Best private colleges in America

Winston Tan // Shutterstock Private colleges are defined and distinguished from other types of institutions by their source of funding–they are privately funded by tuition dollars, endowments, grants, and donations. Public colleges and universities, on the other hand, are at least partially subsidized by state government funding. As a result, private schools tend to be more expensive. According to the College Board’s 2022 Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid report, the average tuition for full-time in-state undergraduate students at public four-year colleges was $10,940, and $28,240 for out-of-state students in 2022. The average tuition for students attending private four-year institutions was $39,400. Both private and public schools play important roles in the postsecondary landscape, offering top-tier education and valuable opportunities outside the classroom. But some characteristics of private institutions–namely size, reputation, and flexibility–make them more appealing to prospective students. Private colleges, which tend to be more selective, generally offer smaller classes and, therefore, more direct instruction and support. Large lectures of around 100 students are more of an exception at private schools when compared to public colleges. Private colleges may also attract more distinguished faculty based on prestige. While the quality of education received at private institutions is not necessarily better than what students receive at public schools, graduates from more selective colleges with name recognition generally tend to have higher earnings, according to a study on earnings outcomes by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The study also notes, however, that within specific majors, the institution that a student attends can have a significant effect on earnings outcomes. For students entering college without a well-defined idea of what discipline they want to pursue, the flexibility to explore various subjects at a liberal arts institution often makes private colleges an appealing option. Stacker compiled a list of the best private colleges in America, using data from Niche released in 2023. Niche ranks schools based on a variety of factors, including academic, admissions, financial, and student life. You may also like: Most liberal colleges in America #100. Rhode Island School of Design Jose L Vilchez // Shutterstock – Location: Providence, RI – Students: 1,736 – Acceptance rate: 27% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $51,100 #99. Yeshiva University Canva – Location: New York, NY – Students: 2,553 – Acceptance rate: 67% – Graduation rate: 77% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $58,500 #98. Wabash College Stephen B. Goodwin // Shutterstock – Location: Crawfordsville, IN – Students: 868 – Acceptance rate: 63% – Graduation rate: 75% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $56,300 #97. Creighton University Lost_in_the_Midwest // Shutterstock – Location: Omaha, NE – Students: 4,330 – Acceptance rate: 64% – Graduation rate: 82% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $59,700 #96. University of Dayton Chad Robertson Media // Shutterstock – Location: Dayton, OH – Students: 8,285 – Acceptance rate: 81% – Graduation rate: 81% – Faculty ratio: 11:1 – Six-year median earnings: $55,100 You may also like: 25 oldest colleges in America #95. Stevens Institute of Technology Jeffrey Vock Photography // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Hoboken, NJ – Students: 4,025 – Acceptance rate: 53% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 12:1 – Six-year median earnings: $89,200 #94. American University Samschoe // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Washington, DC – Students: 7,453 – Acceptance rate: 39% – Graduation rate: 79% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $61,000 #93. University of San Diego Kit Leong // Shutterstock – Location: San Diego, CA – Students: 5,294 – Acceptance rate: 59% – Graduation rate: 80% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,000 #92. Loyola Marymount University Canva – Location: Los Angeles, CA – Students: 6,383 – Acceptance rate: 50% – Graduation rate: 83% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $61,300 #91. Denison University Chamberednautilus // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Granville, OH – Students: 2,258 – Acceptance rate: 28% – Graduation rate: 80% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,800 You may also like: Can you pass this 8th grade assessment test? #90. St. Olaf College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Northfield, MN – Students: 2,916 – Acceptance rate: 51% – Graduation rate: 85% – Faculty ratio: 12:1 – Six-year median earnings: $50,400 #89. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Runningonbrains // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Worcester, MA – Students: 5,010 – Acceptance rate: 59% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 12:1 – Six-year median earnings: $84,900 #88. Mount Holyoke College Kenneth C. Zirkel// Wikimedia Commons – Location: South Hadley, MA – Students: 2,200 – Acceptance rate: 52% – Graduation rate: 84% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,600 #87. Saint Louis University STLJB // Shutterstock – Location: St. Louis, MO – Students: 6,847 – Acceptance rate: 56% – Graduation rate: 79% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $56,500 #86. Occidental College EQRoy // Shutterstock – Location: Los Angeles, CA – Students: 1,938 – Acceptance rate: 41% – Graduation rate: 84% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $50,600 You may also like: 25 of the best TV shows set in high school #85. Wheaton College – Illinois James Casil // Shutterstock – Location: Wheaton, IL – Students: 2,195 – Acceptance rate: 87% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,400 #84. Union College – New York Burcu Ergin // Shutterstock – Location: Schenectady, NY – Students: 2,030 – Acceptance rate: 41% – Graduation rate: 86% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,400 #83. Trinity College – Connecticut Jon Bilous // Shutterstock – Location: Hartford, CT – Students: 2,167 – Acceptance rate: 36% – Graduation rate: 82% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $66,100 #82. Brandeis University Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Waltham, MA – Students: 3,465 – Acceptance rate: 33% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $57,900 #81. The University of Tulsa Kit Leong // Shutterstock – Location: Tulsa, OK – Students: 2,819 – Acceptance rate: 69% – Graduation rate: 73% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,500 You may also like: Most expensive colleges–and what students actually pay #80. Bryn Mawr College Bo Shen // Shutterstock – Location: Bryn Mawr, PA – Students: 1,421 – Acceptance rate: 38% – Graduation rate: 85% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,600 #79. Pepperdine University Benny Marty // Shutterstock – Location: Malibu, CA – Students: 3,132 – Acceptance rate: 42% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,500 #78. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Andrea Catenaro // Shutterstock – Location: Troy, NY – Students: 6,262 – Acceptance rate: 57% – Graduation rate: 87% – Faculty ratio: 14:1 – Six-year median earnings: $82,000 #77. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Cjeiler // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Terre Haute, IN – Students: 2,058 – Acceptance rate: 77% – Graduation rate: 83% – Faculty ratio: 11:1 – Six-year median earnings: $80,900 #76. Skidmore College Peter Flass // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Saratoga Springs, NY – Students: 2,510 – Acceptance rate: 32% – Graduation rate: 86% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $49,700 You may also like: States where high schoolers are least likely to graduate #75. Reed College Makaristos // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Portland, OR – Students: 1,492 – Acceptance rate: 42% – Graduation rate: 77% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $42,200 #74. Santa Clara University MARELBU // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Santa Clara, CA – Students: 5,478 – Acceptance rate: 51% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $72,600 #73. Texas Christian University Michael Barera // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Fort Worth, TX – Students: 9,448 – Acceptance rate: 48% – Graduation rate: 82% – Faculty ratio: 11:1 – Six-year median earnings: $52,800 #72. Scripps College Lure Photography // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Claremont, CA – Students: 1,095 – Acceptance rate: 35% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,100 #71. Colorado College Jeffrey Beall // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Colorado Springs, CO – Students: 2,190 – Acceptance rate: 14% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $45,400 You may also like: Best boarding schools in America #70. Trinity University Anh-Viet Dinh // Wikimedia Commons – Location: San Antonio, TX – Students: 2,471 – Acceptance rate: 34% – Graduation rate: 79% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,900 #69. Brigham Young University Pastelitodepapa // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Provo, UT – Students: 30,039 – Acceptance rate: 69% – Graduation rate: 75% – Faculty ratio: 21:1 – Six-year median earnings: $59,700 #68. George Washington University Ingfbruno // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Washington, DC – Students: 10,141 – Acceptance rate: 43% – Graduation rate: 85% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $69,600 #67. Bucknell University Tomwsulcer // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Lewisburg, PA – Students: 3,686 – Acceptance rate: 38% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $70,800 #66. Lafayette College Canva – Location: Easton, PA – Students: 2,457 – Acceptance rate: 36% – Graduation rate: 90% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $68,600 You may also like: How student debt has grown in every state #65. Pitzer College Lauriealosh // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Claremont, CA – Students: 802 – Acceptance rate: 17% – Graduation rate: 83% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,700 #64. College of the Holy Cross Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Location: Worcester, MA – Students: 2,966 – Acceptance rate: 38% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $71,000 #63. Kenyon College Cbc717 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Gambier, OH – Students: 1,610 – Acceptance rate: 37% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $48,700 #62. Smith College Daderot // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Northampton, MA – Students: 2,160 – Acceptance rate: 37% – Graduation rate: 87% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $46,200 #61. Macalester College Evenjk // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Saint Paul, MN – Students: 2,207 – Acceptance rate: 39% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 11:1 – Six-year median earnings: $47,600 You may also like: Biggest HBCUs in America #60. Southern Methodist University Jeffrey Beal // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Dallas, TX – Students: 6,616 – Acceptance rate: 53% – Graduation rate: 81% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,700 #59. University of Richmond Talbot0893 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: University Of Richmond, VA – Students: 3,028 – Acceptance rate: 31% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $64,500 #58. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art EQRoy // Shutterstock – Location: New York, NY – Students: 802 – Acceptance rate: 18% – Graduation rate: 79% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $64,900 #57. Carleton College tmphoto98 // Shutterstock – Location: Northfield, MN – Students: 1,918 – Acceptance rate: 21% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,200 #56. Vassar College Collin Knopp-Schwyn // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Poughkeepsie, NY – Students: 2,409 – Acceptance rate: 25% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,600 You may also like: 45 best college movies #55. Grinnell College Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: Grinnell, IA – Students: 1,459 – Acceptance rate: 19% – Graduation rate: 87% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $49,100 #54. University of Rochester Spiroview Inc // Shutterstock – Location: Rochester, NY – Students: 6,100 – Acceptance rate: 35% – Graduation rate: 86% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $61,200 #53. Wesleyan University Joe Mabel // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Middletown, CT – Students: 2,836 – Acceptance rate: 21% – Graduation rate: 91% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $54,700 #52. Villanova University Canva – Location: Villanova, PA – Students: 6,793 – Acceptance rate: 31% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $77,900 #51. Colby College Popova Valeriya // Shutterstock – Location: Waterville, ME – Students: 2,155 – Acceptance rate: 10% – Graduation rate: 90% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $58,100 You may also like: Best private colleges in America #50. Case Western Reserve University Daderot // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Cleveland, OH – Students: 5,286 – Acceptance rate: 30% – Graduation rate: 85% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $74,600 #49. Lehigh University Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Bethlehem, PA – Students: 5,374 – Acceptance rate: 50% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $81,900 #48. Tulane University Tulane Public Relations // Wikimedia Commons – Location: New Orleans, LA – Students: 8,231 – Acceptance rate: 11% – Graduation rate: 86% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $61,700 #47. Hamilton College Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Clinton, NY – Students: 2,043 – Acceptance rate: 18% – Graduation rate: 91% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,200 #46. University of Miami YES Market Media // Shutterstock – Location: Coral Gables, FL – Students: 12,089 – Acceptance rate: 33% – Graduation rate: 83% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,100 You may also like: Best private high school in every state #45. Bates College Jennifer Yakey-Ault // Shutterstock – Location: Lewiston, ME – Students: 1,876 – Acceptance rate: 14% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $59,200 #44. Babson College Daderot // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Wellesley, MA – Students: 2,457 – Acceptance rate: 27% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 12:1 – Six-year median earnings: $96,100 #43. Colgate University Colgate University // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Hamilton, NY – Students: 3,023 – Acceptance rate: 27% – Graduation rate: 91% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $63,600 #42. Haverford College Jackbauerinvc // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Haverford, PA – Students: 1,419 – Acceptance rate: 18% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,700 #41. New York University littlenySTOCK // Shutterstock – Location: New York, NY – Students: 25,854 – Acceptance rate: 21% – Graduation rate: 88% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $61,900 You may also like: Best colleges in America #40. Wake Forest University Bryan Pollard // Shutterstock – Location: Winston-salem, NC – Students: 5,391 – Acceptance rate: 32% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $63,800 #39. Boston University Fletcher6 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Boston, MA – Students: 16,026 – Acceptance rate: 20% – Graduation rate: 89% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,300 #38. Northeastern University Piotrus // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Boston, MA – Students: 15,131 – Acceptance rate: 20% – Graduation rate: 90% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $67,400 #37. Middlebury College Funuk // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Middlebury, VT – Students: 2,835 – Acceptance rate: 22% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $58,200 #36. Williams College Daderot // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Williamstown, MA – Students: 1,917 – Acceptance rate: 15% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $59,000 You may also like: 30 college majors that didn’t exist 50 years ago #35. Amherst College Mark Yarchoan // Shutterstock – Location: Amherst, MA – Students: 1,745 – Acceptance rate: 12% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,000 #34. Boston College Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Location: Chestnut Hill, MA – Students: 9,532 – Acceptance rate: 26% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $72,500 #33. Tufts University Today2 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Medford, MA – Students: 5,938 – Acceptance rate: 16% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $75,800 #32. Washington and Lee University Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock – Location: Lexington, VA – Students: 1,853 – Acceptance rate: 25% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $76,100 #31. Wellesley College Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Location: Wellesley, MA – Students: 2,375 – Acceptance rate: 20% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $60,800 You may also like: 2-year degrees that can earn you the most money #30. Emory University Daniel Mayer // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Atlanta, GA – Students: 6,814 – Acceptance rate: 19% – Graduation rate: 90% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $66,000 #29. Davidson College Dacoslett // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Davidson, NC – Students: 1,983 – Acceptance rate: 20% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $58,900 #28. Barnard College Beyond My Ken // Wikimedia Commons – Location: New York, NY – Students: 2,651 – Acceptance rate: 14% – Graduation rate: 90% – Faculty ratio: 10:1 – Six-year median earnings: $57,900 #27. Swarthmore College Ugen64 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Swarthmore, PA – Students: 1,437 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 97% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $56,700 #26. Bowdoin College Daderot // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Brunswick, ME – Students: 1,948 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 9:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,500 You may also like: States spending the most and least per student on education #25. Claremont McKenna College Katherine Carey // Shutterstock – Location: Claremont, CA – Students: 1,240 – Acceptance rate: 13% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $72,900 #24. University of Southern California Bobak Ha’Eri // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Los Angeles, CA – Students: 18,560 – Acceptance rate: 16% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $74,000 #23. Cornell University Lewis Liu // Shutterstock – Location: Ithaca, NY – Students: 15,735 – Acceptance rate: 11% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $77,200 #22. Carnegie Mellon University Canva – Location: Pittsburgh, PA – Students: 6,341 – Acceptance rate: 17% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $83,600 #21. Johns Hopkins University Canva – Location: Baltimore, MD – Students: 5,766 – Acceptance rate: 11% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $73,200 You may also like: 30 celebs you didn’t know were Ivy Leaguers #20. Pomona College Nostalgicwisdom // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Claremont, CA – Students: 1,756 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $58,100 #19. University of Notre Dame Canva – Location: Notre Dame, IN – Students: 8,833 – Acceptance rate: 19% – Graduation rate: 97% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $78,400 #18. Harvey Mudd College Imagine // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Claremont, CA – Students: 821 – Acceptance rate: 18% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 8:1 – Six-year median earnings: $88,800 #17. Georgetown University LnP images // Shutterstock – Location: Washington, DC – Students: 6,610 – Acceptance rate: 17% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $93,500 #16. University of Chicago Canva – Location: Chicago, IL – Students: 7,020 – Acceptance rate: 7% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $68,100 You may also like: What American education was like 100 years ago #15. Washington University in St. Louis Evan Meyer // Shutterstock – Location: Saint Louis, MO – Students: 7,348 – Acceptance rate: 16% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $70,100 #14. Northwestern University Liz Albro Photography // Shutterstock – Location: Evanston, IL – Students: 8,095 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $69,000 #13. Vanderbilt University Canva – Location: Nashville, TN – Students: 6,983 – Acceptance rate: 12% – Graduation rate: 93% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $69,000 #12. Columbia University LENS-68 // Shutterstock – Location: New York, NY – Students: 7,509 – Acceptance rate: 7% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $83,300 #11. University of Pennsylvania Canva – Location: Philadelphia, PA – Students: 9,960 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $85,900 You may also like: Best public colleges in America #10. Dartmouth College Kane5187 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Hanover, NH – Students: 4,169 – Acceptance rate: 9% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 5:1 – Six-year median earnings: $75,500 #9. Brown University Canva – Location: Providence, RI – Students: 6,605 – Acceptance rate: 8% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 7:1 – Six-year median earnings: $67,500 #8. Duke University Canva – Location: Durham, NC – Students: 6,838 – Acceptance rate: 8% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $84,400 #7. California Institute of Technology Canon.vs.nikon // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Pasadena, CA – Students: 901 – Acceptance rate: 7% – Graduation rate: 92% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $85,900 #6. Rice University Andrea Quintero Olivas // Shutterstock – Location: Houston, TX – Students: 4,150 – Acceptance rate: 11% – Graduation rate: 94% – Faculty ratio: 6:1 – Six-year median earnings: $65,400 You may also like: 2-year degrees that go on to earn the least money #5. Princeton University Jay Yuan // Shutterstock – Location: Princeton, NJ – Students: 4,689 – Acceptance rate: 6% – Graduation rate: 98% – Faculty ratio: 4:1 – Six-year median earnings: $74,700 #4. Yale University f11photo // Shutterstock – Location: New Haven, CT – Students: 4,696 – Acceptance rate: 7% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $83,200 #3. Harvard University Jorge Salcedo // Shutterstock – Location: Cambridge, MA – Students: 5,699 – Acceptance rate: 5% – Graduation rate: 98% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $89,700 #2. Stanford University turtix // Shutterstock – Location: Stanford, CA – Students: 5,752 – Acceptance rate: 5% – Graduation rate: 95% – Faculty ratio: 2:1 – Six-year median earnings: $94,000 #1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Marcio Jose Bastos Silva // Shutterstock – Location: Cambridge, MA – Students: 4,234 – Acceptance rate: 7% – Graduation rate: 96% – Faculty ratio: 3:1 – Six-year median earnings: $104,700 You may also like: College majors that earn the most money