New York University

New York University's primary campus is in Greenwich Village, a coveted Manhattan neighborhood where students can walk a few minutes to grab delicious falafels or crepes, glance at Washington Square Park from their classroom windows, or see which stars are dropping by the Comedy Cellar. NYU's approximately 54,000 students – about 30,000 undergrads,18,000 graduate students and 6,000 students taking individual courses – can choose from a variety of schools and colleges, with the College of Arts and Sciences being the largest (and oldest). You may be most familiar with NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where students study drama, film and music. The school’s list of notable alumni is dotted with household names, including Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese, and more recently, actress Gina Rodriguez and singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. The university’s other schools, which focus on business, public service, social work and more, may not boast as many A-listers, but they still draw students from all over the world. The university has over 300 student organizations, among them the Cheese Club and – no surprise here – multiple comedy groups offering fans of improv, stand-up and sketch comedy plenty of options. The school has residence halls all over Manhattan, though many students live on their own in off-campus apartments.