Top National Universities Ranking

View the Top National Universities Ranking and compare the schools with key academic characteristics such as tuition and test scores to get right decision.
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National Universities Statistics

A national university is a 4 years (or higher) school that offers very diverse area of study for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The size of schools is usually large and many student services and learning opportunities are given to their students.
There are 412 National Universities - 213 public and 199 private schools. The 2023 average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $33,828 and the average graduate tuition & fees is $25,855. The average SAT scores of enrolled students is 1,222 and the average acceptance rate is 70% for Top National Universities Ranking.
The next table shows the key academic facts for all National Universities. You may want to check more statistics and compare all National Universities at National Universities Statistics page.
2021-2022 National Universities Statistics
Top 20 National UniversitiesAll National Universities
Number of Schools20 schools
(2 public, 18 private)
412 schools
(213 public, 199 private)
Undergraduate Tuition & Fees$13,898 (in-state)
$59,761 (out-of-state)
$11,366 (in-state)
$33,828 (out-of-state)
Graduate Tuition & Fees$13,899 (in-state)
$53,028 (out-of-state)
$12,202 (in-state)
$25,855 (out-of-state)
Average Financial Aid$43,866$16,762
Test Scores1,516 SAT, 34 ACT 1,222 SAT, 26 ACT
Acceptance Rate7.09% 69.79%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)63.22% 25.98%
Population434,6017,369,736
Undergraduate209,2865,196,504
Graduate225,3152,173,232
Graduation Rate94.90%66.08%
Transfer-out Rate2.00%17.81%
Students to Faculty Ratio7.60 to 114.92 to 1

Top National Universities Comparison

The next table lists the top 20 National Universities for academic year 2021-2022. Stanford University ranked top in the Top National Universities Ranking and Harvard University and Princeton University follows it. The 2023 average tuition & fees is $59,761 for undergraduate programs $53,028 for graduate programs. The average SAT score of the top National Universities is 1,516 and the acceptance rate is 7.09%. The average students to faculty ratio is 7.60 to 1 for top National Universities. You can sort the schools by clicking column name that you want to sort.
2021-2022 Top National Universities Comparison
Rank*NameTuition & FeesAverage Financial AidPopulationAcceptance RateTest ScoresStudents to Faculty Ratio
1 Stanford University
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Private, 4-yearsStanford, CA
$58,416 $50,762 17,6804% 1,520 SAT
35 ACT
5 to 1
2 Harvard University
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Private, 4-yearsCambridge, MA
$57,261 $49,954 31,3454% 1,530 SAT
35 ACT
7 to 1
3 Princeton University
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Private, 4-yearsPrinceton, NJ
$57,410 $50,583 8,4784% 1,515 SAT
34 ACT
5 to 1
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Private, 4-yearsCambridge, MA
$57,986 $34,013 11,9344% - 3 to 1
5 Columbia University in the City of New York
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Private, 4-yearsNew York, NY
$66,139 $46,156 33,7764% 1,520 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
6 Yale University
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Private, 4-yearsNew Haven, CT
$62,250 $57,865 14,5675% 1,530 SAT
34 ACT
6 to 1
7 California Institute of Technology
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Private, 4-yearsPasadena, CA
$60,864 $43,064 2,3974% - 3 to 1
8 University of Chicago
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Private, 4-yearsChicago, IL
$64,260 $44,556 18,8326% 1,545 SAT
34 ACT
5 to 1
9 University of Pennsylvania
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Private, 4-yearsPhiladelphia, PA
$63,452 $43,362 28,0386% 1,525 SAT
34 ACT
6 to 1
10 Brown University
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Private, 4-yearsProvidence, RI
$65,146 $51,907 10,6966% 1,515 SAT
34 ACT
6 to 1
11 Northwestern University
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Private, 4-yearsEvanston, IL
$63,468 $47,897 23,4097% 1,520 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
12 Dartmouth College
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Private, 4-yearsHanover, NH
$62,658 $46,576 6,7616% 1,500 SAT
34 ACT
7 to 1
13 Duke University
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Private, 4-yearsDurham, NC
$62,688 $46,726 17,6206% 1,513 SAT
34 ACT
6 to 1
14 Cornell University
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Private, 4-yearsIthaca, NY
$63,200 $52,178 25,5829% 1,505 SAT
34 ACT
9 to 1
15 Rice University
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Private, 4-yearsHouston, TX
$54,960 $46,239 8,2859% 1,530 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
16 Vanderbilt University
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Private, 4-yearsNashville, TN
$60,348 $45,342 13,7967% 1,525 SAT
35 ACT
8 to 1
17 University of California-Los Angeles
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Public, 4-yearsLos Angeles, CA
$43,473
($13,401)
$19,994 46,11611% - 18 to 1
18 University of California-Berkeley
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Public, 4-yearsBerkeley, CA
$44,467
($14,395)
$21,056 45,03614% - 20 to 1
19 Georgetown University
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Private, 4-yearsWashington, DC
$62,052 $37,594 20,93512% 1,480 SAT
34 ACT
11 to 1
20 University of Southern California
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Private, 4-yearsLos Angeles, CA
$64,726 $41,493 49,31813% 1,475 SAT
34 ACT
9 to 1
Average$59,761
($13,898)
$43,866 434,6017.09% 1,516 SAT
34.3750 ACT
7.60 to 1
*Ranking data provided by CollegeEvaluator.
All data used in our site is from IPEDS (The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), U.S. Department of Education, academic year 2021-2022