Best colleges
Every accredited four-year college ranked by the Compass Score: outcomes, entering students, cost and teaching, from federal data.
Best colleges1,829 schools
1,829 schools qualify, ranked by the Compass Score. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Compass Score, highest first. Schools with the same score share a rank.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
- 2
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in California
- 94% graduate
- 3
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in New Jersey
- Value grade A+ · Top 1%
- 98% graduate
- 4
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A+ · Top 1%
- 92% graduate
- 5
Rice University
Houston, TX · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Texas
- Value grade A+ · Top 1%
- 95% graduate
- 6
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Maryland
- Value grade A+ · Top 2%
- 94% graduate
- 7
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Massachusetts
- Value grade A · Top 5%
- 96% graduate
- 8Tie
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Illinois
- Value grade A+ · Top 2%
- 96% graduate
- 8Tie
Williams College
Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A+ · Top 3%
- 94% graduate
- 10
Yale University
New Haven, CT · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Connecticut
- Value grade A · Top 8%
- 96% graduate
- 11Tie
Brown University
Providence, RI · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Rhode Island
- Value grade A · Top 9%
- 96% graduate
- 11Tie
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A · Top 4%
- 98% graduate
- 13
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A · Top 7%
- 92% graduate
- 14
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Tennessee
- Value grade A+ · Top 2%
- 94% graduate
- 15
Pomona College
Claremont, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A+ · Top 3%
- 93% graduate
- 16
Duke University
Durham, NC · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in North Carolina
- Value grade B+ · Top 23%
- 97% graduate
- 17
- 18Tie
Amherst College
Amherst, MA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade A · Top 8%
- 94% graduate
- 18Tie
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade B+ · Top 22%
- 91% graduate
- 18Tie
- 21
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#2 in New York
- Value grade B+ · Top 22%
- 95% graduate
- 22
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollTop 1% for earnings
- Value grade B+ · Top 27%
- 97% graduate
- 23
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Value grade B+ · Top 27%
- 95% graduate
- 24
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD · PublicHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- 93% graduate
- 25
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Institute of Music | — | — | — | 96% |
| California Institute of Technology | $16,075 | — | $128,566 | 94% |
| Princeton University | $6,128 | $10,320 | $110,066 | 98% |
| Stanford University | $13,807 | $12,000 | $124,080 | 92% |
| Rice University | $13,370 | $11,000 | $89,718 | 95% |
| Johns Hopkins University | $18,809 | $10,250 | $87,555 | 94% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $20,111 | $14,768 | $143,372 | 96% |
| University of Chicago | $14,860 | $15,000 | $91,885 | 96% |
| Williams College | $17,716 | $12,761 | $88,665 | 94% |
| Yale University | $23,777 | $12,975 | $100,533 | 96% |
| Brown University | $25,184 | $11,428 | $93,487 | 96% |
| Harvard University | $19,066 | $14,000 | $101,817 | 98% |
| Wellesley College | $25,496 | $10,000 | $84,803 | 92% |
| Vanderbilt University | $15,846 | $14,000 | $91,565 | 94% |
| Pomona College | $19,285 | $11,782 | $77,779 | 93% |
| Duke University | $29,612 | $13,000 | $97,800 | 97% |
| United States Military Academy | — | — | — | 87% |
| Amherst College | $23,367 | $13,740 | $77,644 | 94% |
| Claremont McKenna College | $28,849 | $13,500 | $104,736 | 91% |
| United States Air Force Academy | — | — | — | 88% |
| Cornell University | $28,690 | $14,000 | $104,043 | 95% |
| University of Pennsylvania | $28,699 | $15,715 | $111,371 | 97% |
| Northwestern University | $29,167 | $15,000 | $89,363 | 95% |
| United States Naval Academy | — | — | — | 93% |
| Hillsdale College | — | — | — | 90% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
By state
- Alabama 26
- Alaska 5
- Arizona 16
- Arkansas 23
- California 128
- Colorado 26
- Connecticut 26
- Delaware 4
- District of Columbia 9
- Florida 61
- Georgia 60
- Hawaii 6
- Idaho 9
- Illinois 57
- Indiana 45
- Iowa 30
- Kansas 27
- Kentucky 29
- Louisiana 24
- Maine 19
- Maryland 26
- Massachusetts 67
- Michigan 44
- Minnesota 40
- Mississippi 16
- Missouri 53
- Montana 10
- Nebraska 19
- Nevada 6
- New Hampshire 13
- New Jersey 36
- New Mexico 11
- New York 135
- North Carolina 55
- North Dakota 9
- Ohio 99
- Oklahoma 23
- Oregon 21
- Pennsylvania 118
- Puerto Rico 52
- Rhode Island 11
- South Carolina 35
- South Dakota 11
- Tennessee 43
- Texas 85
- Utah 16
- Vermont 9
- Virginia 51
- Washington 24
- West Virginia 19
- Wisconsin 36
- Wyoming 3