College Rankings: American's Best Universities
Previous-
AP
1. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Tuition: $33,000
Founded in 1747, Princeton is one of the eight Ivy League universities and the fourth-oldest university in the country. Famous grads include Jimmy Stewart, Lee Iacocca and Brooke Shields. -
The N
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tuition: $26,066
Also an Ivy League school and founded in 1636, Harvard is America's oldest university, has the world's third largest library collection and the largest financial endowment of any other university. -
3. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Tuition: $33,030
Founded in 1701 and an Ivy League school, Yale is the alma mater of two political foes: President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, who ran against Bush in the 2004 presidential race. -
4. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Tuition: $28,515
Founded in 1891 as a vocational school, Caltech is known for its engineering and natural sciences programs and was the inspiration for the Val Kilmer film 'Real Genius.' -
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tuition: $33,400
Founded in 1861, MIT is a private research university. The school was integral in defense research during World War II and the Cold War. MIT has never awarded an honorary degree. -
6. Stanford University
Stanford, California
Tuition: $32,994
Stanford was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford in honor of his son. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer, Sandra Day O'Connor and William Rehnquist all graduated from Stanford. -
Bob Krist, Corbis
7. Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Tuition: $32,395
Established in 1821, Amherst was to be a successor to then-struggling Williams College. Noah Webster served on the school's first board of trustees. 'Da Vinci Code' novelist Dan Brown is a graduate. -
Swarthmore College
8. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvannia
Tuition: $31,196
Founded by a committee of Quakers in 1864, Swarthmore is known as one of the "Little Ivies." Famous graduates include former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis and novelist James A. Michener. -
9. Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Tuition: $30,696
One of the Original Seven Sisters colleges, Wellesley opened in 1875. Famous graduates include Madeleine Albright, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Diane Sawyer. -
Peter Finger, Corbis
10. Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
Tuition: $42,120
Founded in 1800, Middlebury is known for its foreign language and writing programs. Famous graduates include actor James Cromwell, Dana Reeve and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. -
Durand Patrick, Corbis
11. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, Florida
Tuition: $24,420
Graduates of Embry Riddle have the dubious distinction of owing the most in student loans. The average 2006 graduate left Embry Riddle with $52,276 of debt. -
12. California Institute
of TechnologyPasadena, California
Tuition: $28,515
Graduates of this university get the best education for their dollars. This school was tied for fourth place on the national universities list. -
More On RED
-
