50. Colgate University — Average SAT: 1369
- Location: Hamilton, New York
- Student population: 2,872
- Tuition: $51,635
- Best known for: Sends its students to top graduate schools like, Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University, and Cornell University.
50. Brandeis University — Average SAT: 1369
- Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
- Student population: 3,621
- Tuition: $49,586
- Best known for: Strong program offerings in English, history, social policy, and health policy.
49. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Average SAT: 1372
- Location: Troy, New York
- Student population: 5,864
- Tuition: $49,520
- Best known for: Highly-ranked engineering program.
48. College of William and Mary — Average SAT: 1373
- Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
- Student population: 6,301
- Tuition: In-state: $15,674; Out-of-state $36,158
- Best known for: The second oldest college in America, and the first to become a university.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad47. Case Western Reserve University — Average SAT: 1375
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
- Student population: 5,048
- Tuition: $45,592
- Best known for: Science, engineering, and research.
46. Middlebury College — Average SAT: 1379
- Location: Middlebury, Vermont
- Student population: 2,450
- Tuition: $49,648
- Best known for: Fourth-best liberal arts college in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
43. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — Average SAT: 1380
- Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Student population: 28,312
- Tuition and fees: In-state freshman: $14,402; out-of-state freshman: $45,410
- Best known for: Has a number of strong programs including engineering, business, and law.
43. Boston College — Average SAT: 1380
- Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- Student population: 9,100
- Tuition: $50,480
- Best known for: Jesuit Catholic research university.
43. University of Southern California — Average SAT: 1380
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Student population: 19,000
- Tuition: $51,442
- Best known for: School of Cinematic Arts, from which directors Judd Apatow and George Lucas graduated.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad42. University of California-Berkeley Average SAT score: 1382
- Location: Berkeley, California
- Student population: 27,496
- Tuition and fees: In-state: $13,509; out-of-state: $40,191.
- Best known for: Also referred to as Cal, it's the most selective school in the University of California system.
41. Reed College — Average SAT: 1383
- Location: Portland, Oregon
- Student population: 1,410
- Tuition: $51,850
- Best known for: An alternative approach to learning. Students don't receive grades and a must take a mandatory humanities program.
40. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Average — SAT score: 1388
- Location: New York, New York
- Student population: 901
- Tuition: $42,000, though students receive a half-tuition scholarship currently worth $21,000 per year
- Best known for: Used to be a tuition-free college, but that changed in 2014.
39. Wellesley College — Average SAT: 1390
- Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Student population: 2,344 students
- Tuition: $48,510
- Best known for: Being an all-women's college and one of the Seven Sisters Colleges which includes: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe (now part of Harvard), Smith, Vassar.
38. Hamilton College — Average SAT: 1393
- Location: Clinton, New York
- Student population: 1,850
- Tuition: $50,730
- Best known for: A liberal arts college in upstate New York.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad37. Washington and Lee University — Average SAT: 1395
- Location: Lexington, Virginia
- Student population: 1,854
- Tuition: $47,280
- Best known for: Was named after George Washington, who provided a large endowment gift to the school.
36. Grinnell College — Average SAT: 1398
- Location: Grinnell, Iowa
- Student population: 1,705
- Tuition: $48,322
- Best known for: Its social activism.
35. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — Average SAT: 1400
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Student population: 15,142
- Tuition: In-state: $10,106; Out-of-state: $30,904
- Best known for: Awards more engineering degrees to women than any other school in the US.
34. Vassar College — Average SAT: 1403
- Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
- Student population: 2,450
- Tuition: $52,320
- Best known for: Previously an all-women's college, Vassar went co-ed in 1969. Notable alums include Meryl Streep and Anthony Bourdain.
33. Carleton College — Average SAT: 1408
- Location: Northfield, Minnesota
- Student population: 1,995
- Tuition: $50,580
- Best known for: 10-week trimesters and the fast pace of instruction.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad32. Georgetown University — Average SAT: 1414
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Student population: 7,562
- Tuition: $49,968
- Best known for: Strong schools of business, law, and medicine. Notable alumni include President Bill Clinton and Bradley Cooper.
31. Claremont McKenna College — Average SAT: 1419
- Location: Claremont, California
- Student population: 1,328
- Tuition and fees: $50,945
- Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Pomona, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University, and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.
29. Webb Institute — Average SAT: 1420
- Location: Glen Cove, New York
- Student population: 91
- Tuition: Free
- Best known for: All students double major in naval architecture and marine engineering which is tuition-free for their four-year education.
29. Northeastern University — Average SAT: 1420
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Student population: 13,697
- Tuition: $46,720
- Best known for: Many students take five years to graduate, so they can complete what the school calls co-ops, periods of full-time employment related to academic study.
27. Haverford College — Average SAT: 1422
- Location: Haverford, Pennsylvania
- Student population: 1,233
- Tuition: $50,564
- Best known for: Students can also take classes at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad27. Cornell University — Average SAT score: 1422
- Location: Ithaca, New York
- Student population: 14,315
- Tuition and fees: Out-of-state: $50,953; In-state: $34,209
- Best known for: Being a part of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
26. Tufts University — Average SAT: 1423
- Location: Medford, Massachusetts
- Student population: 5,290
- Tuition: $51,304
- Best known for: Being a tier one research university, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
25. Swarthmore College — Average SAT: 1433
- Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
- Student population: 1,581
- Tuition: $48,720
- Best known for: Being part of the Tri-College Consortium. Students can take classes at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College.
24. Brown University — Average SAT: 1435
- Location: Providence, Rhode Island
- Student population: 6,652
- Tuition: $50,224
- Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Brown offers flexibility and has no core program requirements for students.
23. Carnegie Mellon University — Average SAT: 1436
- Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Student population: 6,454
- Tuition: $51,196
- Best known for: Strong programming in science and technology.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad21. Amherst College — Average SAT: 1439
- Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
- Student population: 1,795
- Tuition: $51,620
- Best known for: Rigorous academic coursework. Ranked as the second best liberal arts college in the nation by the US News & World Report.
21. Johns Hopkins University — Average SAT: 1439
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
- Student population: 6,524
- Tuition: $50,410
- Best known for: Johns Hopkins Hospital, the best hospital in the nation.
20. Dartmouth College — Average SAT: 1444
- Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
- Student population: 4,307
- Tuition: $49,998
- Best known for: A member of the Ivy League, notable alumni include Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, and Timothy Geitner.
19. University of Notre Dame — Average SAT: 1450
- Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
- Student population: 8,462
- Tuition and fees: 49,685
- Best known for: Being a highly ranked business and law schools. Notable alumni include U. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Hall of Fame football player Joe Montana.
17. University of Pennsylvania — Average SAT: 1452
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Student population: 9,726
- Tuition and fees: $51,464
- Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. UPenn was founded by Ben Franklin and is highly acclaimed for its Wharton school of Business.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad17. Williams College — Average SAT: 1452
- Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts
- Student population: 2,099
- Tuition: $51,490
- Best known for: Rigorous academics. Was ranked the best liberal arts college by the US News & World Report.
15. Duke University — Average SAT: 1454
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Student population: 6,639
- Tuition and fees: $51,510
- Best known for: Its strong medical and business programs. Notable alumni include US Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul.
15. Pomona College — Average SAT: 1454
- Location: Claremont, California
- Student population: 1,663
- Tuition: $49,005
- Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools
14. Rice University — Average SAT: 1460
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Student population: 3,910
- Tuition: $39,880
- Best known for: Its strong programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
13. Northwestern University — Average SAT: 1461
- Location: Evanston, Illinois
- Student population: 8,314
- Tuition: $50,424
- Best known for: Highly-ranked business and journalism programs. Notable alumni include retired US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Steven and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad12. Stanford University — Average SAT: 1465
- Location: Stanford, California
- Student population: 6,999
- Tuition: $45,729
- Best known for: Rigorous academics. It's consistently the most selective school in the US.
11. Columbia University — Average SAT: 1470
- Location: New York, New York
- Student population: 6,102
- Tuition and fees: $55,056
- Best known for: A member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include President Barack Obama.
10. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering — Average SAT: 1475
- Location: Needham, Massachusetts
- Student population: 370
- Tuition: $46,800
- Best known for: Students choose from only three available majors: engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering.
9. Washington University in St Louis — Average SAT: 1478
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
- Student population: 7,504
- Tuition: $48,950
- Best known for: Being a tier one research university according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
8. Vanderbilt University — Average SAT: 1481
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
- Student population: 6,883
- Tuition: $44,496
- Best known for: Rigorous academics and the Peabody College of Education and the Blair School of Music.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad7. Princeton University — Average SAT: 1491
- Location: Princeton, New Jersey
- Student population: 5,402
- Tuition: $45,320
- Best known for: Ranked number one best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include President Woodrow Wilson and Michelle Obama.
6. Yale University — Average SAT: 1493
- Location: New Haven, Connecticut
- Student population: 5,532
- Tuition: $49,480
- Best known for: Tied for third best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include President George W. Bush and Secretary of State John Kerry.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1500
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Student population: 4,527
- Tuition: $46,400
- Best known for: Its science and technology research programs.
4. Harvey Mudd College — Average SAT score: 1500
- Location: Claremont, California
- Student population: 815
- Tuition: $52,383
- Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.
3. Harvard University — Average SAT: 1501
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Student population: 6,699
- Tuition: $43,280
- Best known for: Ranked number two best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad2. University of Chicago — Average SAT: 1505
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Student population: 5,844
- Tuition: $50,997
- Best known for: Tied for third best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include former US Attorney General John Ashcroft and economist Milton Friedman.
1. California Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1545
- Location: Pasadena, California
- Student population: 1,001
- Tuition: $45,846
- Best known for: One of the best schools for science and engineering.