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 - 214 public and 198 private schools. The 2023 average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $34,881 and the average graduate tuition & fees is $26,527. The average SAT scores of enrolled students is 1,233 and the average acceptance rate is 68% 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.
2022-2023 National Universities Statistics
Top 20 National UniversitiesAll National Universities
Number of Schools20 schools
(2 public, 18 private)
412 schools
(214 public, 198 private)
Undergraduate Tuition & Fees$14,299 (in-state)
$62,440 (out-of-state)
$11,696 (in-state)
$34,881 (out-of-state)
Graduate Tuition & Fees$14,572 (in-state)
$54,890 (out-of-state)
$12,540 (in-state)
$26,527 (out-of-state)
Average Financial Aid$48,280$17,831
Test Scores1,538 SAT, 35 ACT 1,233 SAT, 26 ACT
Acceptance Rate6.58% 68.49%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)62.26% 25.46%
Population437,1767,303,512
Undergraduate211,6635,160,503
Graduate225,5132,143,009
Graduation Rate94.65%66.08%
Transfer-out Rate3.00%19.39%
Students to Faculty Ratio7.60 to 114.81 to 1

Top National Universities Comparison

The next table lists the top 20 National Universities for academic year 2022-2023. Stanford University ranked top in the Top National Universities Ranking and Harvard University and Princeton University follows it. The 2023 average tuition & fees is $62,440 for undergraduate programs $54,890 for graduate programs. The average SAT score of the top National Universities is 1,538 and the acceptance rate is 6.58%. 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.
2022-2023 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
$62,484 $56,737 18,2834% 1,550 SAT
35 ACT
5 to 1
2 Harvard University
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Private, 4-yearsCambridge, MA
$59,076 $55,433 30,6313% 1,550 SAT
35 ACT
7 to 1
3 Princeton University
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Private, 4-yearsPrinceton, NJ
$59,710 $62,079 8,8426% 1,540 SAT
35 ACT
5 to 1
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Private, 4-yearsCambridge, MA
$60,156 $44,422 11,8584% 1,560 SAT
35 ACT
3 to 1
5 Columbia University in the City of New York
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Private, 4-yearsNew York, NY
$69,045 $49,638 34,7824% 1,530 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
6 Yale University
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Private, 4-yearsNew Haven, CT
$64,700 $60,487 14,7765% 1,540 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
7 California Institute of Technology
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Private, 4-yearsPasadena, CA
$63,255 $47,135 2,4013% - 3 to 1
8 University of Chicago
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Private, 4-yearsChicago, IL
$66,939 $43,934 18,3395% 1,540 SAT
34 ACT
5 to 1
9 University of Pennsylvania
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Private, 4-yearsPhiladelphia, PA
$66,104 $47,776 28,2017% 1,540 SAT
35 ACT
8 to 1
10 Brown University
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Private, 4-yearsProvidence, RI
$68,230 $52,652 11,1895% 1,540 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
11 Northwestern University
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Private, 4-yearsEvanston, IL
$65,997 $53,533 23,1617% 1,530 SAT
34 ACT
6 to 1
12 Dartmouth College
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Private, 4-yearsHanover, NH
$65,739 $55,998 6,7446% 1,550 SAT
34 ACT
7 to 1
13 Duke University
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Private, 4-yearsDurham, NC
$65,805 $50,142 18,0236% 1,550 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
14 Cornell University
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Private, 4-yearsIthaca, NY
$66,014 $54,352 25,8987% 1,530 SAT
34 ACT
9 to 1
15 Rice University
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Private, 4-yearsHouston, TX
$58,128 $48,958 8,6729% 1,540 SAT
35 ACT
6 to 1
16 Vanderbilt University
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Private, 4-yearsNashville, TN
$63,946 $49,056 13,7107% 1,530 SAT
35 ACT
7 to 1
17 University of California-Los Angeles
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Public, 4-yearsLos Angeles, CA
$44,524
($13,747)
$21,322 46,4309% - 18 to 1
18 University of California-Berkeley
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Public, 4-yearsBerkeley, CA
$45,627
($14,850)
$22,200 45,30711% - 19 to 1
19 Georgetown University
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Private, 4-yearsWashington, DC
$65,081 $46,179 20,98412% 1,500 SAT
34 ACT
11 to 1
20 University of Southern California
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Private, 4-yearsLos Angeles, CA
$68,237 $43,570 48,94512% 1,520 SAT
34 ACT
9 to 1
Average$62,440
($14,299)
$48,280 437,1766.58% 1,538 SAT
34.6471 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 2022-2023