The 20 Best College Campuses In The US

Claremont, California

Pomona's 140-acre campus also recalls the Mission Revival Style that designates much California architecture.

The Claremont Colleges member got recognition for its dorms, the largest of which has a sundeck for students to take advantage of their SoCal surroundings.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State is the number one employer in its hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, which may explain its number two spot on the Town-Gown Relations are Great list.

The city also hosts an area known as "Aggieville," which is filled with college bars and stores.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Sweet Briar, Virginia

Sweet Briar's 3,250-acre Virginia campus may seem a bit large for its just over 700 students, but the women's college is well known for its architectural beauty.

Its Italian Ville style Sweet Briar House is home to the school's president and is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are 21 of the school's 30 academic buildings.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

West Point, New York

Aside from training the future leaders of America's armed forces, the United States Military Academy — better known as West Point — also takes good care of its cadets, and was ranked number two on Best Health Services.

The school's library, also highly ranked by Princeton Review, boasts strong military archives, as well as collections relating to West Point history, including the iconic class rings.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton's relationship with its Wheaton, Illinois surroundings placed it on Princeton Review's Town-Gown Relations are Great list, but the school is also a quick train ride away from Chicago. 

The Christian college was also included on the list for Best Quality of Life, and is known for its balance of religious life and liberal arts academics.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth's 270-acre campus in Hanover, New Hampshire is both easy to get around and gives students a great quality of life, according to the Princeton Review.

The school's main library, Baker, is modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and boasts a fresco from Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Dallas, Texas

SMU got a high ranking in the Princeton Review's list of college cities. Although physically distant from the Ivy League schools of the Northeast, SMU's colors of Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue tie the Texas school to a tradition of academic excellence.

The campus notably houses the recently opened George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale's 260 acre campus in urban New Haven, Connecticut is famous for its Gothic Revival architecture, although the school is peppered with contrasting modernist buildings.

The Ivy League institution was highly ranked for its library, and its Rare Book and Manuscript Library has a Gutenberg Bible on permanent display.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Claremont, California

The all-girls college of the Claremont system, Scripp's 30-acre campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. The school is known for its dorms, all of which have courtyards and fountains.

There is also a student tended rose garden on campus, where women can pick roses for their rooms.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton's Gothic Revival architecture defines its 500 acre campus. One exception to this is Nassau Hall, a Federal style building which was built in the 18th century and is older than the United States.

Princeton also received recognition for its libraries, including the school's main library — Firestone — which houses more than 70 miles of shelving.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

St. Louis, Missouri

Wash U is well known for its residential life facilities, and was included on Princeton Review's lists for both best campus food and dorms.

Many students live on a 40-acre part of campus known as the South 40, which includes residential colleges for upperclassmen students.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

New York, New York

Located in New York City, Columbia's location is one of its greatest selling points.

The university's neo-classical campus occupies six city blocks in Manhattan, taking up a little over 30 acres and offering a respite from the hustle and bustle outside its gates. Columbia was ranked at the top of the Best College Library list, and currently hosts more than 10 million volumes.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

University Park, Pennsylvania

Penn State's career services office — which regularly holds fairs for post-graduate jobs and schools — was ranked number one by the Princeton Review.

The University Park campus holds one of the largest student bodies in America, and takes up around 5,500 acres.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Needham, Massachusetts

Olin College may have been established less than 20 years ago, but it has already made its mark, topping the Princeton Review's list of Easiest Campus to Get Around. 

The school holds just over 300 students, all of whom live in one of the two residence halls on campus.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech's campus has the exclusive use of Hokie Stone, a combination of different colored limestone, which adorn most of its buildings and other campus features, including a memorial to the 2007 massacre at the school.

Blacksburg, Virginia, where the campus is located, is the largest town in Virginia and boasts close relations with the university.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Houston, Texas

Topping the Princeton Review's Best Quality of Life list, Rice is known for its residential college system, in which students are sorted into one of 11 different colleges.

The Houston, Texas university was also included on the list of strong town-gown relations and its on-campus coffehouse and pub are often frequented by members of the broader city community.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Walla Walla, Washington

Whitman's Walla Walla, Washington campus doubles as an outdoor art museum, with over 20 sculptures located around the school.

The school is centered around a main quad, and was included on the Princeton Review list of Easiest Campus to Get Around.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Brunswick, Maine

Bowdoin got extraordinarily high rankings in several Princeton Review categories that have immediate impacts on students, including the number one spot on the best food list, and high spots on Best Quality of Life and Best College Dorms.

The school kicks off each new school year with a "Welcome Back" lobster bake for all students.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

Claremont, California

The number one school on our list, Claremont McKenna notably ranked on lists that both showed off its student life facilities and its abilities to help out students.

Students at the So Cal college receive a high ranking for their quality of life, as well as the career services and financial aid that the school offers and Claremont's food and dorms.

The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on serves as a meeting point for faculty and students, and regularly brings big name speakers on campus for talks to the Claremont community.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

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