On Monday, US News & World Report published the annual ranking of the best colleges and universities in the country.
US News calculates its ranking based on six categories that are weighted differently: student outcomes (40%), teaching resources (20%), expert opinion (20%), financial resources (10%), excel · students (7%) and alumni (3%).
US News made a slight change in its methodology this year to account for changes in standardized testing requirements. Previously, if less than 75% of students entering a particular school presented standardized test scores, US News would discount the importance of standardized test scores in the school’s overall ranking by 15%. This year, because so many schools adopted optional testing policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. News lowered the threshold to 50%.
The best universities this year share many things in common. All are prestigious schools with large endowments and four of the top five are members of the Ivy League. All are also incredibly difficult to access, with admitted students having a strong high school history and high standardized test scores.
Princeton University maintained its position as the top-ranked university in the country due, in part, to a student-faculty ratio of only four students per faculty member, as well as a high student retention rate. It is estimated that 98% of Princeton students graduate in six years and, most importantly, low-income Princeton students receiving Pell grants also graduate at the same rate.
During the most recent admissions season, Princeton offered admission to 1,498 students for the 2025 class, including 22% who will be first-generation college students, an increase from 17% last year.
Here are the top 5 universities of 2022, according to US News, and what it takes to get there.
1. Princeton University
Blair Hall of Princeton University
Loop Images / Universal Images Group using Getty Images
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Average SAT score: 1450-1570
Percentage of first-year students among the top 10% of the high school class: 89%
Acceptance rate: 6%
2. Columbia University (tie)
Columbia University
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Location: New York, New York
Average SAT score: 1470-1570
Percentage of first-year students among the top 10% of the high school class: 96%
Acceptance rate: 6%
2. Harvard University (tie)
Widener Library at Harvard University
Jeffrey Greenberg / UIG via Getty Images
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Average SAT score: 1460-1580
Percentage of first-year students among the top 10% of the high school class: 94%
Acceptance rate: 5%
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (tie)
Campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts
(Photo: Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Average SAT score: 1510-1580
Percentage of first-year students in the top 10% of the high school class: 100%
Acceptance rate: 7%
5. Yale University
Yale University
Yana Paskova / Stringer (Getty Images)
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Average SAT score: 1460-1580
Percentage of first-year students among the top 10% of the high school class: 94%
Acceptance rate: 7%
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