The ranking also took into account the annual net cost of each school - the average cost of tuition for all students that applied for financial aid, after accounting for the amount of financial aid received - according to the US government's College Scorecard.
Private colleges dominated the list, with 42 of the top 50 spots. While private schools typically have higher tuition, they also tend to award generous financial aid to students, effectively trimming annual net cost for students, leading to a higher ranking on the overall list.
Here are the top-25 best private colleges in America.