Everybody knows Princeton University is elite, but did you know it's also affordable for those who get in? Households earning less than $100,000 get a free ride, while all families with incomes up to $180,000 qualify for at least some financial aid. The school gives out so many grants that more than 80% of students graduate without any debt.
And that's on top of the fact that, while at the university, undergrads have access to some of the country's best-known intellectual figures, including 31 Nobel Prize winners.
Once students leave school, their Princeton diplomas clearly help them get a leg up in the job market. Early in their careers, students go on to post median salaries over $110,000 per year, according to the College Scorecard. These outcomes, alongside the university's 98% graduation rate, contribute to Princeton's strong performance year after year in Money's list of best colleges.
Princeton's park-like campus with ivy-covered Gothic-style buildings is widely considered one of the country's most beautiful. While there's little Greek life, most juniors and seniors belong to exclusive "eating clubs," some of which only admit students who pass through a secretive selection process. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I athletics. Sports events tend to draw small crowds, but if the football team defeats both Yale and Harvard, it holds a ceremonial bonfire on Cannon Green.
