The 30 best colleges in America, based on how much they cost and how much you'll make after graduating

Allana AkhtarAug 25, 2020, 02:02 IST

MIT and Harvard University topped the list of the best colleges to attend in 2021.Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Niche, a research firm that tracks K-12 and higher education, released its annual list of the best colleges to attend in 2021. The company assessed off 12 factors, including value for financial investment and academic rigor.
MIT, Harvard, and Stanford were the top three, in that order.
Below are the top 30 universities to attend in 2021.
Also listed is acceptance rate, average cost to attend, undergraduate enrollment, and how much students earn six years after graduating.
Niche reported each college's estimate of the average cost to attend after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid.

30. Carleton College — Northfield, Minnesota

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29. University of Virginia — Charlottesville, Virginia

Jeff Zelenvansky/Getty Images

28. Harvey Mudd College — Claremont, California

Students and others gather at Beckman Hall on the grounds of the Harvey Mudd College Campus in Pomona. Ted Soqui/Corbis/Getty Images

27. Georgia Institute of Technology — Atlanta, Georgia

Facebook/SchellerCollege

26. Bowdoin College — Brunswick, Maine

Bowdoin College/Facebook

25. Georgetown University — Washington, DC

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24. University of California, Los Angeles — Los Angeles, California

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

23. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, Michigan

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

22. Carnegie Mellon University — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University/Facebook

21. Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, Maryland

Facebook/Johns Hopkins University

20. Pomona College — Claremont, California

Facebook/Pomona College of Admissions

19. University of Southern California — Los Angeles, California

This March 12, 2019 file photo shows the University Village area of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Reed Saxon

18. Cornell University — Ithaca, New York

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17. University of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois

Jannis Tobias Werner/Shutterstock

16. University of Notre Dame — Notre Dame, Indiana

Facebook/notredame

15. Washington University in St. Louis — Saint Louis, Missouri

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

14. Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University/Facebook

13. Dartmouth College — Hanover, New Hampshire

Students at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in June 2019. Sarah Rice for The Washington Post via Getty Images

12. Columbia University — New York, New York

The Columbia University campus is seen on May 21, 2020. Rob Kim/Getty

11. Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee

FILE PHOTO: Hannah Carlile, a masters student, relaxes on the steps of the Faye and Joe Wyatt Center for Education on the campus of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University Reuters

10. University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania/Facebook

9. Brown University — Providence, Rhode Island

Facebook/Brown University

8. California Institute of Technology — Pasadena, California

Facebook/California Institute of Technology - Caltech

7. Rice University — Houston, Texas

Facebook/RiceUniversity

6. Princeton University — Princeton, New Jersey

John Greim / Getty Images

5. Duke University — Durham, North Carolina

AP Photo/Michael Perez

4. Yale University — New Haven, Connecticut

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

3. Stanford University — Stanford, California

Linda A Cicero/Stanford University/Facebook

2. Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts

The John Harvard statue at Harvard University adorned with a face mask. Collin Binkley/AP Photo

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, Massachusetts

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

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