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 | Washington University in St Louis | 8220 | 12.06 | 1,480 – 1,560 | 22408 | 78073 |
#1
Washington University in St Louis
|
| 2 | Saint Louis University | 10413 | 75.04 | 1,210 – 1,410 | 27749 | 60716 |
#2
Saint Louis University
|
| 3 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 24449 | 78.47 | 1,150 – 1,370 | 22169 | 52756 |
#3
University of Missouri-Columbia
|
| 4 | Truman State University | 3265 | 83.77 | 1,210 – 1,400 | 13602 | 43966 |
Truman State University
|
| 5 | Rockhurst University | 2303 | 69.59 | 1,010 – 1,240 | 25787 | 61371 |
Rockhurst University
|
| 6 | College of the Ozarks | 1454 | 11.99 | 1,050 – 1,220 | 11637 | 36507 |
College of the Ozarks
|
| 7 | University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | 343 | 89.84 | 1,020 – 1,230 | 33147 | 116360 |
#7
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
|
| 8 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | 5692 | 95.08 | 1,010 – 1,240 | 22983 | 55047 |
Maryville University of Saint Louis
|
| 9 | William Jewell College | 924 | 38.36 | 980 – 1,190 | 19294 | 54197 |
#9
William Jewell College
|
| 10 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 5552 | 72.55 | 1,210 – 1,410 | 17366 | 69295 |
Missouri University of Science and Technology
|
| 11 | Drury University | 1391 | 57.58 | 1,120 – 1,340 | 21903 | 37508 |
Drury University
|
| 12 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 20584 | 90.53 | 1,020 – 1,250 | 17181 | 40553 |
Missouri State University-Springfield
|
| 13 | Kansas City Art Institute | 813 | 54.76 | 1,040 – 1,280 | 27650 | 25529 |
Kansas City Art Institute
|
| 14 | Westminster College | 640 | 79.2 | 1,010 – 1,190 | 24358 | 40992 |
Westminster College
|
| 15 | Evangel University | 1511 | 71.61 | 1,080 – 1,280 | 19261 | 39332 |
Evangel University
|
| 16 | Urshan University | 474 | 83.78 | 880 – 1,100 | 14207 | 63721 |
Urshan University
|
| 17 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 10166 | 72.18 | 1,060 – 1,330 | 14748 | 50298 |
University of Missouri-Kansas City
|
| 18 | Webster University | 2322 | 86.23 | 990 – 1,230 | 29503 | 39656 |
Webster University
|
| 19 | Fontbonne University | 209 | 95.03 | 970 – 1,210 | 0 | 44150 | |
| 20 | Stephens College | 392 | 77.22 | 930 – 1,160 | 23194 | 36778 |
Stephens College
|
| 21 | Columbia College | 5207 | 47.14 | 1,040 – 1,250 | 21530 | 40747 |
Columbia College
|
| 22 | Northwest Missouri State University | 5241 | 86.09 | 1,010 – 1,180 | 16790 | 41695 |
Northwest Missouri State University
|
| 23 | Lindenwood University | 4663 | 56.84 | 1,110 – 1,310 | 20901 | 45711 |
Lindenwood University
|
| 24 | Cottey College | 254 | 69.18 | 800 – 1,180 | 14704 | 32903 |
Cottey College
|
| 25 | University of Central Missouri | 7584 | 63.8 | 930 – 1,180 | 14943 | 41593 |
University of Central Missouri
|
| 26 | University of Missouri-St Louis | 12317 | 62.67 | 1,020 – 1,290 | 14008 | 47564 |
University of Missouri-St Louis
|
| 27 | Ozark Christian College | 610 | 93.61 | 990 – 1,190 | 20807 | 32528 |
Ozark Christian College
|
| 28 | Southeast Missouri State University | 7926 | 73.52 | 850 – 1,040 | 16185 | 38150 |
Southeast Missouri State University
|
| 29 | William Woods University | 1342 | 70.96 | 1,040 – 1,240 | 27092 | 39265 |
William Woods University
|
| 30 | Culver-Stockton College | 861 | 99.1 | 970 – 1,080 | 21996 | 40673 |
Culver-Stockton College
|
| 31 | Avila University | 1331 | 87.8 | 890 – 1,080 | 17004 | 48975 |
Avila University
|
| 32 | Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | 1041 | 56.87 | 940 – 1,140 | 22929 | 43860 |
Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
|
| 33 | Hannibal-LaGrange University | 452 | 72.63 | 850 – 1,180 | 22685 | 41185 |
Hannibal-LaGrange University
|
| 34 | Southwest Baptist University | 1710 | 68.39 | 930 – 1,240 | 21336 | 38855 |
Southwest Baptist University
|
| 35 | Spurgeon College | 1126 | 96.4 | 1,040 – 1,190 | 23750 | 39712 |
Spurgeon College
|
| 36 | Calvary University | 174 | 71.74 | 950 – 1,180 | 17066 | 33144 |
Calvary University
|
| 37 | St Louis College of Health Careers-Fenton | 399 | 80 | -- | 24395 | 28788 | |
| 38 | Missouri Baptist University | 4958 | 68.6 | 710 – 970 | 27623 | 38997 |
Missouri Baptist University
|
| 39 | Missouri Southern State University | 3881 | 97.03 | 950 – 1,200 | 11626 | 37866 |
Missouri Southern State University
|
| 40 | Harris-Stowe State University | 1002 | 47.84 | 850 – 1,010 | 9418 | 26634 |
Harris-Stowe State University
|
| 41 | Park University | 4657 | 69.04 | 930 – 1,140 | 19519 | 50550 |
Park University
|
| 42 | Central Christian College of the Bible | 165 | 21.35 | 890 – 1,070 | 14918 | 30223 |
Central Christian College of the Bible
|
| 43 | Mission University | 381 | 0 | -- | 23118 | 30600 | |
| 44 | Missouri Valley College | 1687 | 69.18 | 900 – 1,060 | 18923 | 36902 |
Missouri Valley College
|
| 45 | Missouri Western State University | 3491 | 0 | -- | 13126 | 37499 | |
| 46 | Lincoln University | 1926 | 0 | -- | 14002 | 32185 | |
| 47 | Chamberlain University-Missouri | 284 | 100 | -- | 31591 | 84533 |
#47
Chamberlain University-Missouri
|
| 48 | Ranken Technical College | 1784 | 0 | -- | 18286 | 51342 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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