Princeton is America's Top University in 2024 🎓
What We're Showing
The top 25 colleges in America in 2024, as ranked by Forbes, as well as their respective median post-graduate 10-year salary and median debt after graduation.
Figures comes from Forbes, with data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the U.S Department of Education's College Scorecard.
Forbes uses 14 metrics, including median debt and salary, to determine which colleges offer the best educational, financial, and career outcomes for all students.
Some metrics include:
- Alumni salary
- Debt
- Graduation rate
- Forbes American Leaders List
- Return on investment
- Retention rate
- Academic success
Colleges where students tend to graduate with lower debt loads receive higher scores for this metric.
Princeton Takes The #1 Spot
New Jersey-based Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university and the fourth oldest college in the U.S.
Princeton aced all 14 of Forbes' metrics. Notably, the university had a 97% six-year graduate rate for low-income students and provides generous financial aid, covering 100% of tuition and housing costs for students coming from families that earn $65,000 or less, for the class of 2026.
Overall, California is home to the most colleges in Forbes' top 25 list, including Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles.
Dataset
| Rank | Name | State | Average Debt | Median 10-year Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | NJ | $7,559 | $189,400 |
| 2 | Stanford University | CA | $12,999 | $177,500 |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $13,792 | $189,400 |
| 4 | Yale University | CT | $4,926 | $168,300 |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley | CA | $7,238 | $167,000 |
| 6 | Columbia University | NY | $16,849 | $156,000 |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $12,499 | $171,800 |
| 8 | Harvard University | MA | $9,004 | $171,400 |
| 9 | Rice University | TX | $10,818 | $152,100 |
| 10 | Cornell University | NY | $8,309 | $155,400 |
| 11 | Northwestern University | IL | $6,973 | $141,300 |
| 12 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $9,843 | $142,300 |
| 13 | University of California, Los Angeles | CA | $6,418 | $144,400 |
| 14 | University of Chicago | IL | $12,150 | $150,600 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $8,872 | $148,000 |
| 16 | Dartmouth College | NH | $6,404 | $173,300 |
| 17 | Williams College | MA | $4,143 | $169,200 |
| 18 | Brown University | RI | $10,059 | $155,000 |
| 19 | Claremont McKenna College | CA | $7,631 | $167,000 |
| 20 | Duke University | NC | $6,351 | $158,700 |
| 21 | University of California, San Diego | CA | $6,437 | $151,500 |
| 22 | California Institute of Technology | CA | $12,553 | $168,600 |
| 23 | Wellesley College | MA | $5,608 | $134,100 |
| 24 | Amherst College | MA | $9,293 | $139,700 |
| 25 | Bowdoin College | ME | $10,512 | $152,900 |
