What are the top 10 universities in the USA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Columbia
4. UPenn
5. MIT
6. Caltech
7. Yale
8. Princeton
9. UChicago
10 UC Berkeley

+1. OP is asking for the top 10 universities, not colleges within these universities; the list must be based on a comprehensive evaluation of all programs within a university. The addition of UC Berkeley is necessary because of its top graduate programs; overall, it's a more productive and successful university than the likes of Duke and Northwestern.

MIT should be ahead of Columbia because its research in STEM is so productive that it outweighs their relative lack of professional schools and non-STEM subjects. The opposite argument can be made about Yale and Caltech, with Caltech being even more niche than MIT. UC Berkeley loses points for not having a top undergraduate college. Columbia ahead of Yale because of better med and business, way better STEM overall that outweighs Yale's slightly better humanities, and other elite programs like Journalism, SIPA, that Yale doesn't have. Penn ahead of Princeton because while Penn's arts and sciences may be weak on this list, their overall strength in professional schools make them above Princeton with only SPIA.

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. MIT
4. Columbia
5. Yale
6. Caltech
7. Penn
8. Princeton
9. UC Berkeley
10. UChicago

This list is very similar to the world rankings of US News, ARWU, CWUR, Round University Rankings, etc.

[Anonymous]

It's a bit of a nebulous concept but I think most would say that these kinds of lists are trying to capture some mixture of prestige, student caliber, desirability, teaching quality, and research productivity. While I think PP's list is a good one, I think it leans a bit heavy toward the graduate schools and research output.

My list is pretty much identical to this earlier list upthread:

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

I'm not quite sure UC Berkeley would be considered a top 10 university. For many PhD programs, absolutely. But not many would consider it within the context of these other super-schools.

Caltech, too, strikes me as a bit too small to be included here, although I would also consider it world-class. Along with Juilliard, those two schools sort of occupy polar ends of a spectrum of higher education, and are arguably the world's best in each of their respective domains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a bit of a nebulous concept but I think most would say that these kinds of lists are trying to capture some mixture of prestige, student caliber, desirability, teaching quality, and research productivity. While I think PP's list is a good one, I think it leans a bit heavy toward the graduate schools and research output.

My list is pretty much identical to this earlier list upthread:

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

I'm not quite sure UC Berkeley would be considered a top 10 university. For many PhD programs, absolutely. But not many would consider it within the context of these other super-schools.

Caltech, too, strikes me as a bit too small to be included here, although I would also consider it world-class. Along with Juilliard, those two schools sort of occupy polar ends of a spectrum of higher education, and are arguably the world's best in each of their respective domains.

I disagree that UCB should not be included in the top ten. After HYPSM, there are about 15 schools that could be considered top ten. So many posters are stuck on USNWR undergraduate ratings they forget that universities have multiple purposes, and that includes graduate programs. When a poster asks about the top ten universities in the USA, it shouldn’t automatically exclude the reputation of the entire school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

+1. I like the exclusion of both MIT and Caltech because including them would be like comparing apples and oranges.

Bout time Columbia is placed above Princeton. Only the HYP acronym, rooted in century-old racism and elitism, is keeping Princeton ahead of Columbia.

Yes, although MIT is much, much closer to being a more well-rounded university like the others listed here than Caltech is, both those schools are just a different animal, in my opinion. They are undoubtedly the top tier of their class (technical institutions), arguably in the whole world, but hard to compare to the rest.

Please - many students at HYP and all the rest of the above list would be eaten alive at MIT. sorry.

CalState and MIT are more stats oriented, more STEM-focused than Ivies. They are one-trick ponies. You pretty much have to be good in your chosen field. CalState and MIT wouldn't do as well under the holistic evaluation. They get eaten alive at Ivies.

What is calstate?

People confuse CalTech with CalState. CalTech is about half a notch above CalState and about a notch or two above in snottiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a bit of a nebulous concept but I think most would say that these kinds of lists are trying to capture some mixture of prestige, student caliber, desirability, teaching quality, and research productivity. While I think PP's list is a good one, I think it leans a bit heavy toward the graduate schools and research output.

My list is pretty much identical to this earlier list upthread:

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

I'm not quite sure UC Berkeley would be considered a top 10 university. For many PhD programs, absolutely. But not many would consider it within the context of these other super-schools.

Caltech, too, strikes me as a bit too small to be included here, although I would also consider it world-class. Along with Juilliard, those two schools sort of occupy polar ends of a spectrum of higher education, and are arguably the world's best in each of their respective domains.

I disagree that UCB should not be included in the top ten. After HYPSM, there are about 15 schools that could be considered top ten. So many posters are stuck on USNWR undergraduate ratings they forget that universities have multiple purposes, and that includes graduate programs. When a poster asks about the top ten universities in the USA, it shouldn’t automatically exclude the reputation of the entire school.

I don't disagree with you there! While UCB is a powerhouse in academia (one of the best), however, schools like Northwestern & Duke, for example, have stronger law schools, med schools, and in the case of NW, a stronger business school as well. They also have much stronger undergraduate offerings.

As an aside, would throw MIT into that list up top as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a bit of a nebulous concept but I think most would say that these kinds of lists are trying to capture some mixture of prestige, student caliber, desirability, teaching quality, and research productivity. While I think PP's list is a good one, I think it leans a bit heavy toward the graduate schools and research output.

My list is pretty much identical to this earlier list upthread:

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

I'm not quite sure UC Berkeley would be considered a top 10 university. For many PhD programs, absolutely. But not many would consider it within the context of these other super-schools.

Caltech, too, strikes me as a bit too small to be included here, although I would also consider it world-class. Along with Juilliard, those two schools sort of occupy polar ends of a spectrum of higher education, and are arguably the world's best in each of their respective domains.

I disagree that UCB should not be included in the top ten. After HYPSM, there are about 15 schools that could be considered top ten. So many posters are stuck on USNWR undergraduate ratings they forget that universities have multiple purposes, and that includes graduate programs. When a poster asks about the top ten universities in the USA, it shouldn’t automatically exclude the reputation of the entire school.

I don't disagree with you there! While UCB is a powerhouse in academia (one of the best), however, schools like Northwestern & Duke, for example, have stronger law schools, med schools, and in the case of NW, a stronger business school as well. They also have much stronger undergraduate offerings.

As an aside, would throw MIT into that list up top as well.

UCB's law school is ranked ahead of NW and Duke.

[Anonymous]

I haven't paid much attention to this thread (my undergrad and post-undergrad schools are in the top 10 in any conceivable ranking), but must say it's kind of heart-warming to know that there's a home on DCUM for the insecure nerds to keep touting their own schools (especially Cal Tech, MIT, Columbia, Chicago, and Johns Hopkins) to previously unscaled heights. Mazel tov.

[Anonymous]

Top 10 universities depends on whether we are talking about the universities as a whole or undergraduate education, where liberal arts colleges far outclasses universities anyways.

Overall, the obvious top ten is:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Berkeley
4. Stanford
5. Caltech
6. Columbia
7. Princeton
8. Yale
9. U. Penn

There is no obvious university for the 10th spot. It may go to Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke. Some may pick Hopkins but that university is essentially a medical school with an undergraduate college attached.

Berkeley is considered a top 3 university in the world, people arguing whether it should even be in the top 10 within the US is hilarious. The school is 40% Asians, the vast majority of whom have stats for the Ivies/Stanford had they not been factoring race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top 10 universities depends on whether we are talking about the universities as a whole or undergraduate education, where liberal arts colleges far outclasses universities anyways.

Overall, the obvious top ten is:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Berkeley
4. Stanford
5. Caltech
6. Columbia
7. Princeton
8. Yale
9. U. Penn

There is no obvious university for the 10th spot. It may go to Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke. Some may pick Hopkins but that university is essentially a medical school with an undergraduate college attached.

Berkeley is considered a top 3 university in the world, people arguing whether it should even be in the top 10 within the US is hilarious. The school is 40% Asians, the vast majority of whom have stats for the Ivies/Stanford had they not been factoring race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top 10 universities depends on whether we are talking about the universities as a whole or undergraduate education, where liberal arts colleges far outclasses universities anyways.

Overall, the obvious top ten is:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Berkeley
4. Stanford
5. Caltech
6. Columbia
7. Princeton
8. Yale
9. U. Penn

There is no obvious university for the 10th spot. It may go to Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke. Some may pick Hopkins but that university is essentially a medical school with an undergraduate college attached.

Berkeley is considered a top 3 university in the world, people arguing whether it should even be in the top 10 within the US is hilarious. The school is 40% Asians, the vast majority of whom have stats for the Ivies/Stanford had they not been factoring race.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top 10 universities depends on whether we are talking about the universities as a whole or undergraduate education, where liberal arts colleges far outclasses universities anyways.

Overall, the obvious top ten is:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Berkeley
4. Stanford
5. Caltech
6. Columbia
7. Princeton
8. Yale
9. U. Penn

There is no obvious university for the 10th spot. It may go to Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke. Some may pick Hopkins but that university is essentially a medical school with an undergraduate college attached.

Berkeley is considered a top 3 university in the world, people arguing whether it should even be in the top 10 within the US is hilarious. The school is 40% Asians, the vast majority of whom have stats for the Ivies/Stanford had they not been factoring race.

+100

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top 10 universities depends on whether we are talking about the universities as a whole or undergraduate education, where liberal arts colleges far outclasses universities anyways.

Overall, the obvious top ten is:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Berkeley
4. Stanford
5. Caltech
6. Columbia
7. Princeton
8. Yale
9. U. Penn

There is no obvious university for the 10th spot. It may go to Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke. Some may pick Hopkins but that university is essentially a medical school with an undergraduate college attached.

Berkeley is considered a top 3 university in the world, people arguing whether it should even be in the top 10 within the US is hilarious. The school is 40% Asians, the vast majority of whom have stats for the Ivies/Stanford had they not been factoring race.

You forgot Chicago

[Anonymous]

Which is less focused on sports recruits? Every spot that goes to a sports recruit is not going to a more academically focused student. That is why I would put MIT, etc in top..to account for all the jocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a bit of a nebulous concept but I think most would say that these kinds of lists are trying to capture some mixture of prestige, student caliber, desirability, teaching quality, and research productivity. While I think PP's list is a good one, I think it leans a bit heavy toward the graduate schools and research output.

My list is pretty much identical to this earlier list upthread:

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. U. Pennsylvania
7. U. Chicago
8. Northwestern
9. Duke
10. Johns Hopkins

I'm not quite sure UC Berkeley would be considered a top 10 university. For many PhD programs, absolutely. But not many would consider it within the context of these other super-schools.

Caltech, too, strikes me as a bit too small to be included here, although I would also consider it world-class. Along with Juilliard, those two schools sort of occupy polar ends of a spectrum of higher education, and are arguably the world's best in each of their respective domains.

I disagree that UCB should not be included in the top ten. After HYPSM, there are about 15 schools that could be considered top ten. So many posters are stuck on USNWR undergraduate ratings they forget that universities have multiple purposes, and that includes graduate programs. When a poster asks about the top ten universities in the USA, it shouldn’t automatically exclude the reputation of the entire school.

I don't disagree with you there! While UCB is a powerhouse in academia (one of the best), however, schools like Northwestern & Duke, for example, have stronger law schools, med schools, and in the case of NW, a stronger business school as well. They also have much stronger undergraduate offerings.

As an aside, would throw MIT into that list up top as well.

UCB's law school is ranked ahead of NW and Duke.

UCB’s business school is top ten and UCSF medical school considered to be UCB medical school is top five. UCB also has the most programs in top ten of any universities.

[Anonymous]

Ah, I see the UCB boosters have emerged from the woodwork. Great school, but its glory days are about 4 decades past.