Even though the Ivy League is an athletics conference, the eight member schools are better known as academic and intellectual powerhouses that attract some of the best student talent in the world.
While all of these schools will rank high on any list of the best universities, we decided to look internally, and see which academic institution is the best in the Ivy League.
We examined the Ivies based on six overall qualities — each judged on several specific rankings — and then combined the six lists into a final overall ranking. The six qualities we used were Academics, Affordability, Campus, Job Prospects, Student Body, and Student Life. We've included how each school placed on these lists below.
One thing is for certain — Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are in a league of their own. Combined, the three schools only ranked in the bottom half of any of our categories once, and there was a massive difference in points between our top three spots and the rest of our final list.
Here are all eight Ivy League schools, from worst to best:
#8 Brown University — Providence, Rhode Island#4 Student Body#5 Student Life#6 Academics#6 Affordability (tie)#7 Job Prospects#8 Campus
Students at Brown are among the most attractive in the Ivy League and they love their university — they rate their professors highly and many give back to the school. However, Brown's small endowment and low ranked facilities earned the bottom spot on our Campus list, and the school also placed low on our ranking of Job Prospects.
#7 Dartmouth College — Hanover, New Hampshire#3 Affordability#4 Job Prospects#7 Academics (tie)#7 Campus#7 Student Body#7 Student Life
Although Hanover may not be many people's first choice to spend four years, Dartmouth has a stunning campus and a great social life — dominated by the school's Greek scene. The school is fairly homogeneous though and ranked towards the bottom of our Student Body list, getting low marks for diversity and international students, as well as Academics.
#6 Columbia University — New York, New York#1 Academics#5 Campus#6 Job Prospects#6 Student Body#8 Affordability#8 Student Life
Columbia took the top spot on Academics ranking, boosted by a high percentage of classes with less than 20 students and their well-regarded Core Curriculum program. However, while the school's New York City location makes it a great choice for students who want a traditional campus and all the benefits of a busy city, Columbia lacks a strong on-campus social scene and scored last on our Student Life list, as well as Affordability.
#5 Cornell University — Ithaca, New York#2 Campus#3 Student Life#5 Affordability#7 Academics (tie)#8 Job Prospects#8 Student Body
With a thriving Greek scene and one of the best college towns in the country, Cornellians have access to a great social life and one of the Ivy League's most "gorgeous" campuses — landing in the top three for both Campus and Student Life. Unfortunately, the school's high acceptance rate and large class sizes may prove to be a hurdle for students looking for employment after graduation, and the school placed low in Academics and last for Job Prospects.
#4 University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania#2 Student Life#5 Academics#5 Job Prospects#5 Student Body#6 Affordability (tie)#6 Campus
The highest ranked Ivy outside of the top three, Penn offers a great combination of strong academics and a top notch social life — both with their on-campus Greek life and across Philadelphia — grabbing the second spot on our Student Life list. Despite a low ranking for student's intelligence, Penn graduates tend to a get a high starting salary for the first jobs and many will end up multi-millionaires.
#3 Princeton University — Princeton, New Jersey#1 Student Body (tie)#2 Job Prospects#3 Academics#3 Campus#4 Affordability#6 Student Life
Princeton students prove their intelligence by choosing the school with the lowest billed tuition in the Ivy League and some of the highest salaries for graduates, putting it in the top half of both our Affordability and Job Prospects rankings. Princeton may not be the ideal college town, and dipped into the bottom half of our Student Life list, but based on high diversity and admissions standards, the university shared the number one spot on Student Life.
#2 Yale University — New Haven, Connecticut#1 Student Body (tie)#1 Student Life#2 Affordability#3 Job Prospects#4 Academics#4 Campus
Yale students are a triple threat — diverse, brainy, and attractive — and the school was at the top of our Student Body ranking, as well as Student Life. Yalies are some of the happiest in the Ivy League, and with top three spots on both Affordability and Job Prospects, they have every right to be.
#1 Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts#1 Affordability#1 Campus#1 Job Prospects#2 Academics#3 Student Body#3 Student Life
Harvard was the clear winner in our rankings, taking the top spot in half of our categories — Affordability, Campus, and Job Prospects — and never placing out of the top three. Boston is a great city to attend college, and Harvard's historic and picturesque campus makes it all the better. The university's reputation is stellar — armed with a Harvard degree students have little issue securing a great paying job after graduation, setting them up for the best return on investment of any Ivy.
Whether you're angling for a Nobel Prize, hope to make millions of dollars, or just looking for a great four years, Harvard is the best school in the Ivy League.
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