--- title: Best Colleges in the Northeast description: Money's ratings look at tuition fees, graduation rates and earnings to find the top colleges. These are the best colleges in the Northeast. authors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ editors: - name: Paul Reynolds role: Senior Editor, Special Projects url: https://money.com/author/paul-reynolds/ bio: Paul Reynolds is the Special Projects Editor at Money.com, with responsibilities that have included launching franchises in best autos and best airlines. Prior to his current role, he joined Money in 2020 as its insurance editor, overseeing life and auto insurance content as well as the site’s coverage of policies for pets, autos, businesses, travel and more. education: BA, Psychology, Queen's University (Canada), Bachelor of Journalism, Carleton University (Canada) at_money_since: 2020 articles: 95 covers: - Banking - Business - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://linkedin.com/in/paulreynoldsed/ former_staff: true published: '2023-06-22T14:15:00.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T13:11:40.000Z' section: Family Finance tags: - Best colleges - College - News word_count: 1175 canonical: https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-northeast/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Exterior of The library of Columbia University in New York City](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Feature-Columbia.jpg) The Northeast is where you'll find the country's oldest and most recognizable higher education institutions, including all the of the Ivy League, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and liberal arts colleges like Amherst and Williams. All of those campuses provide outstanding value for the students who get in, Money’s latest [Best College analysis](https://money.com/best-colleges/) shows. Our annual college rankings focus on affordability and return on investment. They weigh graduation rates, average financial aid and alumni earnings to highlight the campuses where your time and money is most likely to pay off. (You can read the full breakdown of [how we scored colleges here](https://money.com/best-colleges/methodology/).) Most students choose a college that is relatively close to home, so in addition to our overall rating of 736 colleges, we’re also publishing regional lists of top-scoring colleges. All but one of the 5-star colleges in the Northeast are private schools, known in part for their challenging admissions criteria and low acceptance rates. (See the full Best Colleges in the Northeast for a longer, more diverse list of top colleges in the region.) Here are the top colleges in the Northeast, in alphabetical order: ## Cover your college expenses with the help of a Student Loan. ### For help covering college tuition and other costs, a Student Loan from College Ave can aid you in your time of need. Find out more by clicking on your state. [Start Today](https://money.com/pr/uf6ac6473814?ap_referrer=%2Fbest-colleges-in-the-northeast%2F) ### Amherst College ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Amherst-College.jpg) - **Location:** Amherst, Massachusetts - **Estimated price with average grant:** $20,900 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $81,900 Amherst is known for its commitment to teaching and close interaction between professors and students. There are no required courses, except for a first-year seminar that emphasizes writing and critical thinking. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/amherst-college/). ### Brown University ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Brown-University.jpg) - **Location:** Providence, Rhode Island - **Estimated price with average grant:** $26,800 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $87,800 This Ivy League school gives students an unusual amount of freedom: Aside from taking two writing classes, there are there no required courses. Also, students can design their own concentrations (or majors) and any class can be taken on a pass/fall basis. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/brown-university/). ### Columbia University ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Columbia-University.jpg) - **Location:** New York City - **Estimated price with average grant:** $13,300 - **Graduation rate:** 93% - **Early career earnings:** $97,500 During the first two years of study at Columbia, students must dive into the school's celebrated (though challenging) Core Curriculum. Outside of the classroom, the university's Manhattan location provides students with extraordinary opportunities, including cultural attractions and countless internships. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york/). ### Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ![Aerial view of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Building in NYC](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Cooper-Union.jpg) - **Location:** New York City - **Estimated price with average grant:** $22,300 - **Graduation rate:** 91% - **Early career earnings:** $76,900 A small college in New York City's artsy East Village, every student here receives at least a half-tuition scholarship. Cooper Union alumni tend to thrive in the competitive art and architecture worlds. Famous former students include Thomas Edison, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Libeskind, who designed New York City's new Freedom Tower. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art/). ### Cornell University ![View of campus at an autumn sunset from the west hill](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Cornell-University.jpg) - **Location:** Ithaca, New York - **Estimated price with average grant:** $26,000 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $98,300 Cornell boasts a highly respected College of Arts & Sciences, as well as architecture and hotel administration programs that are considered leaders in their respective fields. An unusual public-private hybrid, New York state residents can enroll in certain Cornell colleges and pay about $20,000 a year less than the tuition charged to the rest of the university. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/cornell-university/). ### Dartmouth College ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Dartmouth-College.jpg) - **Location:** Hanover, New Hampshire - **Estimated price with average grant:** $25,800 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $95,500 Known as the smallest school in the Ivy League, Dartmouth places a special emphasis on undergraduate pedagogy, with popular majors in economics, political science and engineering. The university operates on an unusual, year-round quarter system (called D-plan) that gives students the flexibility to choose when they take classes and when they're on break. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/dartmouth-college/). ## Need extra funds? A Student Loan can help! ### Student loans can help you cover tuition and other college-related costs when grants and other forms of financial aid are not enough. Click below to explore your options with College Ave. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u93a2e127385?ap_referrer=%2Fbest-colleges-in-the-northeast%2F) ### Harvard University ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Harvard-University.jpg) - **Location:** Cambridge, Massachusetts - **Estimated price with average grant:** $14,900 - **Graduation rate:** 97% - **Early career earnings:** $95,100 Harvard students have access to the largest university library in the world, along with distinguished faculty members and an alumni network that boasts names at the top of a range of fields, from music to politics to law. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/harvard-university/). ### Massachusetts Institute of Technology ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Massachusetts-Institute-Technology.jpg) - **Location:** Cambridge, Massachusetts - **Estimated price with average grant:** $33,200 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $124,000 One of the world's most respected science schools, MIT offers students the opportunity to learn from an impressive cadre of thinkers, with 10 Nobel laureates currently on the faculty. Attending means taking on a challenging workload, which includes physics, biology, chemistry and calculus as required courses. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/). ### Massachusetts Maritime Academy ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Massachusetts-Maritime-Academy.jpg) - **Location:** Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts - **Estimated price with average grant:** $20,800 - **Graduation rate:** 79% - **Early career earnings:** $99,700 Massachusetts Maritime Academy prides itself on getting students ready for both sea-going and shoreside careers, offering seven undergraduate degrees in fields such as marine engineering, marine transportation, international maritime business and emergency management. The Academy is structured like a military academy (though graduates aren't required to serve in the armed services), and students in certain majors are required to complete "sea terms," spending weeks training aboard a ship. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/massachusetts-maritime-academy/). ### Princeton University ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Princeton-University.jpg) - **Location:** Princeton University - **Estimated price with average grant:** $22,400 - **Graduation rate:** 98% - **Early career earnings:** $110,400 Princeton University has the highest graduation rate of any college in Money's 2023-2024 ratings. It also has one of the most generous financial aid policies: About 60% of students qualify, with those from families earning less than $100,000 typically getting a full-ride scholarship. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/princeton-university/). ### University of Pennsylvania ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-University-Pennsylvania.jpg) - **Location:** Philadelphia - **Estimated price with average grant:** $15,600 - **Graduation rate:** 96% - **Early career earnings:** $112,800 Among the elite departments within Penn are business and economics, which are notoriously demanding. It seems to pay off: median earnings for recent graduates of this Ivy League school are among the highest of all the colleges in Money's ratings and the university lands in the top 1% of all four-year colleges in a return on investment [analysis](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/whats-the-value-of-college/) from the Bipartisan Policy Center. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-pennsylvania/). ### Williams College ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Williams-College.jpg) - **Location:** Williamstown, Massachusetts - **Estimated price with average grant:** $15,500 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $74,500 One of Williams College's standout traits is an innovative tutorial system; modeled after one at Oxford University, it pairs two students, who critique each other's papers and meet weekly with their professor. More than half of students participate in a tutorial while at Williams, and the college [calls it](https://www.williams.edu/academics/tutorials/) a "remarkable academic experience." [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/williams-college/). ### Yale University ![](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-NorthEast-Yale-University.jpg) - **Location:** New Haven, Connecticut - **Estimated price with average grant:** $22,100 - **Graduation rate:** 97$ - **Early career earnings:** $96,000 With a traditional liberal arts education, Yale promises its undergraduates will learn "deeply and broadly." The university doesn't require students to take any specific courses, but they must take classes in a wide variety of subjects and demonstrate strong skills in writing, quantitative reasoning and a foreign language. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/yale-university/). *Notes: Prices for public universities reflect in-state tuition charges. Graduation rates measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.* ## Get ahead of the 2026-2027 school year and apply for your Student Loan today. ### Lenders like College Ave can put a world of possibility within your reach. Get the financial aid you need to cover tuition and materials. Click below to find out how. 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