University of Pennsylvania

Although it's known for typically having one of the largest freshman classes in the Ivy League (about 2,400 students), the University of Pennsylvania is still wildly tough to get into. Its acceptance rate for the class of 2025 was a record low: less than 6%. Once admitted, students clearly thrive: About 96% of freshmen graduate, giving Penn one of the highest graduation rates in Money's rankings. Among the most elite departments within Penn are business and economics, which are notoriously demanding. Students in introductory economics hold a midnight "Econ scream" just before midterms where they gather and scream in advance of the test. It may all be worth it, however, given how highly employers value degrees from the university. The median earnings for students who attended Penn hit $103,000 within ten years – higher than other schools of similar caliber. For fun, Penn hosts Spring Fling the last week of classes, touted as the largest college party on the East Coast. Past headliners have included Kesha, Ludacris, and OK Go. Another fun tradition is a bit more unusual: During every home football game, students toss thousands of pieces of toast onto the field as a toast to the school.