3 Best Colleges in America

When it comes to evaluating the value of colleges in America you want to go to, the most important thing to consider is how much that college helps you in life. In other words, how it will help you progress and have a successful career.

To help you prepare for the next step and decide which college is best for you we have gathered a few of the top ranking colleges in America. Not all of them might be close to home, but they will give you the ultimate experience and ensure that you improve your financial future.

Furthermore the universities below are ranked according to each ones’s average SAT score from the college-data website College Board and the median starting salary from the employer-information website PayScale to come up with the final ranking.

This year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops our list after a brief hiatus from the No. 1 spot. Stanford, last year’s top school, slips to No. 2; Harvard, Princeton, and CalTech round out the top three.

Our Colleges in America Finalists

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Average SAT score: 2230
Median starting salary: $70,300

Consistently ranked the best engineering school in the country, MIT, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thoroughly prepares students for success post-graduation. Many MIT grads go on to work at elite companies such as Google. The school has a host of notable alumni as well, including Donald Layton, the former CEO of JP Morgan Chase, and Megan Smith, the chief technology officer of the US.

2. Stanford University

Average SAT score: 2215
Median starting salary: $62,900

Though it was bumped down to our No. 2 spot this year, Stanford remains an academic powerhouse. Last year, the Silicon Valley-based school accepted only 5.1% of students and implemented several expansions to its undergraduate curriculum, including a CS+X joint major program, which integrates studies in computer science and the humanities. Stanford has also become a pipeline to brand-name tech companies, which offer graduates starting salaries up to $500,000.

3. Harvard University

Average SAT score: 2260
Median starting salary: $57,700

This Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university has produced 47 Nobel Laureates, 32 heads of state, and 48 Pulitzer Prize winners, and it offers outstanding graduate programs for students planning to continue their education, including top-ranked business and law schools.

Still not sure which college to choose, take one of our college quizzes and find out which one is for you or where you can have the most fun.

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