |
| 53 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA | 87% | 1.8% | $106,000 | $91,896 | 11.28% |
| 54 | Wake Forest University Winston Salem, NC | 88% | 1.2% | $92,100 | $103,304 | 9.78% |
| 55 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY | 96% | 2% | $111,000 | $131,984 | 10.25% |
| 56 | Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | 94% | 0.9% | $85,100 | $96,564 | 9.02% |
| 57 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | 91% | 1.2% | $99,500 | $124,756 | 9.63% |
| 58 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA | 89% | 2% | $92,100 | $99,584 | 9.54% |
| 59 | Macalester College St Paul, MN | 90% | 2.2% | $89,300 | $111,996 | 8.22% |
| 60 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | 84% | 2.1% | $102,000 | $64,996 | 13.80% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 61 | University of Wisconsin, Madison Madison, WI | 84% | 1.5% | $91,400 | $64,524 | 12.49% |
| 62 | Bates College Lewiston, ME | 88% | 0.6% | $95,000 | $88,248 | 10.37% |
| 63 | Villanova University Villanova, PA | 89% | 1.1% | $101,000 | $130,816 | 9.65% |
| 64 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | 87% | 1.1% | $108,000 | $111,392 | 11.32% |
| 65 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA | 91% | 2.4% | $96,200 | $105,468 | 9.66% |
| 66 | University of Washington Seattle, WA | 84% | 2.7% | $92,600 | $41,496 | 15.35% |
| 67 | New York University New York, NY | 83% | 2% | $99,000 | $142,172 | 8.76% |
| 68 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | 89% | 2.1% | $95,100 | $112,812 | 9.90% |
| 69 | Trinity College Hartford, CT | 84% | 1.6% | $86,500 | $100,480 | 9.53% |
| 70 | University Texas, Austin Austin, TX | 94% | 3.6% | $97,200 | $67,328 | 12.83% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 71 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | 88% | 3% | $86,300 | $59,144 | 12.42% |
| 72 | Sewanee-University of the South Sewanee, TN | 79% | 1.3% | $74,000 | $101,656 | 6.68% |
| 73 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | 85% | 2.2% | $117,000 | $146,580 | 10.27% |
| 74 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | 84% | 3% | $94,900 | $133,828 | 8.59% |
| 75 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY | 87% | 2.3% | $97,600 | $97,264 | 10.03% |
| 76 | Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA | 82% | 1.7% | $112,000 | $48,748 | 16.39% |
| 77 | Centre College Danville, KY | 82% | 1.5% | $86,700 | $99,420 | 8.53% |
| 78 | Boston University Boston, MA | 85% | 1.8% | $93,900 | $130,156 | 8.86% |
| 79 | Connecticut College New London, CT | 83% | 1.4% | $88,700 | $96,608 | 9.61% |
| 80 | University of Maryland, College Park College Park, MD | 85% | 2% | $94,400 | $59,332 | 13.55% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 81 | Occidental College Los Angeles, CA | 85% | 2.8% | $112,000 | $130,984 | 9.71% |
| 82 | Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA | 80% | 1.3% | $79,400 | $109,592 | 7.91% |
| 83 | Denison University Granville, OH | 82% | 1.3% | $88,500 | $117,648 | 8.57% |
| 84 | Wofford College Spartanburg, SC | 78% | 2.3% | $89,000 | $98,924 | 9.48% |
| 85 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN | 80% | 4% | $90,700 | $114,460 | 8.54% |
| 86 | University of Richmond Richmond, VA | 84% | 1.5% | $93,200 | $96,044 | 10.23% |
| 87 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | 81% | 2.1% | $93,400 | $111,404 | 9.00% |
| 88 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | 85% | 2.9% | $83,600 | $53,148 | 12.45% |
| 89 | University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | 81% | 4% | $100,000 | $59,864 | 13.56% |
| 90 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | 79% | 1.2% | $97,900 | $49,336 | 14.79% |
| Rank | School Name | Graduation Rate1 | Default Rate2 | Mid-Career Salary3 | Net Price (4-year)4 | 20-year ROI5 |
| 91 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | 83% | 2.7% | $94,600 | $64,924 | 12.74% |
| 92 | St. John’s University Collegeville, MN | 80% | 0.2% | $134,000 | $97,332 | 13.55% |
| 93 | Saint Olaf College Northfield, MN | 80% | 0.5% | $89,400 | $112,076 | 8.74% |
| 94 | Colorado School of the Mines Golden, CO | 76% | 0.8% | $109,000 | $100,552 | 12.27% |
| 95 | Northeastern University Boston, MA | 82% | 2.8% | $91,900 | $122,184 | 9.44% |
| 96 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH | 81% | 1.2% | $103,000 | $116,560 | 10.63% |
| 97 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA | 84% | 2% | $100,000 | $133,372 | 8.98% |
| 98 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | 77% | 3.3% | $93,500 | $136,756 | 8.59% |
| 99 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | 78% | 2.6% | $87,200 | $62,356 | 12.25% |
| 100 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | 78% | 3.9% | $83,100 | $46,292 | 13.18% |
best public colleges in the northeast
We’ve ranked the top 100 colleges and universities in the Northeast. The list is based on the 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking, as well as the Princeton Review’s list of best colleges. The schools are listed in descending order, starting with number one.
- Harvard University – Cambridge, MA
- Yale University – New Haven, CT
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Cambridge, MA
- Columbia University – New York City, NY
- Brown University – Providence, RI
- Princeton University – Princeton, NJ
- Dartmouth College – Hanover, NH
- Cornell University – Ithaca, NY
- Washington University in St Louis – St Louis MO / WashU School of Medicine – St Louis MO (tied)
- Amherst College – Amherst MA / Hampshire College – Amherst MA (tied)
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