US News best colleges 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s only one useful thing about the USNews rankings. They emphasize the reality that the United States has an unusually large number of first class colleges and universities. We should be proud of this.

I basically agree with this and also think one of the better things about the rankings is when it ranks specific programs because it shows you that there are plenty of schools outside the "T20" or whatever that have phenomenal academics and you can get a first class education in your chosen area of study even at less expensive state schools or schools that award a lot of merit. People in this area go crazy about college but the truth is that if you are a reasonably academic (B+ or higher) American kid who is middle class or wealthier you can get a top notch college education. In some cases you will need to borrow a little bit of money but you can keep this number down a variety of ways and you may need to sacrifice on the "college experience" in order to do it affordably. But if you just want to get the education and training you need to have a good career then you can definitely do that here with a little effort and that's really not true everywhere else.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

No, we just find the diversity numbers to be disturbing. ND could do something about that if it chose to. It chooses not to divert funds to recruiting black students.

Or if it wants to focus on Catholic students why doesn't it have more Latino students. It is weird to me that a school that emphasizes it's Catholic identity so much would have so few Latino students. Like ignore diversity for a second -- ND doesn't do a good job of merely representing the *Catholic* community. It's weird.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Wow. UC Merced is about to crack the top 50. According to their common data set, they have a 90% admission rate. They are by far the easiest Top 50 school to get into.

I don't understand why only 9% of admitted students decide to enroll there! What do those applicants who choose not to attend know what US News doesn't??????

Rankings look at many things like student outcomes; students look at things like location and "name brand" recognition.

Merced is in the middle of nowhere, central valley CA. More than likely, those applying to Merced also apply to other UCs like UCI, UCSB, UCD, etc.. much better location than UCM.

I watched a youtube vide of college acceptances from a CA resident and they reported getting into Merced despite not actually applying. They had applied to other UCs, but not Merced. I find that very confusing.

Probably direct admits for high achieving students. VA schools have that, too.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm happy to see Cornell get a little more respect. But Duke and Northwestern at 6 is an abomination.

Also, what is with the the fixation on the UCs? Berkeley and UCLA do not belong in the top 20 for undergrad. There are five UCs in the top 40 alone. And UC Merced at 58 is ridiculous.

Good lord, the top UCs trounce the bottom Ivy schools if one cares at all about diversity in the educational setting, student quality of life, social development, etc.

I’d take LA or Berkeley over Ithaca or Hanover 10/10x to spend the formative years of my life.

s


But it has become very difficult to get into both UCLA and Berkeley from OOS

DD just starting at UCLA. Campus life is really great, albeit getting classes a vit like Game of Thrones. Would not thrive in middle of nowhere. Likes her Sweetgreens, beach etc. It is not the one percent, which is refreshing. Humble people at their dream school.

Weird, defensive response to the fact that UcLA takes less than 10% OOS and internationals

How is that defensive? DD is OOS. Went to private school, and it’s refreshing to be with an economically diverse crowd. Would be very different at Wash U. I think she’ll have more perspective on her life now and how lucky she is.

+1 We are umc, but I grew up lower mc. I have shared stories about my poorer upbringing with my kids, but it's just stories.

My kid goes to UMD, with merit, and a fully funded 529. They have told me how lucky they are because they know kids who are struggling to pay for tuition, and a few who had to drop out. They said that not having to worry about finances at all is such a privilege. I worked my way through college and worried a lot about paying for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Precovid, 40% of Berkeley's undergrads had below a 1290 on the SAT or 29 on the ACT.

This just proves that SAT's are meaningless.

Or maybe it proves that SATs are meaningful. Thus the reason all the most selective colleges are reinstating test required.

The state of California says that SAT's are racist in design and implementation. That's why California has done away with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

it's not 3.59% Black

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

According to the most recent US census, almost 70% of US population is Christians.
So, majority of Americans would feel fine at ND.

No, they identify as "Christian" culturally, but they are not really religious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Precovid, 40% of Berkeley's undergrads had below a 1290 on the SAT or 29 on the ACT.

This just proves that SAT's are meaningless.

Or maybe it proves that SATs are meaningful. Thus the reason all the most selective colleges are reinstating test required.

The state of California says that SAT's are racist in design and implementation. That's why California has done away with them.

It's the only way that UCs won't be majority Asian American.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

According to the most recent US census, almost 70% of US population is Christians.
So, majority of Americans would feel fine at ND.

you missed the memo that many Christians, especially Evangelicals, don't think Catholucs are Christian

Ok, if those types of Christians feel more comfortable in secular colleges that reject Jesus.

If that's very important to them, they would just go to Liberty U.

It's not *that* important for my kids to go to a college that is religious. I certainly didn't go to one.

-signed a Christian

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

According to the most recent US census, almost 70% of US population is Christians.
So, majority of Americans would feel fine at ND.

No, they identify as "Christian" culturally, but they are not really religious.

Yes, like many many students at ND are not really hardcore Catholics.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

No, we just find the diversity numbers to be disturbing. ND could do something about that if it chose to. It chooses not to divert funds to recruiting black students.

Or if it wants to focus on Catholic students why doesn't it have more Latino students. It is weird to me that a school that emphasizes it's Catholic identity so much would have so few Latino students. Like ignore diversity for a second -- ND doesn't do a good job of merely representing the *Catholic* community. It's weird.

Catholic Latina mom here. My high stats (fcps grad) kid did not even apply to ND. Our main reason was tuition. We probably would not have qualified for much aid either.

Second reason, although my kids went to k-8 parrochial school, many Latin American Catholics are not super conservative in the religious sense. Most are culturally Catholic, so ND being very focused on their religious identity, was not a draw for my DD.

Third reason: Distance. Most college students in Latin America live at home and commute. Living on campus is not the norm still for US Hispanics. So when comparing percentages of Hispanic students in the US to those enrolled in universities, our numbers will always be lower at “isolated” campuses. In all fairness, my DD lives on campus at an in-state school.

Fourth: North Bend is freaking cold for “my people”. I mean, the word “North” is in the name of the town! Many kids are trying to attend schools in warmer regions anyway.

[Anonymous]

This year's list looks fair?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:William and Mary behing Virginia Tech.

This is what high school counselors have been saying for years.

No they haven't.

Not shocking VT is ranked higher when they play affirmative action with first gens

+1. Also, VT practices yield protection.

This has been repeatedly debunked on DCUM. From VT’s own website:

“Virginia Tech does not participate in yield protection.”

https://www.vt.edu/admissions/undergraduate/counselor-corner.html

Don't you understand admissions today is all about marketing? The job of an admissions officer is solely to get your kid to apply (to drive up no. of applications) in order to reject them, thereby making the school
appear more selective than it is. They will say anything to secure an application. Any college admissions counselor will tell you that. You're hopelessly naive if you actually believe what Admissions says.

Ridiculous. It's impossible for a large state school to yield protect. Due to offering what is usually the lowest price, there is no way for the AO to possibly know who is likely to attend or not, no matter how strong their application.

Yield management is done by algorithm, not AO vibes.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

No, we just find the diversity numbers to be disturbing. ND could do something about that if it chose to. It chooses not to divert funds to recruiting black students.

Or if it wants to focus on Catholic students why doesn't it have more Latino students. It is weird to me that a school that emphasizes it's Catholic identity so much would have so few Latino students. Like ignore diversity for a second -- ND doesn't do a good job of merely representing the *Catholic* community. It's weird.

Catholic Latina mom here. My high stats (fcps grad) kid did not even apply to ND. Our main reason was tuition. We probably would not have qualified for much aid either.

Second reason, although my kids went to k-8 parrochial school, many Latin American Catholics are not super conservative in the religious sense. Most are culturally Catholic, so ND being very focused on their religious identity, was not a draw for my DD.

Third reason: Distance. Most college students in Latin America live at home and commute. Living on campus is not the norm still for US Hispanics. So when comparing percentages of Hispanic students in the US to those enrolled in universities, our numbers will always be lower at “isolated” campuses. In all fairness, my DD lives on campus at an in-state school.

Fourth: North Bend is freaking cold for “my people”. I mean, the word “North” is in the name of the town! Many kids are trying to attend schools in warmer regions anyway.

Thanks for the insight. Seems spot on. But it’s “South Bend.” Not that it makes it any warmer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another year with ND in the top 20. Another year the haters will say it won't last. Always get a chuckle out of this.

Notre Dame is 3.59% black. Shameful

A Catholic school in Indiana isn’t a huge draw for POC? Shocking!!

ahem. Using the same argument, there should be only 18% Catholics at ND because Indiana is only 18% Catholic.

No, when doing this analysis the experts compare to the national percentage of blacks, which is 14%. Hence, Harvard's black population is 14%. So it is at the other top schools. How do they achieve this? By offering generous merit and financial aid packages. Clearly, ND isn't vested in increasing diversity for the sake of its own student body by trying to increase the number if black students, Catholic or not.

4% of US Catholics are black. This lines up with the percent of blacks at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a religious school and has different institutional priorities than secular universities.

Agree. ND is well known for its religious priorities and the students it attracts. Why anyone would expect different percentages of ND is ludicrous. Move on folks.

+100

I am the one who posted that haters complain each year saying ND doesn't belong in T20. The fact of the matter is that ND will continue to focus it's priorities on its Catholic identity. This means there will be less appeal to the general non-Catholic public and limits its ability to attract people of more diversity. Despite ND's dedication to its strong Catholic identity, it manages to say on top of the rankings, likely because it makes up for this limitation with other very strong characteristics, like it's great academics, beautiful campus, strong athletics, and welcoming community. People here saying that other Catholic institutions manage to have more diversity, keep in mind that those schools are not as blatant about its religious affiliation. Specifically, ND has chapels in all of it's residence halls, a very active basilica on campus, Touchdown Jesus, the grotto, and many of the main student events have an element of religion sprinkled in. This might make some students uncomfortable -- hence the attraction is just not there. Still, it remains a T20 and that is what irks most people here on DCUM.

No, we just find the diversity numbers to be disturbing. ND could do something about that if it chose to. It chooses not to divert funds to recruiting black students.

Or if it wants to focus on Catholic students why doesn't it have more Latino students. It is weird to me that a school that emphasizes it's Catholic identity so much would have so few Latino students. Like ignore diversity for a second -- ND doesn't do a good job of merely representing the *Catholic* community. It's weird.

Catholic Latina mom here. My high stats (fcps grad) kid did not even apply to ND. Our main reason was tuition. We probably would not have qualified for much aid either.

Second reason, although my kids went to k-8 parrochial school, many Latin American Catholics are not super conservative in the religious sense. Most are culturally Catholic, so ND being very focused on their religious identity, was not a draw for my DD.

Third reason: Distance. Most college students in Latin America live at home and commute. Living on campus is not the norm still for US Hispanics. So when comparing percentages of Hispanic students in the US to those enrolled in universities, our numbers will always be lower at “isolated” campuses. In all fairness, my DD lives on campus at an in-state school.

Fourth: North Bend is freaking cold for “my people”. I mean, the word “North” is in the name of the town! Many kids are trying to attend schools in warmer regions anyway.

Thanks for the insight. Seems spot on. But it’s “South Bend.” Not that it makes it any warmer.

Oops! Thanks for the correction.

Also forgot to add…current low Hispanic numbers at ND will continue to make the school less attractive to future applicants. That good old self fulfilling prophecy.

I have never visited the campus, but from what I see in the football stands, the crowd does look very Caucasian, but let’s not forget, many Hispanics do look Caucasian. I’m thinking the few Hispanics that do apply, probably fit the Caucasian look. Those are the ones that are more likely able to afford the tuition. This due to the history of racism and colonialism in Latin America.