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 | 92.64 | 1,190 – 1,490 | 61337 | 31855 |
School of Visual Arts
|
| 2 | Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences | 2058 | 61.88 | -- | 28110 | 45177 |
Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
|
| 3 | Galen College of Nursing-Louisville | 4801 | 66.96 | 630 – 850 | 17734 | 58951 |
#3
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville
|
| 4 | Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio | 2953 | 64.5 | 630 – 850 | 27907 | 58951 |
#4
Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio
|
| 5 | Walnut Hill College | 175 | 42.72 | -- | 26675 | 33867 |
#5
Walnut Hill College
|
| 6 | Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas | 1222 | 100 | -- | 30706 | 32840 |
#6
Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas
|
| 7 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | 557 | 90 | -- | 33199 | 84533 |
#7
Chamberlain University-Virginia
|
| 8 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | 1016 | 64.42 | 1,180 – 1,390 | 41779 | 58771 |
DigiPen Institute of Technology
|
| 9 | Neumont College of Computer Science | 453 | 86.78 | 1,020 – 1,190 | 34557 | 77865 |
Neumont College of Computer Science
|
| 10 | New York Film Academy | 849 | 52.4 | -- | 51622 | 25150 |
#10
New York Film Academy
|
| 11 | University of Advancing Technology | 855 | 98.06 | 950 – 1,180 | 27286 | 39016 |
University of Advancing Technology
|
| 12 | LIM College | 1188 | 95.9 | 980 – 1,160 | 40305 | 45359 |
LIM College
|
| 13 | Southwest University at El Paso | 2073 | 0 | -- | 16906 | 29611 | |
| 14 | California Aeronautical University | 347 | 55.89 | -- | 34836 | 37182 |
#14
California Aeronautical University
|
| 15 | Grand Canyon University | 75936 | 78.91 | 1,030 – 1,120 | 22928 | 47280 |
Grand Canyon University
|
| 16 | University of Silicon Valley | 456 | 51.18 | 980 – 1,210 | 31594 | 39802 |
University of Silicon Valley
|
| 17 | Monroe University | 6205 | 67.51 | -- | 13291 | 36973 |
Monroe University
|
| 18 | Chamberlain University-Texas | 2270 | 83.87 | -- | 31278 | 84533 |
#18
Chamberlain University-Texas
|
| 19 | American Public University System | 41620 | 0 | -- | 12260 | 32917 | |
| 20 | Chamberlain University-Illinois | 14041 | 82.64 | 790 – 900 | 31599 | 84533 |
Chamberlain University-Illinois
|
| 21 | Five Towns College | 923 | 53.82 | 800 – 1,020 | 24724 | 25305 |
Five Towns College
|
| 22 | Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe | 1202 | 100 | -- | 29819 | 32840 |
#22
Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe
|
| 23 | Nossi College of Art and Design | 247 | 46.31 | -- | 24044 | 28099 |
Nossi College of Art and Design
|
| 24 | Musicians Institute | 800 | 77.95 | 980 – 1,300 | 49657 | 24962 |
Musicians Institute
|
| 25 | Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design | 2061 | 100 | 990 – 1,160 | 31752 | 30280 |
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
|
| 26 | DeVry University-Illinois | 28046 | 98.38 | 680 – 1,020 | 30889 | 42178 |
DeVry University-Illinois
|
| 27 | St Louis College of Health Careers-Fenton | 399 | 80 | -- | 24395 | 28788 | |
| 28 | Salem University | 892 | 47.33 | 900 – 1,130 | 10231 | 31612 |
Salem University
|
| 29 | Central Penn College | 671 | 18.46 | 660 – 910 | 17263 | 40798 |
Central Penn College
|
| 30 | The College of Westchester | 759 | 94.42 | -- | 15871 | 32951 |
The College of Westchester
|
| 31 | Academy of Art University | 3644 | 0 | -- | 36761 | 30452 | |
| 32 | Northwest College of Art & Design | 139 | 65.98 | -- | 14818 | 27505 |
Northwest College of Art & Design
|
| 33 | Berkeley College | 1907 | 76.99 | -- | 27815 | 37060 |
Berkeley College
|
| 34 | Westcliff University | 2363 | 73.15 | -- | 35553 | 63721 |
Westcliff University
|
| 35 | Full Sail University | 25777 | 0 | -- | 37848 | 31917 | |
| 36 | Los Angeles Film School | 5472 | 95.1 | -- | 30501 | 24375 |
Los Angeles Film School
|
| 37 | Post University | 14116 | 96.54 | 800 – 1,030 | 21229 | 31401 |
Post University
|
| 38 | ECPI University | 12164 | 74.52 | -- | 22407 | 41278 |
ECPI University
|
| 39 | Berkeley College-New York | 1731 | 71.99 | -- | 35294 | 37284 |
Berkeley College-New York
|
| 40 | NUC University | 28974 | 49.07 | -- | 8803 | 24259 |
NUC University
|
| 41 | Los Angeles College of Music | 227 | 87.71 | -- | 44586 | 20538 |
Los Angeles College of Music
|
| 42 | Southern California Institute of Technology | 510 | 74.19 | -- | 31486 | 60630 |
Southern California Institute of Technology
|
| 43 | Waldorf University | 1834 | 76.98 | 930 – 1,090 | 19766 | 50515 |
Waldorf University
|
| 44 | Columbia Southern University | 12213 | 0 | -- | 13117 | 55140 | |
| 45 | Chamberlain University-Missouri | 284 | 100 | -- | 31591 | 84533 |
#45
Chamberlain University-Missouri
|
| 46 | Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs | 28246 | 91.79 | -- | 16449 | 30406 |
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
|
| 47 | Eastern International College-Jersey City | 495 | 69.63 | -- | 20136 | 36936 |
Eastern International College-Jersey City
|
| 48 | American InterContinental University System | 7186 | 97.94 | -- | 14726 | 27823 |
American InterContinental University System
|
| 49 | Chamberlain University-Ohio | 257 | 87.5 | -- | 31544 | 84533 |
#49
Chamberlain University-Ohio
|
| 50 | South University-Savannah Online | 6439 | 54.82 | -- | 27841 | 34115 |
#50
South University-Savannah Online
|
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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