Setting
These colleges are classified as being in a city in the federal locale data. 219 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by Harvard University (Massachusetts).
Across all 219 qualifying colleges the graduation rate runs from 0.0% (Arizona State University Digital Immersion) to 97.6% (Harvard University), with a median of 73.9%. For comparison, the median across the 353 colleges in the full dataset that report it is 73.1%.
| # | College | State | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Net price | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | MA | 97.6% | 3.6% | $19,066 | 7,601 |
| 2 | Princeton University | NJ | 97.6% | 4.6% | $6,128 | 5,709 |
| 3 | Duke University | NC | 96.8% | 5.7% | $29,612 | 6,442 |
| 4 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | 96.5% | 5.4% | $28,699 | 10,650 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | 96.4% | 4.5% | $20,111 | 4,535 |
| 6 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | 96.1% | 4.0% | $21,590 | 8,973 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | IL | 95.9% | 4.5% | $14,860 | 7,569 |
| 8 | Brown University | RI | 95.7% | 5.4% | $25,184 | 7,226 |
| 9 | Yale University | CT | 95.7% | 3.9% | $23,777 | 6,758 |
| 10 | Cornell University | NY | 95.4% | 8.8% | $28,690 | 15,995 |
| 11 | Northwestern University | IL | 95.1% | 7.7% | $29,167 | 9,201 |
| 12 | Georgetown University | DC | 94.8% | 12.9% | $40,815 | 7,569 |
| 13 | Rice University | TX | 94.6% | 8.0% | $13,370 | 4,776 |
| 14 | California Institute of Technology | CA | 94.4% | 2.6% | $16,075 | 987 |
| 15 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | 94.1% | 11.7% | $31,944 | 7,304 |
| 16 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | 94.0% | 14.1% | $12,116 | 18,785 |
| 17 | Amherst College | MA | 93.9% | 9.0% | $23,367 | 1,911 |
| 18 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | 93.8% | 6.4% | $18,809 | 5,693 |
| 19 | Vanderbilt University | TN | 93.5% | 5.9% | $15,846 | 7,208 |
| 20 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | 93.2% | 15.6% | $13,138 | 34,177 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 219 qualifying colleges, 117 are public and 102 are private nonprofit. Within the table, Massachusetts appears 3 times, Pennsylvania appears 2 times, New York appears 2 times. The median acceptance rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 5.8%, against 44.6% for the whole dataset. The median net price among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $20,850, against $19,857 for the whole dataset. 19 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1540.
Locale comes from the NCES classification of the area around each campus. City campuses put internships, transit and employers close by, and often come with higher living costs.
Each column in the table means the following.
'City' covers everything from a small city to a large metropolis, so two colleges on this list may feel very different.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1540 SAT or a 34 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
Harvard University is first on this list, with graduation rate of 97.6%. It leads 219 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
219 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; Fall 2022. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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