The Top 25 Smartest Colleges

These 25 universities are the best of the best when it comes to higher education. On this year's list, you'll find a strong mix of colleges. From the hallowed institutions that rank perennially on these lists to the more modern universities proving they can excel, the students from these universities have shown that they are a cut above the rest.

1. Princeton University
Home to U.S. presidents, accomplished businessmen, and more recently, Michelle Obama, Princeton has been providing the best education money can buy since 1746. The Ivy League school is located in the quiet town of Princeton, New Jersey. Around 5,000 undergraduates attend the top school in the country, where they can expect to walk away with a degree and an average starting salary of over $66,000.

2. Harvard University
Perhaps the most prestigious and renowned university in the United States, Harvard comes in second on this year's list. Harvard's list of notable alumni and achievements is seemingly endless, but they include a staggering 335 Rhodes Scholars, 8 U.S. presidents, 150 Nobel Laureates, and 62 living billionaires. Hard to compete with that.

3. University of Chicago
The University of Chicago has consistently been proving itself as one of the best universities in the country, contending with the likes of Ivy Leagues and shaking up the rankings. 89 Nobel laureates, 49 Rhodes Scholars and 9 Fields Medalists have called the University of Chicago home. With an 8% acceptance rate, getting accepted into the school alone is an achievement, but graduating through the rigorous programs is truly a feat to be proud of.

4. Yale University
Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut is yet another Ivy League appearance on this list. Spoiler alert, it won't be the last. An institution since 1701, five presidents have been among the notable alumni that have called Yale home. That list for the world-renowned law school also includes an impressive 19 Supreme Court Justices.

5. Columbia University
​​Founded in 1754, Columbia is older than America itself. The New York City school rounds out the top five best schools in the country. The extremely selective school takes just 6% of its applicants, but those who get in are treated to some of the highest quality education the world has to offer. Columbia's schools of law, business, medicine, and journalism are consistently lauded as the world's best.

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts has an acceptance rate of only 7%, making them one of the most selective in the United States. If you’re one of the qualified few to get in, consider yourself in extremely good company. I could list some of MIT's notable alumni or accomplishments, but this stat might just say everything you need to know. If you added up the revenues of all the companies founded by MIT alumni, you would have the 11th largest economy in the world. Not bad.

7. Stanford University
​​From athletes to presidents to actors and CEOs, Stanford has no shortage of notable alumni to gloat about. The prestigious California university was founded in 1885 in the Bay Area. With an average graduate starting salary of over $70,000, the students who complete their rigorous coursework at Stanford are heavily rewarded. Unfortunately, you would have to be part of an elite 5% of applicants to even set foot in Stanford's historic halls.

8. University of Pennsylvania
This Pennsylvania school is older than the U.S. itself. Founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, UPenn has been providing quality higher education decades before we even declared independence. The Philadelphia school has been home to world-famous scholars, lawyers, inventors, and presidents, including current president Donald Trump.

9. Duke University
​​Students have been calling Duke home since 1838. The Durham, North Carolina school is one of the country's most prestigious non-Ivy Leagues, with world-renowned schools of business, medicine, law, and more. The acceptance rate is a measly 11%, but for those that make it in, they can expect to make a starting salary of over $60,000.

10. California Institute of Technology
​This Pasadena school has one of the smallest undergraduate populations in the entire country. With just over 900 students, Cal Tech is as exclusive as it gets. The school excels when it comes to science, technology, and engineering. Although coming from a small school, Caltech's alumni have made their imprint on this world. Notable alumni include the founders of Hotmail, Compaq, and Intel. The average starting salary of a Caltech grad? Almost $80,000.

11. Dartmouth College
The smallest Ivy League college just misses out on the top ten smartest colleges. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth and its students get to live in one of the best college towns in the country. If you are lucky enough to have called Dartmouth home at any point in your life, consider yourself lucky. You are in good company with 9 Pulitzer Prize winners, 3 Nobel Prize winners, and countless other notable alumni. Dartmouth graduates also average the highest average starting salaries as well as the highest average income ten years after graduation.

12. Johns Hopkins University
​​The Baltimore school has long been regarded as one of America's top colleges. One of the smaller, more selective colleges in the country, JHU has an undergraduate population of just over 6,000. While one of the more expensive schools in the country, students who graduate from JHU have an average starting salary of over $61,000.

13. Northwestern University
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois comes in as the 13th best university in the country. Part of this can be attributed to its focus on small class sizes and a low student to faculty ratio. 77% of Northwestern's classes offered have class sizes of less than 20 students. The 7:1 student to faculty ratio also makes it among the best in the country. Graduates of Northwestern find themselves in the company of alumni like Stephen Colbert, Charlton Heston, Rod Blagojevich, Seth Meyers, Warren Beatty and thousands of other intellectuals.

14. Brown University
​​While Brown's academics have never been in question, Brown University also provides among the best opportunities for extracurriculars for their students. With over 400 student organizations, it is easy for Brown students to pursue their passions and hobbies outside of the classroom. The students who make it past the 9% acceptance rate are in for a good time at Brown.

15. Cornell University
​The stunning Ivy League University in rural New York is among America's oldest and most hallowed institutions. Some of the famous alumni to study at this prestigious school include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, E.B. White, and none other than the beloved Bill Nye. You can join these famed alumni, if you are one of the 14% to be accepted by Cornell's rigorous selection process.

16. Rice University
Rice University is a private research university that makes it home in Houston, Texas. The high quality of student education can be attributed to one important factor: student to faculty ratio. With a 5:1 ratio, it is one of the lowest in all of America, proving Rice’s emphasis on student learning above anything else. It seems to work, as 101 Fulbright Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 24 Marshall Scholars and 12 Rhodes Scholars have come out of the university.

17. Vanderbilt University
​Number 17 in our rankings takes us to the Music City, none other than Nashville, Tennessee. The Vanderbilt Commodores are among the smartest schools in the country, giving them something to brag about over their fellow SEC schools. Bama can have their football as long as Vanderbilt's academics blow the other SEC schools out of the water, right? At an 11% acceptance rate and a $58,000 average starting salary, Vanderbilt is among the most selective, yet most rewarding universities in America.

18. University of Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame do much more than fight, it seems. They study quite hard as well, pushing the University of Notre Dame up to 18th in this ranking of the smartest colleges in the country. The average Notre Dame grad can expect to make over $60,000 right out of the gates, making Notre Dame one of the most respected universities by employers.

19. Washington University in St. Louis
The only Missouri school to make the list is Washington University in St. Louis. The school, as its name suggests, takes us to the bustling Gateway to the West, St. Louis. The programs that WashU is best known for include their top-ranked School of Social Work, the Olin Business School, School of Law, and School of Medicine.

20. Georgetown University
​Located in the bustling capital city of Washington DC, Georgetown's students have a lot of opportunities to change the world. At a 12.7% acceptance rate, Georgetown is among the most selective schools in the country. Students who make the cut take full advantage, as Georgetown has a freshman retention rate of 96%, indicating very high student satisfaction.

21. Emory University
Moving over to the East Coast now, the list takes us all the way to Atlanta, Georgia. Emory University is one of Georgia's top colleges, if not its top college. Only a quarter of applicants are accepted into the prestigious school located in an Atlanta suburb. The academics are demanding but if you get out of Emory alive, you can expect an average starting salary of around $55,000.

22. University of California - Berkeley
​It's no secret that California has its fair share of world-class higher education institutions. Cal Berkeley makes that three straight colleges in the UC network, but at least we're working our way away from Los Angeles. Among the things to note from Berkeley are its low acceptance rate of 16%, median starting graduate salary of $61,800 and its perfect location overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

23. University of California - Los Angeles
Another Los Angeles school makes the list. UCLA is well-known for its storied sports teams, especially basketball. However, it has also been establishing itself as one of the top academic schools in the country. With an acceptance rate of just 18%, UCLA is very selective of its students. Those who get in can expect a college experience unlike any other, balancing a quality education with the best of everything else college has to offer. Sports, Greek Life, and of course, the fun stuff.

24. University of Southern California
​USC is consistently ranked as one of the best schools in California and the country. This prestigious private institution in Los Angeles is a well-balanced school featuring everything from top-notch academics, competitive collegiate athletics, and a thriving Greek Life. Consider yourself lucky if you are one of the 17% of applicants to be accepted.

25. Carnegie Mellon University
The private higher-education institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania comes in 25th on this year's list. While computer science and engineering are its strongest points, CMU is a great institution all-around, ranking 4th in finance, 7th in economics, and 10th overall by the Wall Street Journal. On average, a Carnegie Mellon graduate will be making a starting salary of nearly $70,000. The urban university is a very selective school, and only one in five applicants are accepted. Among the alumni, you’ll find countless Nobel laureates, Turing Award recipients, National Medal of Science recipients, and many other prestigious people.