Verified data from IPEDS & College Scorecard
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Best Colleges in Big Cities

Top-performing schools in urban settings — ranked by outcomes and walkability.

Methodology: Schools in IPEDS city locales (codes 11–13), ranked by graduation rate and 10-year earnings.
1

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA · Private

Grad98%Net Price$17k/yr10yr Earnings$102kMedian Debt$14kAcceptance4%
2

Yale University

New Haven, CT · Private

Grad96%Net Price$28k/yr10yr Earnings$101kMedian Debt$13kAcceptance4%
3

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA · Private

Grad96%Net Price$20k/yr10yr Earnings$143kMedian Debt$15kAcceptance5%
4

Georgetown University

Washington, DC · Private

Grad95%Net Price$39k/yr10yr Earnings$103kMedian Debt$16kAcceptance13%
5

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA · Private

Grad94%Net Price$19k/yr10yr Earnings$129kAcceptance3%
6

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA · Public

Grad94%Net Price$13k/yr10yr Earnings$103kMedian Debt$22kAcceptance14%
7

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA · Private

Grad91%Net Price$40k/yr10yr Earnings$104kMedian Debt$19kAcceptance16%
8

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA · Private

Grad90%Net Price$43k/yr10yr Earnings$103kMedian Debt$27kAcceptance60%
9

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private

Grad96%Net Price$19k/yr10yr Earnings$92kMedian Debt$15kAcceptance4%
10

Bentley University

Waltham, MA · Private

Grad87%Net Price$39k/yr10yr Earnings$121kMedian Debt$25kAcceptance45%
11

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Public

Grad93%Net Price$15k/yr10yr Earnings$92kMedian Debt$13kAcceptance11%
12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · Private

Grad92%Net Price$32k/yr10yr Earnings$92kMedian Debt$18kAcceptance10%
13

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Private

Grad95%Net Price$27k/yr10yr Earnings$89kMedian Debt$15kAcceptance8%
14

Northeastern University

Boston, MA · Private

Grad91%Net Price$32k/yr10yr Earnings$93kMedian Debt$24kAcceptance5%
15

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

New York, NY · Private

Grad90%Net Price$30k/yr10yr Earnings$93kAcceptance49%
16

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD · Private

Grad94%Net Price$18k/yr10yr Earnings$88kMedian Debt$10kAcceptance6%
17

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute, IN · Private

Grad78%Net Price$41k/yr10yr Earnings$101kMedian Debt$25kAcceptance77%
18

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA · Private

Grad87%Net Price$37k/yr10yr Earnings$91kMedian Debt$27kAcceptance18%
19

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI · Public

Grad93%Net Price$15k/yr10yr Earnings$84kMedian Debt$20kAcceptance16%
20

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA · Public

Grad93%Net Price$14k/yr10yr Earnings$83kMedian Debt$14kAcceptance9%
21

George Washington University

Washington, DC · Private

Grad84%Net Price$37k/yr10yr Earnings$91kMedian Debt$20kAcceptance47%
22

Boston University

Boston, MA · Private

Grad89%Net Price$27k/yr10yr Earnings$83kMedian Debt$23kAcceptance11%
23

Amherst College

Amherst, MA · Private

Grad94%Net Price$18k/yr10yr Earnings$78kMedian Debt$14kAcceptance9%
24

Emory University

Atlanta, GA · Private

Grad91%Net Price$24k/yr10yr Earnings$80kMedian Debt$18kAcceptance11%
25

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA · Public

Grad86%Net Price$12k/yr10yr Earnings$85kMedian Debt$16kAcceptance27%
26

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA · Private

Grad84%Net Price$31k/yr10yr Earnings$87kMedian Debt$23kAcceptance52%
27

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL · Public

Grad85%Net Price$15k/yr10yr Earnings$81kMedian Debt$20kAcceptance42%
28

Kettering University

Flint, MI · Private

Grad71%Net Price$33k/yr10yr Earnings$95kMedian Debt$27kAcceptance79%
29

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA · Private

Grad86%Net Price$34k/yr10yr Earnings$77kMedian Debt$26kAcceptance40%
30

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, CA · Private

Grad78%Net Price$50k/yr10yr Earnings$85kMedian Debt$27kAcceptance83%

Locale data: IPEDS HD. Graduation rate: IPEDS. Earnings: College Scorecard. Rankings reflect available federal data and do not constitute endorsement.