Best Colleges in the Northeast

The northeast has more ranked colleges than any other region, with more than 230 top colleges. Here are the best in the region.

Published on May 16, 2022. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

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College Name	Overall Score	Acceptance rate	Est. full price 2022-23	Est. price with average grant	% of students who get any grants	Graduation rate	Early career earnings
Rank College Name Overall Score
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 100.00	100	7%	$74,500	$21,100	64%	94%	$111,220
2 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 98.46	98.46	6%	$69,900	$19,700	61%	96%	$95,690
3 Yale University New Haven, CT 90.03	90.03	6%	$81,600	$18,500	56%	97%	$88,660
4 Williams College Williamstown, MA 89.71	89.71	13%	$68,400	$23,600	57%	95%	$71,610
5 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 88.97	88.97	5%	$78,000	$19,000	42%	98%	$84,920
6 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA 86.07	86.07	91%	$31,600	$18,600	43%	73%	$91,670
7 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 85.99	85.99	8%	$83,400	$25,500	51%	95%	$103,250
8 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 84.50	84.50	8%	$82,400	$25,900	52%	95%	$91,630
9 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 84.13	84.13	11%	$81,200	$29,100	47%	94%	$91,180
10 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 82.65	82.65	9%	$73,900	$27,100	52%	95%	$66,860
11 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 82.42	82.42	5%	$79,800	$23,400	59%	94%	$89,870
12 Babson College Wellesley, MA 82.04	82.04	26%	$77,000	$33,300	43%	91%	$106,600
13 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 81.81	81.81	73%	$39,700	$19,400	69%	65%	$80,040
14 Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME 81.45	81.45	45%	$29,500	$19,800	67%	73%	$72,840
15 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA 81.10	81.10	32%	$74,100	$30,700	52%	88%	$95,030
16 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA 80.54	80.54	22%	$80,500	$22,800	60%	93%	$66,530
17 Bentley University Waltham, MA 80.40	80.40	47%	$76,100	$45,200	75%	89%	$107,970
18 Brown University Providence, RI 80.29	80.29	7%	$82,700	$29,200	46%	95%	$78,940
19 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA 80.24	80.24	9%	$75,800	$21,500	60%	94%	$72,640
20 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 78.61	78.61	11%	$69,600	$26,700	55%	93%	$83,290
21 Hamilton College Clinton, NY 78.35	78.35	16%	$76,800	$25,300	56%	93%	$74,340
22 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 78.07	78.07	34%	$74,300	$33,900	64%	92%	$84,650
23 Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 77.73	77.73	40%	$76,500	$42,600	95%	87%	$98,160
24 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 77.64	77.64	27%	$80,800	$31,900	48%	92%	$93,020
25 Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY 77.61	77.61	15%	$70,200	$26,400	98%	88%	$64,160
26 Bates College Lewiston, ME 77.58	77.58	12%	$77,800	$27,900	44%	89%	$64,710
27 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ 77.44	77.44	49%	$36,500	$26,000	43%	86%	$65,480
28 Lafayette College Easton, PA 76.92	76.92	31%	$76,100	$30,300	55%	87%	$84,940
29 CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College New York, NY 76.68	76.68	43%	$34,700	$4,100	71%	66%	$67,140
30 Amherst College Amherst, MA 76.24	76.24	11%	$81,800	$19,900	60%	93%	$71,570
31 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 76.15	76.15	40%	$76,500	$39,400	80%	85%	$69,560
32 Trinity College Hartford, CT 76.00	76.00	33%	$79,000	$27,700	51%	85%	$68,320
33 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 75.98	75.98	16%	$80,900	$24,100	42%	89%	$68,100
34 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA 75.65	75.65	48%	$76,500	$36,800	96%	82%	$65,930
35 SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY 75.39	75.39	74%	$28,100	$19,500	55%	66%	$84,440
36 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 75.16	75.16	15%	$78,900	$39,100	51%	89%	$100,000
37 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 75.03	75.03	49%	$36,100	$23,500	65%	83%	$72,460
38 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 75.01	75.01	44%	$28,600	$18,600	51%	85%	$71,840
39 Towson University Towson, MD 74.77	74.77	76%	$29,500	$17,000	56%	73%	$57,870
40 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA 74.70	74.70	49%	$74,300	$48,400	94%	87%	$89,410
41 Colby College Waterville, ME 74.05	74.05	10%	$78,600	$19,600	48%	91%	$71,130
42 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA 73.71	73.71	66%	$63,500	$30,900	85%	62%	$67,810
43 Clarkson University Potsdam, NY 73.59	73.59	75%	$74,300	$32,000	96%	76%	$81,360
44 Binghamton University Vestal, NY 73.19	73.19	41%	$28,400	$20,100	57%	82%	$72,980
45 Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, PA 72.84	72.84	30%	$80,200	$29,600	63%	83%	$72,230
46 Simmons University Boston, MA 72.71	72.71	73%	$61,400	$30,600	95%	80%	$56,050
46 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 72.71	72.71	47%	$77,900	$42,900	87%	86%	$93,420
48 St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD 72.60	72.60	84%	$32,100	$21,400	85%	79%	$55,340
49 University of Delaware Newark, DE 72.48	72.48	71%	$31,800	$20,900	64%	79%	$67,300
50 Union College Schenectady, NY 71.95	71.95	43%	$78,100	$39,700	82%	87%	$71,060

Best Colleges in the Northeast

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Buzzards Bay, MA

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY

Babson College

Wellesley, MA

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ

Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA

Bentley University

Waltham, MA

Brown University

Providence, RI

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Hamilton College

Clinton, NY

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA

Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, NJ

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

New York, NY

Bates College

Lewiston, ME

The College of New Jersey

Ewing, NJ

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College

New York, NY

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA

Trinity College

Hartford, CT

Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, PA

SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD

Towson University

Towson, MD

Worcester Polytechnic Institute