Here are the top 10 best colleges to attend. These top 10 schools are based on academics, quality of life, and overall campus resources.


  1. Princeton

    Princeton is a private Ivy League university located in Princeton, New Jersey. It is known to provide its students with some of the best financial aid packages, making it one of the most affordable colleges in the nation. Princeton is also one of the most beautiful colleges.


  2. Stanford

    Stanford has one of the largest campuses in the nation. It has one of the best law schools and is one of the top business schools to attend, especially if you are the entrepreneur type. Located in the Silicon Valley, Stanford is in a prime startup hub and many tech companies have emerged from its surroundings.


  3. Harvard

    Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is the oldest U.S. University in operation. Harvard is one of the hardest colleges to get into with only a 9.3% acceptance rate. Harvard also houses one of the largest academic libraries in the United States.


  4. MIT

    MIT is seen in nearly every top 10 college ranking year after year. MIT is generally considered to have one of the best engineering programs in the world.


  5. University of California - Berkeley

    Also known as UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal.

    Berkeley is the main college in the University of California System, which consists of 10 schools. The student to faculty ratio is 15.5 to 1, which is pretty impressive for a public university. UC Berkeley also offers excellent PhD programs that are tops in the nation.


  6. UCLA

    UCLA is the most popular college, receiving 50,000 applications for admission. It also has one of the best athletic programs, winning multiple NCAA championships. UCLA is also known as one of the best public research institutions in the nation.


  7. USC

    USC is a private school with one of the most diverse campuses in the world. It is one of the world's leading private research universities and the largest private employer in Los Angeles.


  8. Notre Dame

    Notre Dame is a Roman Catholic university with 82% of the student body being of the Catholic religion. There is no Greek system but intramural sports between the dorms is very popular and play becomes very competitive. Two words that sum up Notre Dame: Academics and Football.


  9. University of Michigan

    The University of Michigan is known for its athletics, mainly their historic presence in college football and winning the very first Rose Bowl. Although it is a public university, Michigan is currently the most expensive in the country (tuition-wise), for out-of-state students.


  10. University of Washington

    The University of Washington is the oldest public university on the west coast. Rainy weather in Seattle will keep you focused on your studies at UW. Its Medical school and Business school are among the elite programs in the nation. The university even offers some in-state students free tuition.

If you are considering online colleges, consider these top online colleges.