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Best Private Colleges & Uni­ver­si­ties Top 50 Consensus Ranked Private Colleges & Uni­ver­si­ties

America’s private colleges and universities present an incredibly diverse vision of higher education. Some of the best private colleges and universities in the US have long, proud histories that define the American collegiate experience. Other private institutions have the freedom to innovate and push forward progress, without the political pressures of public colleges. Some provide a safe refuge for intellectual exploration and creativity. And some do all of those things simultaneously, along with championship athletics and cultural influence. 

Methodology: How We Ranked the Best Private Colleges & Universities

College Consensus rankings combine the results of the most respected college ranking systems with the averaged ratings of thousands of real student reviews from around the web to create a unique college meta-ranking. This approach offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective missing from other college rankings. Visit our about page for information on which rankings and review sites were included in this year’s consensus rankings.

The Private Colleges & Universities category is limited to privately-owned schools receiving most of their funding from private sources.

What’s Different About College Consensus? 

The College Consensus method means that prospective students and their families get the full picture of their college options, from a wide range of perspectives. We bring together the views of experts and statisticians on the outside, and the reviews of the students on the inside. 

The Best Private Colleges and Universities of 2023 are ranked based on Consensus score and presented in descending order.

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA

93.4
College Consensus
87.1
Student Consensus
99.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

2

Stanford University
Stanford, CA

93.2
College Consensus
87
Student Consensus
99.4
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

3

Yale University
New Haven, CT

92.9
College Consensus
87.1
Student Consensus
98.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

4

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

92.9
College Consensus
86.8
Student Consensus
98.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

5

Williams College
Williamstown, MA

92.3
College Consensus
87.4
Student Consensus
97.3
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

6

Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

91.1
College Consensus
83.9
Student Consensus
98.3
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

7

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

90.8
College Consensus
86.9
Student Consensus
94.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

8

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

90.6
College Consensus
86.3
Student Consensus
94.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

9

Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA

90.5
College Consensus
88.6
Student Consensus
92.5
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

10

Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH

90.4
College Consensus
85.1
Student Consensus
95.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

11

Brown University
Providence, RI

90
College Consensus
85.7
Student Consensus
94.3
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

12

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN

89.8
College Consensus
87.6
Student Consensus
91.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

13

Duke University
Durham, NC

89.8
College Consensus
81.8
Student Consensus
97.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

14

Rice University
Houston, TX

89.5
College Consensus
86.4
Student Consensus
92.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

15

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

89.4
College Consensus
81.1
Student Consensus
97.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

16

Amherst College
Amherst, MA

89.1
College Consensus
83.6
Student Consensus
94.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

17

California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA

88.9
College Consensus
82.8
Student Consensus
95.1
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

18

Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY

88.9
College Consensus
82.6
Student Consensus
95.1
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

19

Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME

88.9
College Consensus
86.5
Student Consensus
91.3
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

20

Pomona College
Claremont, CA

88.7
College Consensus
86.7
Student Consensus
90.8
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

21

Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO

88.7
College Consensus
85.3
Student Consensus
92.1
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

22

Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA

88.6
College Consensus
84.7
Student Consensus
92.4
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

23

Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA

88.5
College Consensus
82.9
Student Consensus
94.1
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

24

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

88.4
College Consensus
83.4
Student Consensus
93.4
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

25

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

88.3
College Consensus
81
Student Consensus
95.6
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

26

Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT

87.3
College Consensus
85.1
Student Consensus
89.6
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

27

Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT

87.2
College Consensus
83.7
Student Consensus
90.8
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

28

Hamilton College
Clinton, NY

86.9
College Consensus
85.6
Student Consensus
88.2
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

29

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

86.9
College Consensus
82.8
Student Consensus
90.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

30

Georgetown University
Washington, DC

86.3
College Consensus
80.6
Student Consensus
91.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

31

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

85.9
College Consensus
76.1
Student Consensus
95.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

32

Haverford College
Haverford, PA

85.4
College Consensus
85.3
Student Consensus
85.6
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

33

Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA

85.2
College Consensus
79.4
Student Consensus
91
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

34

Emory University
Atlanta, GA

85.1
College Consensus
80.8
Student Consensus
89.3
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

35

Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA

85
College Consensus
80.5
Student Consensus
89.6
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

36

Bates College
Lewiston, ME

84.7
College Consensus
88.9
Student Consensus
80.4
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

37

Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA

84.6
College Consensus
82.5
Student Consensus
86.8
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

38

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

84.5
College Consensus
84.6
Student Consensus
84.5
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

39

Davidson College
Davidson, NC

84.2
College Consensus
85.2
Student Consensus
83.2
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

40

Colby College
Waterville, ME

83.9
College Consensus
84.1
Student Consensus
83.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

41

Carleton College
Northfield, MN

83.7
College Consensus
85.5
Student Consensus
81.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

42

Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

83.3
College Consensus
80.7
Student Consensus
85.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

43

Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY

83.2
College Consensus
86.6
Student Consensus
79.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

44

Goshen College
Goshen, IN

83
College Consensus
81.1
Student Consensus
84.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

45

Tufts University
Medford, MA

82.6
College Consensus
81.1
Student Consensus
84.1
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

46

Colgate University
Hamilton, NY

81.9
College Consensus
84.1
Student Consensus
79.8
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

47

Smith College
Northampton, MA

81.4
College Consensus
83.9
Student Consensus
78.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

48

Simpson College
Indianola, IA

81.2
College Consensus
73.4
Student Consensus
89
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

49

Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA

81.1
College Consensus
82.4
Student Consensus
79.9
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

50

New York University
New York, NY

81.1
College Consensus
80.5
Student Consensus
81.7
Publisher Consensus
Last Accessed: March, 2023

How is a Private College Different From a Public College?

Public and private colleges & universities both offer post-secondary educations to those who have earned a high school diploma or equivalent. There are several fundamental differences between private and public colleges that should be of interest to future students.

Private vs Public Colleges

When comparing a private college vs public school, the most well-known of the differences between private and public colleges is that state governments primarily fund public higher learning institutions. Conversely, private colleges and universities are more reliant on tuition fees, donations from alumni, as well academic endowment funds.

Another consideration in the private vs public colleges debate is that private schools may operate as non-profit or for-profit higher learning institutions. A for-profit private school or college serves as a business. In contrast, a non-profit college or university operates similarly to a public institution of higher education – where turning a profit is not of utmost importance.

When considering the differences between private and public colleges, it is also essential to remember that each provides various, although different, benefits to those who attend.

Private College vs Public Higher Learning Institutions

  • When comparing the net cost of attendance between private vs public colleges, private colleges tend to have higher tuition rates. Still, they are more likely to provide students with more generous financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
  • Non-profit colleges and universities tend to have a better reputation than their for-profit counterparts.
  • When comparing the diversity of programs between a private college vs public school, public schools and universities tend to have a wider variety of programs from which students may choose.

Are Private Colleges Better Than Public Colleges or Universities?

When considering the type of school to attend, it is hard to avoid asking yourself– Is private college better than public? The reality is that private and public schools offer distinct experiences with regard to campus and resident life. The answer depends on the student, as follows –

  • Independent learners will likely fare better at a public school where the student must be responsible for seeking help when needed. Plus, public colleges tend to have larger class sizes.
  • Private schools may be better for students who prefer additional guidance from professors and academic advisors.  Private schools will likely offer smaller class sizes that provide a more intimate setting for learning, with further one-on-one interaction.

Is Private College Expensive?

If you are leaning towards the private college experience, after completing sufficient research, you will likely want to answer the following questions –

  • Why are private colleges so expensive?
  • How much is private college tuition after the receipt of scholarships and financial aid?

How Much Is A Private College?

Private colleges tend to have higher price tags than public colleges or universities. However, despite the higher sticker price, many students attending a private school find the private institution of higher education represents a relatively good value due to –

  • Available options offered by the private college to lower tuition expenses.
  • Improved job potential and ROI (Return on Investment), depending on the field of study and level of education.
Related:
Best National Research Universities

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