The Best Big Colleges
These are the top ranked large, public and private, four-year colleges in the United States as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have undergraduate enrollment over 15,000. Leading the list for 2027 is Duke University. Learn how the Best Large Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Duke University
- Private 4 Year
- Durham, NC
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Jan 3 application deadline
Duke is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate public policy, biomedical engineering, and economics. The residential campus in Durham centers on Collegiate Gothic quads and a separate East Campus for first-year housing.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 6%
- Net Price $21,981
Stanford University
- Private 4 Year
- Stanford, CA
-
4.8 | 6 reviews
- Jan 2 application deadline
Stanford is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. The suburban campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $25,078
Harvard University
- Private 4 Year
- Cambridge, MA
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Harvard is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate economics, government, and the sciences. Most upperclass students live in residential houses that organize dining and social life.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $17,525
Yale University
- Private 4 Year
- New Haven, CT
-
4.5 | 4 reviews
- Jan 2 application deadline
Yale is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate programs in history, political science, and drama. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life.
- SAT Range 1470-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $22,408
University of Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
UChicago is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate economics and a rigorous Core Curriculum. The urban campus occupies Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $28,060
Johns Hopkins University
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 3 application deadline
Johns Hopkins is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate biomedical engineering, public health, and international studies. Most undergraduates study on the Homewood campus in north Baltimore.
- SAT Range 1520-1570
- Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 6%
- Net Price $26,017
Northwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Evanston, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Northwestern is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate journalism, communications, and theater. The Evanston campus runs along Lake Michigan just north of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1510-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 8%
- Net Price $26,830
Cornell University
- Private 4 Year
- Ithaca, NY
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 2 application deadline
Cornell is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate engineering, hotel administration, and agriculture and life sciences. The hillside campus overlooks Cayuga Lake in the college town of Ithaca.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $26,361
Washington University in St Louis
- Private 4 Year
- St. Louis, MO
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 4 application deadline
WashU is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate biology, business, and engineering. The Danforth campus adjoins Forest Park in suburban St. Louis.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 12%
- Net Price $22,408
Columbia University in the City of New York
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Columbia is an Ivy League university known for its undergraduate Core Curriculum, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Morningside Heights in Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $22,520
University of Pennsylvania
- Private 4 Year
- Philadelphia, PA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Penn is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The urban campus sits in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1510-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 5%
- Net Price $23,570
Emory University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Emory is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the biological sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1470-1550
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $27,303
Georgetown University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
4.6 | 5 reviews
Georgetown is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate international relations, government, and business. Students attend a Jesuit campus in a historic hillside neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1390-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 13%
- Net Price $39,083
Boston College
- Private 4 Year
- Chestnut Hill, MA
-
5.0 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Boston College is a highly selective private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in suburban Chestnut Hill just outside Boston.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 16%
- Net Price $32,519
University of Southern California
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
USC is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate film, communications, and business. The urban Los Angeles campus has a large Greek presence and longstanding ties to the entertainment industry.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 10%
- Net Price $43,412
New York University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
NYU is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, film, and the performing arts. The urban campus is centered in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.
- SAT Range 1480-1560
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $30,325
Carnegie Mellon University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Carnegie Mellon is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and drama. The urban campus sits in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 12%
- Net Price $35,552
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- Public 4 Year
- Ann Arbor, MI
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Michigan is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and the social sciences. Ann Arbor is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1360-1530
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 16%
- Net Price $17,574