Known as a "public Ivy," the University of Virginia offers in-state students a top-notch education at a reasonable price. The icing on the cake? UVA is the only U.S. college where students hang out and study inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to a gorgeous campus designed by university founder Thomas Jefferson.
Students seem to thrive: UVA has the highest graduation rate of any public university in the country, at 94%. It offers undergraduate programs in subjects like astronomy, environmental thought and practice, medieval studies and architecture, and UVA alumni enjoy higher median salaries than alumni from other colleges with similar majors. The school's roughly 17,000-person student body isn’t particularly economically diverse — only about 14% of undergrads come from low-income families.
The Cavaliers field 25 Division I varsity sports teams, and many are strong: As of this writing, UVA teams have won 34 NCAA national championships. Greek life also plays a major role in the social scene — about 35% of undergraduates take part in a sorority or fraternity — as do a handful of secret societies.
