The 50 best colleges in America

Location: Clinton, New York

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $57,300

Average SAT score: 1384

Student life score: A

Hamilton College takes its name from founding father Alexander Hamilton, who served as one of the school's original trustees in 1793 when he was the US secretary of the Treasury. More than 200 years later, Hamilton is still going strong: One year after graduation, at least 91% of the class of 2014 had secured a full-time job or internship or were enrolled in graduate school. For those who entered the workforce, employers included companies such as General Electric, Amazon, and The New York Times.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $64,500

Average SAT score: 1297

Student life score: A

Located right in the US capital, George Washington University offers more than 2,000 undergraduate courses and more than 70 majors. More than 1,400 students choose to study abroad each year at GW's study centers and partner institutions in more than 40 countries. The school also has some distinguished alumni — former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and actress Kerry Washington all attended the university.

Location: New York City

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $58,800

Average SAT score: 1352

Student life score: A+

NYU enrolls more international students than any other American university. Interestingly, the 25,000-student private college — whose sprawling urban campus has been a New York City cornerstone for 185 years — also sends the highest number of students overseas for study-abroad programs.

Location: Amherst, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $56,800

Average SAT score: 1434

Student life score: A

Amherst College offers an open curriculum — students design a schedule full of the courses that interest them, granting the flexibility to double major or explore multiple interests. Graduates join a bevy of nearly 23,000 living alumni whom they can network with directly even before graduation through Pathways, a mentorship program that helps students arrange one-on-one meetings and on-site job shadowing.

Location: Gainesville, Florida

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $51,300

Average SAT score: 1272

Student life score: A+

The University of Florida prides itself on its research facilities and encourages all students to partake, even during their freshman and sophomore years. For the 2015-2016 school year, UF received a record $724 million in funding for research projects. The school is also dedicated to creating a sustainable environment for its students; it aims to become carbon neutral by 2025.

Location: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $68,800

Average SAT score: 1306

Student life score: A-

With an undergraduate enrollment of just 3,600 students, Bucknell offers an intimate learning environment and a robust liberal-arts curriculum that prioritizes undergraduate research. The selective private college was founded 170 years ago as the University of Lewisburg and was renamed 40 years later in honor of benefactor William Bucknell.

Location: Champaign, Illinois

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $56,600

Average SAT score: 1303

Student life score: A+

In keeping with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s spotlight on research, its on-campus Research Park provides a space where tech-focused companies can develop new products and student interns can gain real-world experience. The space houses more than 100 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and Dow Chemical, and it also serves as an incubator for early-stage startups.

Location: Middlebury, Vermont

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $53,400

Average SAT score: 1391

Student life score: A-

Founded in 1800, Middlebury offers 850 courses and 44 majors. Most notable is the school's international studies and language programs. Students looking to become proficient in a language can enroll in Middlebury Language Schools, a summer program where they'll focus on one of the 11 offered languages.

Location: Pasadena, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $74,000

Average SAT score: 1534

Student life score: B+

One of the most respected science and engineering schools in the world, Caltech manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a federally funded space research facility that led the successful mission to land the Curiosity rover on Mars in 2012. But the intimate, 1,000-student private school is accomplished in more than just science. As a certified olive-oil distributor, Caltech harvests on-campus olive trees to produce up to 150 gallons of oil annually.

Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $58,100

Average SAT score: 1439

Student life score: A

At Williams College, civic engagement is part of the core mission, and the school aims to heighten each student's ability to improve his or her community, as exemplified through local outreach programs and alternative spring break trips. Students also gain hands-on experience through experiential courses, which range from teaching fourth-graders about zebrafish to public speaking to learning traditional Thai silk and cotton weaving.

Location: Santa Clara, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $67,700

Average SAT score: 1294

Student life score: A+

Located in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University helps its students take advantage of the location by hosting numerous events and speaking engagements that keep students captivated outside the classroom. Its experiential-learning program requires students to take off-campus immersion trips and get involved with the community. Santa Clara alums have gone on to work at tech giants like Google, Cisco, Apple, and IBM.

Location: Boston

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $60,600

Average SAT score: 1279

Student life score: A+

For nearly 150 years, Boston University has been a pioneer of higher education. In 1873, BU became the first university to accept women into its medical program; in 1875, BU professor Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in a campus lab; and in 1947, the school established the US's first academic program for public relations. BU remains one of the country's top research universities, with especially strong support for undergraduate research.

Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $76,800

Average SAT score: 1322

Student life score: A

Each year, students at Lehigh University partake in several longstanding traditions, from racing beds during Spirit Week to the school's fierce rivalry football game against nearby Lafayette College. Lehigh's class of 2015 went on to careers at elite companies, with top employers including Ernst & Young, IBM, and ExxonMobil.

Location: Baltimore

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $69,200

Average SAT score: 1418

Student life score: A-

Considered by US News & World Report to be one of the top medical research schools in the US, Johns Hopkins University offers 51 majors and 44 minors to its undergraduate students, including dance, economics, and philosophy. JHU doesn't have a core curriculum, allowing students to dive straight into their academic interests. Some of its best-known alumni include President Woodrow Wilson, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and film director Wes Craven.

Location: Davidson, North Carolina

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $58,500

Average SAT score: 1353

Student life score: A-

Davidson College is located in suburban North Carolina, but its students are taught to be global citizens. The private school of nearly 2,000 undergraduates has a robust international-studies program that offers more than 100 study-abroad experiences. By graduation, 76% of students have studied abroad at least once.

Location: Richmond, Virginia

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $60,800

Average SAT score: 1313

Student life score: A+

University of Richmond students benefit from The Richmond Guarantee, a program available to every undergraduate student that grants them up to $4,000 for a summer internship or faculty-led research project, allowing students the freedom to spend their summers interning abroad, developing new technologies, and more. Not a single class on campus is taught by a teaching assistant — professors only.

Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling $67,000

Average SAT score: 1375

Student life score: A

Known as "The Heights" because of its location on Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a Jesuit school dedicated to its Catholic mission of "faith and service." What started as a small commuter school has grown into eight schools and colleges. Some of BC's most notable alumni include US Secretary of State John Kerry and actress Amy Poehler.

Location: Pomona, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $52,600

Average SAT score: 1454

Student life score: A+

The founding member of the Claremont Colleges — a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate schools — Pomona College is a liberal-arts school offering close to 50 majors in arts, humanities, and sciences. The selective private school is one of the most affordable on our list, with an annual net cost (the cost of tuition minus the average financial aid award) of $12,557.

Location: Hanover, New Hampshire

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $67,100

Average SAT score: 1446

Student life score: A-

Dartmouth encourages students to pursue a globally focused education, and the school's flexible calendar — made up of four 10-week terms — lets students decide which seasons to spend on campus and which to take off to travel, volunteer, complete an internship, or conduct research. The Office of Undergraduate Research connects students with faculty mentors, helping any undergraduate interested in research find a project to pursue.

Location: Claremont, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $63,600

Average SAT score: 1397

Student life grade: A

Just an hour away from Los Angeles, Claremont McKenna College belongs to the Claremont College Consortium, which allows students to attend small, close-knit classes while also having the option to take courses across seven colleges. CMC offers more than 30 majors and 10 sequences — a group of courses on a subject but not a full major. Its graduates go on to graduate school at top-tier universities such as Columbia, Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Yale.

Location: College Park, Maryland

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,100

Average SAT score: 1310

Student life score: A+

The flagship campus of the University of Maryland, College Park is located just 4 miles from the US capital. The school's notable alumni span industries and include Google cofounder Sergey Brin, Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, noted broadcast journalist Connie Chung, and comedian and "Seinfeld" creator Larry David.

Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $50,400

Average SAT score: 1313

Student life score: A+

One of the oldest public universities in the US, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers 78 bachelor's degree programs, as varied as nutrition, Slavic languages, and political science. Students can also engage in the community around them through the Carolina Center for Public Service, which connects students with service opportunities through courses such as "Restoration Ecology" and "Community Journalism."

Location: Medford, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $67,800

Average SAT score: 1428

Student life score: A

Tufts University is made up of three undergraduate schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Students have the option to choose from about 150 majors and minors and participate in one or more of Tuft's 341 student organizations. In the Experimental College, students go beyond the typical classroom environment, taking courses such as "Circus and Society" or "American Witches."

Location: Atlanta

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,000

Average SAT score: 1363

Student life score: A+

For their freshman and sophomore years, students at Emory attend either Emory College of Arts and Sciences, the flagship undergraduate campus located in Atlanta, or Oxford College, the school's original campus located about 40 miles from Atlanta. From there, students can continue at Emory College or move on to career-specific undergraduate programs at the university's business or nursing schools.

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $64,100

Average SAT score: 1458

Student life score: A

With more than 500 clubs and organizations to join, including a capella groups and the student-run newspaper, there's no shortage of ways for Northwestern students to get involved on campus. On the academic side, Northwestern sponsors several opportunities for innovation, including two startup incubators and a certificate program in entrepreneurship specifically targeted at undergraduates.

Location: Los Angeles

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $66,100

Average SAT score: 1380

Student life score: A+

Students who attend the University of Southern California will have the opportunity learn from professors who are Nobel laureates, National Academy members, and MacArthur Fellows. USC is dedicated to helping its students make the most of their education. Its Renaissance Ideal gives students the flexibility to put together a program for their majors and minors suited to their needs.

Location: Chicago

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $62,800

Average SAT score: 1504

Student life score: A

Since oil magnate John D. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago in 1890, the private school has established a global presence with international centers in Beijing, New Delhi, Paris, and Hong Kong. UChicago's undergraduate program is recognized for preparing students to continue on to graduate school, with more than 15% of undergraduates eventually earning a Ph.D.

Location: Lexington, Virginia

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $77,600

Average SAT score: 1392

Student life score: A

Named for two significant figures in American history — President George Washington and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — Washington and Lee is steeped in traditions, including the school's honor code, which allows students such freedoms as scheduling their own exams and taking them without supervision. The school is centered on liberal arts, and it offers 37 majors, including studio art, journalism, and philosophy.

Location: Brunswick, Maine

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $54,800

Average SAT score: 1423

Student life score: A+

At Bowdoin College, the second-ranked liberal-arts school on our list, first-year students can choose from 35 first-year seminars and are required to take a course in each of five general subject areas. As for postgraduation, Bowdoin's 1,500-member alumni Career Advisory Network helps prepare students for their future careers.

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,700

Average SAT score: 1425

Student life score: A+

Brown students have the freedom to personalize their liberal-arts course study, a practice the school calls "open curriculum." Brown was founded in 1764 on the then-unprecedented idea of accepting students regardless of religion. It was also the first Ivy League school to establish an undergraduate engineering program in 1847.

Location: Los Angeles

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,200

Average SAT score: 1289

Student life score: A+

Over the past 100 years, the University of California at Los Angeles has produced 13 Nobel laureates, 12 MacArthur Fellows, and a host of athletes who have won more than 250 Olympic medals combined. UCLA has made an impact in the business world as well, with more than 140 companies originating from technology developed at the school.

Location: Hamilton, New York

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $61,500

Average SAT score: 1370

Student life score: A+

Colgate University boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of nine to one, allowing its students to work closely with the school's distinguished professors. The school offers more than 20 off-campus study groups — a study-abroad-like experience in which Colgate faculty lead a course at an international institution. Also focused on sustainability, Colgate pledged to diminish its carbon footprint and become "climate neutral" by 2019.

Location: St. Louis

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $62,300

Average SAT score: 1474

Student life score: A+

Each year, Washington University supports more than 3,000 research projects, ranging from medical and health to innovation and entrepreneurship. The majority of WashU's more than 6,800 undergraduates study in the arts and sciences school, while nearly 1,000 students enroll in the university's high-ranking undergraduate business program at Olin Business School.

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $76,700

Average SAT score: 1444

Student life score: A+

Duke University places an emphasis on research, providing students with numerous avenues to pursue projects through research grants, travel opportunities, and apprenticeships with distinguished professors — and more than half of its undergraduates take advantage. Upon graduation, Duke students join the ranks of notable alumni such as Melinda Gates, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, and former "Nightline" anchor Dan Abrams.

Location: Ithaca, New York

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $70,900

Average SAT score: 1422

Student life score: A+

The Ivy League school located in upstate New York was the first to establish a four-year hotel-administration school, and it was the first university in the US to offer an American studies program. Big Red, as it is nicknamed, offers nearly 80 majors including engineering, architecture, and agricultural sciences. Its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the second-largest undergraduate college at the university.

Location: Berkeley, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $62,700

Average SAT score: 1350

Student life score: A+

UC Berkeley came in as the third-best public university on the list and is the oldest of the 10 University of California research colleges. The school is a top academic institution and an athletic powerhouse. The Cal Bears have an unmistakable presence at the Olympics, sending 16 student-athletes to compete for Team USA in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Before this year's games, Berkeley students and alumni had won a combined 103 gold medals.

Location: South Bend, Indiana

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $69,400

Average SAT score: 1450

Student life score: A+

University of Notre Dame students become part of a storied history, where carrying on school traditions is a built-in part of the experience: Pep rallies, homemade-boat races, and masses at chapel are among the activities available during students' four years on campus. Graduates join the ranks of notable alumni who came before them, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, and author Nicholas Sparks.

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $57,900

Average SAT score: 1352

Student life score: A+

Known for a stellar undergraduate business school, the University of Michigan counts business, psychology, and economics as its most popular majors. UM also reports that about half of all students who received a bachelor's degree go on to pursue a master's within four years of graduation. The school's notable alumni include New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Google cofounder Larry Page.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $83,300

Average SAT score: 1398

Student life score: A+

The founding of Georgetown's undergraduate program in 1789 makes it the oldest Catholic and Jesuit college in the US. Rooted in a traditional liberal-arts curriculum, the private university is a cornerstone of Washington, D.C., and has produced a laundry list of accomplished alumni, including President Bill Clinton, who was class president during his freshman and sophomore years at Georgetown but lost his bid for student-body president.

Location: New York City

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $72,900

Average SAT score: 1471

Student life score: A+

The oldest university in the state, Columbia called several locations across New York City home after its founding in 1754 — including a schoolhouse adjacent to Trinity Church in the financial district and a 40-year occupation in Midtown — before settling into its iconic campus on 116th Street. Students who wish to continue their education past their undergraduate years can look to Columbia's renowned graduate programs in business, law, and journalism.

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $58,600

Average SAT score: 1362

Student life score: A+

The highest-ranked public school on our list, the University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. UVA first-year students can choose from four undergraduate schools: arts and sciences, architecture, engineering, or nursing. UVA also has a "work hard, play hard" mentality. The university boasts more than 600 student clubs and 25 varsity sports.

Location: Houston

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,900

Average SAT score: 1454

Student life score: A+

Rice University is home to pioneering applied sciences programs, including nationally recognized nanotechnology and biomedical engineering departments. The only Texas college on our list was founded in 1912 and is the youngest of the 10 best colleges.

Location: Philadelphia

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $78,200

Average SAT score: 1442

Student life score: A+

Founded in 1740, the University of Pennsylvania stands as one of the most selective schools in the US, accepting just 10.2% of applicants. During their time at UPenn, students can take advantage of the school's vast resources, including 6.38 million books, 1.16 million e-books, and 136 research centers and institutes, which are accompanied by an annual research budget of $878 million to boot.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $91,600

Average SAT score: 1503

Student life score: A+

The country's most renowned engineering school, MIT sees 22% of undergraduates go on to pursue jobs in the field. Graduates secure positions at tech powerhouses such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle. Even more impressive, the MIT community includes 85 Nobel laureates, 58 National Medal of Science winners, and 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners.

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $60,900

Average SAT score: 1475

Student life score: A+

American business and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt established his namesake university in 1873. Since then, Vanderbilt's high-ranking undergraduate program has produced hundreds of notable alumni, including two NASA astronauts, best-selling novelist James Patterson, and Ann Moore, the first female CEO of Time Inc.

Location: Stanford, California

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $80,900

Average SAT score: 1466

Student life score: A+

Known for the proliferation of technology companies spurred from students' time on campus, Stanford boasts top-notch computer science and engineering programs, with specialties offered in areas like atmosphere and energy as well as biomedical computation. The school's four-to-one ratio of students to teachers ensures that every student interacts closely with professors and receives personal attention.

Location: New Haven, Connecticut

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $66,000

Average SAT score: 1497

Student life score: A+

The second-oldest Ivy League school, Yale aims to provide students with a strong liberal-arts education. Its undergraduate college puts an emphasis on four areas — arts, sciences, international studies, and writing — and offers more than 70 majors, including astronomy, theater studies, and economics. It's also one of the hardest schools to get into, with an acceptance rate of just 6%.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $87,200

Average SAT score: 1501

Student life score: A+

Synonymous with prestige since its founding 380 years ago, Harvard University remains one of the most respected schools in the world — and a degree from the college reflects that. Though Harvard's annual tuition (including fees and room and board) is a steep $60,659, nearly 70% of students receive some type of financial aid — thanks to the school's $37.6 billion endowment — trimming the average student's annual net cost to just over $14,000.

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $75,100

Average SAT score: 1495

Student life score: A+

Princeton has trained a barrage of successful graduates, including 15 Nobel Prize winners, 10 National Humanities Medal winners, and 21 National Medal of Science winners. The prestigious Ivy League institution also counts President John F. Kennedy, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and author F. Scott Fitzgerald among its many distinguished alumni.