The Top 50 Best Colleges in the US is College Raptor’s most prestigious rankings list. Updated annually, these schools are celebrated for their rich histories, stunning campuses, excellent academics, and vibrant student life. The institutions on this list are known for both academic excellence and impressive extracurricular opportunities, making them “dream schools” for students around the world. Use these rankings as a jumping-off point for you to create your own personalized rankings using our college match tool.
Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, graduation rates, student success, and more. We’ve outlined our full methodology here.
| Rank | Institution | Undergraduates | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School of Visual Arts | 3255 | 92.61 | 1,210 – 1,420 | 59211 | 31855 |
#1
School of Visual Arts
|
| 2 | Paier College | 199 | 61.54 | 740 – 880 | 31768 | 63721 |
#2
Paier College
|
| 3 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | 1016 | 67.2 | 1,190 – 1,410 | 40015 | 58771 |
#3
DigiPen Institute of Technology
|
| 4 | Westcliff University | 2037 | 45.09 | -- | 26051 | 63721 |
#4
Westcliff University
|
| 5 | Nossi College of Art and Design | 278 | 43.27 | -- | 23745 | 28099 |
Nossi College of Art and Design
|
| 6 | LIM College | 1142 | 98.75 | 970 – 1,170 | 39389 | 45359 |
LIM College
|
| 7 | Monroe College | 6206 | 67.51 | -- | 11476 | 36973 |
Monroe College
|
| 8 | Florida National University-Main Campus | 2455 | 99.81 | -- | 23629 | 29347 |
Florida National University-Main Campus
|
| 9 | University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus | 266 | 60.37 | -- | 18780 | 38444 |
#9
University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus
|
| 10 | Five Towns College | 662 | 73.89 | 800 – 1,020 | 23005 | 25305 |
Five Towns College
|
| 11 | Chamberlain University-New Jersey | 1316 | 90 | -- | 38084 | 59213 | |
| 12 | Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design | 1888 | 87.27 | 990 – 1,160 | 27459 | 30280 |
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
|
| 13 | Southern California Institute of Technology | 537 | 87.5 | -- | 27934 | 60630 |
Southern California Institute of Technology
|
| 14 | University of Silicon Valley | 378 | 51.31 | 980 – 1,210 | 30602 | 39802 |
University of Silicon Valley
|
| 15 | Stanbridge University | 2373 | 11.37 | -- | 23800 | 53729 |
#15
Stanbridge University
|
| 16 | Post University | 19575 | 96.54 | 800 – 1,030 | 18619 | 31401 |
Post University
|
| 17 | Full Sail University | 25195 | 0 | -- | 30879 | 31917 | |
| 18 | Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences | 1892 | 89.44 | -- | 29243 | 59213 |
#18
Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
|
| 19 | Berkeley College | 1900 | 78.32 | -- | 20068 | 37060 |
#19
Berkeley College
|
| 20 | Salem University | 695 | 47.33 | 900 – 1,130 | 11626 | 31612 |
Salem University
|
| 21 | Musicians Institute | 780 | 71.29 | 980 – 1,300 | 39056 | 24962 | |
| 22 | Academy of Art University | 3644 | 100 | -- | 36591 | 30452 |
Academy of Art University
|
| 23 | Eastwick College-Ramsey | 929 | 77.82 | -- | 28467 | 53147 | |
| 24 | Northwest College of Art & Design | 150 | 76.32 | -- | 20185 | 51847 |
Northwest College of Art & Design
|
| 25 | Waldorf University | 2196 | 72.6 | 970 – 1,110 | 21510 | 50515 |
Waldorf University
|
| 26 | Chamberlain University-Missouri | 328 | 83.33 | -- | 34947 | 84533 | |
| 27 | West Coast University-Los Angeles | 2687 | 93.16 | -- | 51992 | 59213 | |
| 28 | The College of Westchester | 891 | 94.57 | -- | 11332 | 32951 |
The College of Westchester
|
| 29 | Chamberlain University-Illinois | 14259 | 92.86 | -- | 25875 | 59213 | |
| 30 | Central Penn College | 806 | 29.39 | 660 – 910 | 18681 | 40798 |
Central Penn College
|
| 31 | Neumont College of Computer Science | 530 | 89.47 | 1,000 – 1,250 | 28592 | 77865 |
Neumont College of Computer Science
|
| 32 | South College | 6406 | 54.39 | -- | 16584 | 37570 |
#32
South College
|
| 33 | Chamberlain University-Ohio | 500 | 70 | -- | 32560 | 59213 | |
| 34 | Chamberlain University-Arizona | 745 | 87.5 | -- | 31755 | 59213 | |
| 35 | Berkeley College-New York | 1756 | 96.71 | -- | 27509 | 37284 |
Berkeley College-New York
|
| 36 | Interior Designers Institute | 107 | 98.83 | -- | 0 | 51847 | |
| 37 | Smith Chason College | 2221 | 68.44 | -- | 33522 | 48956 | |
| 38 | University of Advancing Technology | 892 | 95.15 | 950 – 1,180 | 21148 | 39016 | |
| 39 | Los Angeles College of Music | 267 | 81.37 | -- | 43023 | 20538 | |
| 40 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | 567 | 100 | -- | 0 | 59213 | |
| 41 | Columbia Central University-Caguas | 682 | 90 | -- | 4046 | 19591 | |
| 42 | National American University-Rapid City | 836 | 48.14 | -- | 22086 | 29641 |
#42
National American University-Rapid City
|
| 43 | Capella University | 16177 | 94.83 | -- | 16975 | 48500 | |
| 44 | National Paralegal College | 388 | 84.9 | -- | 14359 | 34769 |
National Paralegal College
|
| 45 | ECPI University | 556 | 82.69 | -- | 20051 | 41278 | |
| 46 | Brookline College-Albuquerque | 492 | 58.22 | -- | 37566 | 59213 | |
| 47 | Grand Canyon University | 70929 | 60.36 | 960 – 1,150 | 22239 | 47280 | |
| 48 | NUC University | 36488 | 0 | -- | 5433 | 24259 | |
| 49 | Brookline College-Phoenix | 714 | 85.97 | -- | 0 | 32705 | |
| 50 | American InterContinental University-Houston | 124 | 92.44 | -- | 18558 | 27823 | |
| 51 | Eagle Gate College-Murray | 263 | 37.87 | -- | 19185 | 59213 | |
| 52 | CEM College-San Juan | 178 | 90.33 | -- | 14817 | 59213 | |
| 53 | American InterContinental University-Atlanta | 670 | 95.45 | -- | 15590 | 27823 | |
| 54 | Bryan University | 2094 | 100 | -- | 20495 | 32146 | |
| 55 | DeVry University-Illinois | 172 | 100 | -- | 31063 | 42178 |
#55
DeVry University-Illinois
|
| 56 | Columbia Southern University | 12213 | 100 | -- | 14085 | 55140 | |
| 57 | Strayer University-Global Region | 10093 | 0 | -- | 18470 | 36582 | |
| 58 | Miller-Motte College-Wilmington | 152 | 75.2 | -- | 22769 | 26349 | |
| 59 | South University-West Palm Beach | 284 | 39.52 | -- | 20494 | 34115 | |
| 60 | South University-Savannah | 247 | 81.76 | -- | 24116 | 34115 | |
| 61 | American InterContinental University System | 6830 | 92.44 | -- | 14250 | 27823 | |
| 62 | South University-Montgomery | 302 | 51.94 | -- | 25157 | 34115 | |
| 63 | South University-Columbia | 445 | 85.61 | -- | 22112 | 34115 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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