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The Complete Ranking Of America's 501 Smartest Colleges

Jonathan Wai,Max Nisen   

The Complete Ranking Of America's 501 Smartest Colleges
Strategy7 min read

Below is the complete ranking of the smartest colleges in America, based on 501 schools with available data. They are ranked by average SAT scores using the methodology described here. The national and liberal arts rankings come from US News, as does the test score data.

On the following list, a (2) next to the school's name indicates that some or all students aren't required to supply scores; a (3) indicates that the school did not supply all students it has scores for, or did not tell US News if it had; a (4) indicates that the data is from a previous year, rather than from the most recent year; and a (9) indicates that the school may not require scores from all applicants and that it may not have submitted data for all students. "RNP" means the school's ranking is not published.

Smarts RankSchoolAverage SAT (M + V)Rank National UniversitiesRank Liberal Arts
1 California Institute of Technology 1535 10
2 Princeton University 1500 1
2 Harvard University 1500 2
2 Yale University 1500 3
5 University of Chicago 1495 5
5 Harvey Mudd College 1495 16
7 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1490 7
7 Washington University in St. Louis 1490 14
9 Columbia University 1480 4
10 Stanford University 1475 5
11 Northwestern University 1470 12
12 Vanderbilt University 1465 17
13 Duke University 1455 7
13 Dartmouth College 1455 10
15 Swarthmore College 1450 3
16 University of Pennsylvania 1445 7
16 Rice University 1445 18
16 University of Notre Dame 1445 18
16 Williams College 1445 1
16 Pomona College 1445 4
21 Tufts University 1435 28
21 Amherst College 1435 2
23 Bowdoin College 1430 4
23 Carleton College 1430 7
25 Brown University 1425 14
26 Carnegie Mellon University 1420 23
27 Cornell University 1415 16
27 Haverford College 1415 9
29 Johns Hopkins University 1410 12
29 Claremont McKenna College 1410 9
31 Georgetown University 1405 20
32 Vassar College 1400 13
33 Hamilton College 1390 14
33 Washington and Lee University 1390 14
33 Grinnell College 1390 17
33 Wesleyan University 1390 17
37 Wellesley College 1385 7
37 Reed College (4) 1385 74
39 University of Southern California 1375 23
39 Middlebury College 1375 4
41 Case Western Reserve University 1370 37
41 Northeastern University 1370 49
41 Macalester College 1370 24
44 Emory University 1365 20
44 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1365 41
46 University of Virginia 1360 23
46 Georgia Institute of Technology 1360 36
46 Tulane University (3) 1360 52
46 Colgate University 1360 20
46 Oberlin College 1360 25
46 United States Air Force Academy 1360 25
52 University of California-Berkeley 1355 20
52 Boston College 1355 31
52 College of William and Mary 1355 32
55 New York University 1350 32
55 Davidson College 1350 9
57 Scripps College 1345 25
57 Barnard College 1345 32
59 Bates College (2) 1344 22
60 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 1340 28
60 Brandeis University 1340 32
60 University of Rochester (2) 1340 32
60 Colorado College (2) 1340 31
64 Colby College (2) 1335 22
65 Wake Forest University (2) 1330 23
65 Whitman College 1330 41
67 University of Miami 1325 47
67 Kenyon College 1325 32
69 Connecticut College (2) 1323 45
70 Smith College (2) 1320 20
70 Mout Holyoke College (2) 1320 38
70 Wheaton College 1320 57
73 University of California-Los Angeles 1315 23
73 Bard College (2) 1315 38
75 Polytechnic Institute of New York University 1310 128
75 University of Richmond 1310 25
75 Bryn Mawr College 1310 30
75 St. John's College 1310 123
79 Franklin and Marshall College (2) 1307 45
80 Hendrix College 1305 82
80 Hillsdale College 1305 82
82 Binghamton University-SUNY (3) 1303 97
83 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 1300 30
83 Lehigh University 1300 41
83 University of Maryland-College Park 1300 62
83 Stevens Institute of Technology 1300 82
83 Colorado School of Mines 1300 91
83 College of the Holy Cross (2) 1300 25
83 Occidental College 1300 41
83 Denison University (9) 1300 50
83 New College of Florida 1300 89
92 George Washington University 1295 52
92 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2) 1295 62
92 Bucknell University 1295 32
92 Union College (2) 1295 41
96 Lafayette College 1290 36
96 Trinity College 1290 36
98 Boston University 1285 41
98 University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign 1285 41
98 Brigham Young University-Provo 1285 62
98 Dickinson College (2) 1285 45
98 Centre College 1285 49
98 Gettysburg College (2) 1285 50
98 St. Olaf College 1285 52
98 Rhodes College 1285 54
98 Knox College (2) 1285 82
107 University of California-San Diego 1280 39
107 Southern Methodist University 1280 60
107 Pitzer College (2) 1280 35
107 Lewis & Clark College (2) 1280 74
107 Bennington College (2) 1280 100
112 University of Texas-Dallas 1275 142
113 United States Military Academy (3) 1270 17
113 Thomas Aquinas College 1270 61
115 University of Wisconsin-Madison 1265 41
115 University of Florida 1265 49
115 Ohio State University-Columbus 1265 52
115 University of Tulsa 1265 86
115 Missouri University of Science & Technology 1265 128
115 United States Naval Academy 1265 12
115 Lawrence University (2) 1265 59
115 Kalamazoo College 1265 61
123 American University 1260 75
123 Sewanee-University of the South (2) 1260 38
123 College of the Atlantic (2) 1260 93
126 University of Texas-Austin 1255 52
126 University of Pittsburgh 1255 62
126 Wofford College 1255 65
129 Fordham University 1254 57
130 University of Puget Sound 1249 76
131 Clemson University 1245 62
131 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 1245 69
131 Texas Christian University 1245 82
131 University of Denver 1245 91
131 St. Louis University 1245 101
131 College of Wooster 1245 65
131 Illinois Wesleyan University 1245 65
131 Gustavus Adolphus College (2) 1245 76
131 Hampshire College (2) 1245 110
140 Muhlenberg College (2) 1240 65
141 University of Georgia 1235 60
141 Stony Brook University-SUNY 1235 82
143 University of California-Santa Barbara 1230 41
143 University of Connecticut 1230 57
143 Skidmore College 1230 45
143 Willamette University 1230 61
143 Austin College 1230 82
148 Pepperdine University 1228 57
149 Grove City College 1226 141
150 University of Washington (3) 1225 52
150 Auburn University 1225 91
150 Flordia State University 1225 91
150 Loyola University Chicago 1225 101
150 Illinois Institute of Technology 1225 109
150 University of Maryland-Baltimore County 1225 158
150 DePauw University 1225 54
150 Beloit College 1225 59
150 Transylvania University 1225 76
150 Cornell College 1225 97
150 Calvin College (2) 1225 100
161 Hobart and William Smith Colleges (2) 1223 61
162 Yeshiva University 1220 47
162 University of San Diego 1220 91
162 Drexel University 1220 97
162 St. Lawrence University (2) 1220 56
162 Earlham College (2) 1220 65
162 Wheaton College (2) 1220 65
168 Virginia Tech 1215 69
168 North Carolina State University-Raleigh 1215 101
168 St. Mary's College of Maryland 1215 89
171 University of California-Davis 1210 39
171 Soka University of America 1210 41
171 Furman University (2) 1210 52
174 Baylor University 1205 75
174 Marquette University 1205 75
174 Miami University-Oxford 1205 75
174 University of Delaware 1205 75
174 University of Colorado-Boulder 1205 86
174 University of Tennessee 1205 101
174 University of Dayton 1205 112
174 University of the Pacific 1205 112
174 Michigan Technological University 1205 117
183 Allegheny College 1200 82
184 Pennsylvania State University-University Park 1195 37
184 Rutgers, the State University of new Jersey-New Brunswick 1195 69
184 Texas A&M University-College Station (3) 1195 69
184 University of South Carolina 1195 112
184 Southwestern University 1195 65
184 Ursinus College (2) 1195 82
184 Westmont College 1195 94
184 University of North Carolina-Asheville 1195 146
192 University of Vermont 1190 82
192 University of Massachusetts-Amherst 1190 91
194 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1185 86
194 University of Alabama 1185 86
194 University of Oklahoma 1185 101
194 Millsaps College 1185 82
194 College of St. Benedict 1185 94
194 Hope College 1185 100
194 Birmingham-Southern College 1185 115
201 Purdue University-West Lafayette 1180 68
201 University of Central Florida 1180 170
203 Clark University (2) 1170 75
203 University of South Florida 1170 170
205 Juniata College (2) 1168 100
206 Michigan State University 1165 73
206 Indiana University-Bloomington 1165 75
206 University of Missouri 1165 97
206 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 1165 101
206 University of St. Thomas 1165 112
206 University of Kentucky 1165 119
206 Clarkson University 1165 121
206 DePaul University (2) 1165 121
206 University of Arkansas 1165 128
206 Hofstra University (2) 1165 135
206 Louisiana State University 1165 135
206 University of Alabama-Huntsville 1165 181
206 St. John's University 1165 76
206 St. Mary's College 1165 76
206 Luther College 1165 94
206 Augustana College (9) 1165 100
206 Ohio Wesleyan University 1165 100
206 Lake Forest College (2) 1165 110
206 Coe College 1165 120
206 Wittenberg University (2) 1165 123
206 Nebraska Wesleyan University 1165 146
206 University of Minnesota-Morris 1165 154
206 Centenary College of Louisiana (3) 1165 167
229 Syracuse University 1160 62
229 Agnes Scott College (2) 1160 89
229 Washington College 1160 107
229 Marymount Manhattan College 1160 RNP
233 Wabash College 1158 57
234 Gordon College (3) 1152 138
235 University at Buffalo-SUNY 1150 109
235 George Mason University (2) 1150 141
235 St. Michael's College (2) 1150 89
235 Stonehill College (2) 1150 115
235 Houghton College 1150 141
240 University of California-Irvine 1145 49
240 University of Iowa (3) 1145 73
240 Iowa State University 1145 101
240 University of Kansas 1145 101
240 University of San Francisco 1145 117
240 Oklahoma State University 1145 142
240 Maryville University of St. Louis 1145 161
240 University of Louisville 1145 161
240 Florida Institute of Technology (3) 1145 167
240 Virginia Military Institute 1145 65
240 Berry College 1145 126
240 William Jewell College (2) 1145 146
252 New Jersey Institute of Technology 1140 150
252 Florida International University 1140 RNP
254 Washington and Jefferson College (2) 1135 97
254 Oglethorpe University 1135 165
256 King's College 1133 RNP
257 University of Houston 1130 190
258 Colorado State University 1125 121
258 University of Cincinnati 1125 135
258 University of Massachusetts-Lowell 1125 158
258 University of Wyoming 1125 161
258 University of Missouri-St. Louis 1125 RNP
258 Berea College 1125 76
258 Albion College 1125 100
258 Goucher College (2) 1125 110
258 St. Norbert College 1125 134
258 Concordia College-Moorhead 1125 138
258 Wells College (4) 1125 141
258 Carthage College 1125 167
258 College of Idaho 1125 167
258 Lyon College 1125 167
258 Guilford College (2) 1125 173
258 Ouachita Baptist University 1125 173
274 Duquesne University 1120 121
274 St. Anselm College (2) 1120 120
274 Siena College 1120 126
274 Eckerd College 1120 141
274 Hartwick College (2) 1120 161
279 Hampden-Sydney College 1118 97
280 Catholic University of America 1115 121
280 Adelphi University (9) 1115 152
280 Texas Tech University 1115 161
280 Susquehanna University (2) 1115 115
280 Goshen College (3) 1115 141
285 New School (2) 1113 135
286 Temple University (3) 1110 121
286 Arizona State University (2) 1110 142
286 Biola University 1110 177
286 Georgia Southern University 1110 RNP
286 Salem College 1110 156
286 Warren Wilson College (3) 1110 167
292 University of Oregon (3) 1108 109
293 University of Arizona (2) 1107 119
294 University of Utah 1105 121
294 Kansas State University (2) 1105 135
294 University of Mississippi (2) 1105 150
294 University of Alabama-Birmingham 1105 152
294 Virginia Commonwealth University 1105 167
294 Louisiana Tech University 1105 190
294 Montana State University 1105 201
294 Hanover College 1105 115
294 Ripon College 1105 120
294 McDaniel College (3) 1105 126
294 Westminster College 1105 146
294 Simpson College (3) 1105 154
294 Northland College 1105 180
307 University of California-Santa Cruz 1100 86
307 Seton Hall University 1100 128
307 University at Albany-SUNY 1100 128
307 Oregon State University 1100 142
307 Hollins University 1100 110
312 University of New Hampshire 1095 97
312 Azusa Pacific University 1095 173
312 University of North Texas (3) 1095 RNP
312 Drew University (2) 1095 107
312 Randolph College 1095 134
317 University of California-Riverside 1090 112
317 University of Illinois-Chicago 1090 128
317 Ohio University 1090 135
317 Howard University (4) 1090 142
317 Illinois State University (3) 1090 152
317 San Diego State University 1090 152
317 St. John's University 1090 152
317 Pace University (3) 1090 173
317 University of North Dakota 1090 173
317 University of South Dakota (3) 1090 190
317 University of Montana 1090 201
317 Alma College 1090 126
317 Central College 1090 134
317 Randolph-Macon College (3) 1090 134
317 Georgetown College 1090 146
317 Wartburg College (3) 1090 146
317 Doane College 1090 156
317 Wisconsin Lutheran College 1090 RNP
335 Mississippi State University 1085 142
335 University of Rhode Island 1085 152
335 University of Hawaii-Manoa 1085 158
335 University of Maine 1085 167
335 Utah State University 1085 190
335 University of Missouri-Kansas City (3) 1085 201
335 Trinity International University (3) 1085 RNP
335 Roanoke College 1085 126
335 Ave Maria University (2) 1085 RNP
335 Bethany Lutheran College 1085 RNP
345 University of Texas-Arlington 1080 RNP
345 Linfield College 1080 123
345 Purchase College-SUNY (3) 1080 156
348 Presbyterian College 1075 126
349 University of Idaho 1070 161
349 Andrews University 1070 181
349 North Dakota State University (3) 1070 190
349 University of Colorado-Denver (3) 1070 190
349 University of North Carolina-Charlotte 1070 201
349 Georgia State University 1070 RNP
349 Oakland University (2) 1070 RNP
349 University of Louisiana-Lafayette 1070 RNP
349 Wichita State University (2) 1070 RNP
349 Westminster College 1070 115
349 Whittier College (9) 1070 126
349 Illinois College (2) 1070 156
349 Maryville College 1070 176
349 Green Mountain College (2) 1070 RNP
363 St. John Fisher College 1065 142
363 University of Nevada-Reno 1065 181
363 University of Massachusetts-Boston (3) 1065 RNP
363 Burlington College (2) 1065 RNP
367 Ball State University (2) 1060 181
367 Florida Atlantic University 1060 RNP
367 Sweet Briar College 1060 110
370 Albright College (9) 1058 176
371 Northern Arizona University (2) 1055 RNP
371 Nova Southeastern University 1055 RNP
371 St. Vincent College 1055 146
374 Washington State University 1050 128
374 Central Michigan University 1050 190
374 Kent State University 1050 201
374 South Dakota State University 1050 201
374 Trevecca Nazarene University 1050 RNP
374 University of Memphis 1050 RNP
374 University of Nebraska-Omaha 1050 RNP
374 University of New Orleans 1050 RNP
374 University of South Alabama (2) 1050 RNP
374 University of Texas-San Antonio 1050 RNP
374 University of West Florida 1050 RNP
374 Hiram College 1050 156
374 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 1050 RNP
387 East Carolina University 1045 181
387 Principia College 1045 107
387 Moravian College (2) 1045 138
390 Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey-Newark 1042 142
391 Lycoming College (2) 1040 161
391 Eastern Mennonite University 1040 180
391 Bridgewater College 1040 RNP
394 West Virginia University 1035 170
394 Portland State University (3) 1035 RNP
396 Spelman College 1033 65
397 University of La Verne 1030 161
397 St. Mary's University of Minnesota 1030 173
397 Northern Illinois University 1030 177
397 University of New Mexico 1030 181
397 Western Michigan University 1030 181
397 Edgewood College 1030 190
397 Benedictine University (3) 1030 RNP
397 East Tennessee State University 1030 RNP
397 University of Arkansas-Little Rock (9) 1030 RNP
397 University of Northern Colorado (2) 1030 RNP
397 University of Southern Mississippi 1030 RNP
397 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1030 RNP
397 Wayne State University 1030 RNP
397 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (3) 1030 176
397 Erskine College (4) 1030 180
397 Western State Colorado University (3) 1030 RNP
413 University of North Carolina-Greensboro 1025 190
413 Morehouse College 1025 126
415 Old Dominion University 1020 RNP
416 Widener University 1015 181
416 Regent University (3) 1015 RNP
416 Pacific Union College 1015 RNP
419 Bowling Green State University 1010 181
419 Cardinal Stritch University (2) 1010 RNP
419 Cleveland State University (3) 1010 RNP
419 Middle Tennessee State University 1010 RNP
419 University of Alaska-Fairbanks 1010 RNP
419 University of Toledo 1010 RNP
419 Clearwater Christian College 1010 RNP
419 Fort Lewis College 1010 RNP
427 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis 1005 RNP
427 Sam Houston State University 1005 RNP
427 Simpson University (3) 1005 RNP
430 Virginia Wesleyan College (2) 1000 176
431 Ashland University (4) 995 RNP
431 University of Nevada-Las Vegas 995 RNP
431 Emory and Henry College (3) 995 173
431 SUNY College-Old Westbury (3) 995 RNP
435 Wesleyan College 993 161
436 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (3) 990 177
436 New Mexico State University 990 190
436 University of Akron 990 RNP
436 Wright State University 990 RNP
436 Fisk University (4) 990 146
436 Monmouth College 990 165
436 American Jewish University (4) 990 167
436 Bryn Athyn College of the New Church 990 RNP
436 Castleton State College 990 RNP
436 Louisiana State University-Alexandria 990 RNP
436 Shorter University (4) 990 RNP
436 University of Wisconsin-Parkside (9) 990 RNP
448 Bay Path College (2) 985 RNP
449 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (3) 980 177
449 Texas A&M University-Commerce 980 RNP
449 Brevard College 980 RNP
452 Holy Cross College (3) 975 RNP
453 Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (3) 970 RNP
453 Xavier University of Louisiana (3) 970 161
453 Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (2) 970 RNP
453 University of Hawaii-Hilo (3) 970 RNP
457 Virginia Intermont College 969 RNP
458 Eastern Nazarene College 960 RNP
459 Judson College (4) 955 RNP
460 Florida A&M University 950 RNP
460 Spalding University (3) 950 RNP
460 Colorado Mesa University 950 RNP
460 Huston-Tillotson University (4) 950 RNP
460 Shawnee State University (2) 950 RNP
465 University of Virginia-Wise 945 RNP
466 Immaculata University 940 190
466 Barry University 940 RNP
468 Texas Woman's University (2) 930 RNP
468 University of Pikeville 930 RNP
468 West Virginia State University (3) 930 RNP
471 Indiana State University 920 RNP
471 University of Texas-El Paso (9) 920 RNP
473 Lamar University (3) 915 RNP
474 Our Lady of the Lake University 911 RNP
475 San Diego Christian College (9) 910 RNP
476 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (3) 908 RNP
477 University of Maine-Machias 905 RNP
477 William Peace University 905 RNP
479 Lynn University 900 RNP
479 North Carolina A&T State University 900 RNP
481 Bowie State University 895 RNP
482 Jackson State University (4) 890 RNP
483 Morgan State University 885 RNP
484 Clark Atlanta University (3) 880 RNP
484 Bethany College 880 RNP
484 Claflin University 880 RNP
487 Dillard University 870 RNP
488 Savannah State University (4) 850 RNP
488 Stillman College 850 RNP
490 Tennessee State University 845 RNP
490 Johnson C. Smith University 845 RNP
490 Tougaloo College 845 RNP
493 Bloomfield College 835 RNP
494 Kentucky State University 825 RNP
495 South Carolina State University 820 RNP
495 Texas Southern University 820 RNP
497 Pine Manor College (3) 775 RNP
498 Allen University (2) 760 RNP
498 Lane College 760 RNP
500 Bennett College (9) 750 RNP
501 Rust College 735 RNP

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