Best colleges for 32 top majors

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 9%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #6
Net price: $22,944
SAT range: 1380-1570

The Wharton Accounting Department at the University of Pennsylvania offers a Master's and Ph.D. program for those ready to go all the way. 97% of the faculty is employed full-time (in case you ever have real-life questions). Their research department (which includes Christina Zhu, who has written many studies on the effects of big data on our decisions) conducts studies on taxes, economics, and so much more.

Runners up:

#2 college for accounting: Georgetown University (Location: Washington, DC; Acceptance rate: 17%; Overall Niche rank: #22)
#3 college for accounting: University of Notre Dame (Location: Notre Dame, IN; Acceptance rate: 19%; Overall Niche rank: #13)

Location: Ithaca, NY
Acceptance rate: 14.%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #21
Net price: $30,014
SAT range: 1330-1530

Cornell's Agricultural Sciences program prides itself on “purpose-driven science,” and you can put your lessons into practice at one of its several on-campus research farms. This specialized school includes the famous mycologist Vera Charles, as well as Nobel Laureate Barbara McClintock.

Runners up:

#2 college for agricultural sciences: University of Florida (Location: Gainesville, FL; Acceptance rate: 46%; Overall Niche rank: #62)
#3 college for agricultural sciences: University of Georgia (Location: Athens, GA; Acceptance rate: 54%; Overall Niche rank: #67)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Harvard's anthropology department is far from being stuck in the dark ages, offering classes on modern topics like Anthropology of Urbanism, and Language and Politics. Professor Ieva Jusionyte was recently profiled in The Atlantic for her work with immigrants crossing the southern American border. Professor Davíd Carrasco was also recently featured in the PBS “Native America” series.

Runners up:

#2 college for anthropology: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)
#3 college for anthropology: Columbia University (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 7%; Overall Niche rank: #7)

Location: Saint Louis, MO
Acceptance rate: 17%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #11
Net price: $28,824
SAT range: 1400-1570

Looking to learn architecture in a small program? The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University takes less than 400 students per year and works them hard. The curriculum is unusually multi-faceted, allowing students the opportunity to learn about environmental art and urban design. Alumni include Cheree Berry, an invitation designer frequently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings.

Runners up:

#2 college for architecture: Rice University (Location: Houston, TX; Acceptance rate: 15%; Overall Niche rank: #12)
#3 college for architecture: Cornell University (Location: Ithaca, NY; Acceptance rate: 14.%; Overall Niche rank: #21)

Location: Providence, RI
Acceptance rate: 34%
Overall Niche grade: A
Overall Niche rank: #160
Net price: $39,389
SAT range: 1080-1340 

The Rhode Island School of Design take student support above and beyond, building an Etsy-style marketplace that showcases work made only by RISD alumni. The school claims 10 MacArthur Genius Grant-winners as alumni, nearly all of whom are artists.

Runners up:

#2 college for art: Harvard University (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #3)
#3 college for art: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 15%; Overall Niche rank: #77)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Attention science buffs: Harvard offers separate tracks in molecular and cellular, systems, organismic and evolutionary, chemical, human evolutionary, integrative, and human developmental and regenerative biology. There have been plenty of successful alumni in each branch, but the renowned mentoring workshops are open to all biology students.

Runners up:

#2 college for biology: Stanford University (Location: Stanford, CA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #2)
#3 college for biology: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 9%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #6
Net price: $22,944
SAT range: 1380-1570

Chances are you've heard of The Wharton School of Business. Professors Maisy Wong and Nancy Rothbard are two Wharton faculty members frequently called upon by news outlets to discuss management, real estate, and other specialized business topics.

Runners up:

#2 college for business: University of Southern California (Location: Los Angeles, CA; Acceptance rate: 17%; Overall Niche rank: #20)
#3 college for business: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Location: Ann Arbor, MI; Acceptance rate: 29.%; Overall Niche rank: #23)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Harvard's chemistry program offers three separate focuses as well as the option to earn a double degree. The program boasts Dr. Kang-Kuen Ni (the professor who produced ground-breaking work on ultra-cold molecules) and revolutionary chemist George M. Whitesides.

Runners up:

#2 college for chemistry: California Institute of Technology (Location: Pasadena, CA; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #10)
#3 college for chemistry: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #1)

Location: Evanston, IL
Acceptance rate: 11%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #14
Net price: $29,326
SAT range: 1400-1560

Northwestern's School of Communication is multifaceted, and offers many choices in major. Students can study strategic and organizational communications, or delve into how children communicate. If alumni David Schwimmer and Kristen Schaal are any indication, this school cultivates people who have something to say.

Runners up:

#2 college for communications: University of Southern California (Location: Los Angeles, CA; Acceptance rate: 17%; Overall Niche rank: #20)
#3 college for communications: University of Pennsylvania (Location: Philadelphia, PA; Acceptance rate: 9%; Overall Niche rank: #6)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 8%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #1
Net price: $21,576
SAT range: 1460-1590

Boasting an average starting salary of $100,000 for graduates, MIT's computer science program is designed to provide a particular kind of challenge to promising students. Degree paths are flexible, and can be molded to fit a student's aspirations. Alumni include the former CEO of Integrated Device Technology, and a National Science Foundation-award winner.

Runners up:

#2 college for computer-science: Stanford University (Location: Stanford, CA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #2)
#3 college for computer-science: Carnegie Mellon University (Location: Pittsburgh, PA; Acceptance rate: 22%; Overall Niche rank: #33)

Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 34%
Overall Niche grade: B+
Overall Niche rank: #323
Net price: $8,530
SAT range: 890-1070

CUNY John Jay takes the concept of justice education and expands the definition. Students can take courses like Environmental Racism, and the Ethnography of Youth and Justice. New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill is a proud alumnus (as well as actress Pauley Perrette, TV's most famous fictional forensic scientist). John Jay takes care to ensure a strong liberal arts education as well as a specialization in the justice system.

Runners up:

#2 college for criminal-justice: Liberty University (Location: Lynchburg, VA; Acceptance rate: 24%; Overall Niche rank: #226)
#3 college for criminal-justice: Northeastern University (Location: Boston, MA; Acceptance rate: 29.%; Overall Niche rank: #46)

Location: Houston, TX
Acceptance rate: 100%
Overall Niche grade: B+
Overall Niche rank: Not ranked
Net price: $21,951
SAT range: N/A

Lenotre stands apart from other culinary institutes by its sheer diversity of courses. In addition to culinary education, students learn restaurant management and pastry arts, and take sommelier courses. The school is run by a husband and wife chef team. The heart of the school is its strong student services team that celebrates alumni-run restaurants and connects students to financial aid.

Runners up:

#2 college for culinary-arts: The Culinary Institute of America (Location: Hyde Park, NY; Acceptance rate: 94%; Overall Niche rank: #837)
#3 college for culinary-arts: Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte (Location: Charlotte, NC; Acceptance rate: 82%; Overall Niche rank: Not ranked)

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Acceptance rate: 17%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #20
Net price: $32,932
SAT range: 1280-1500

The USC Roski School of Art and Design hosts students' lectures and shows, attracting alumni attendees from all over Southern California. The school embraces its offbeat image, and boasts notable alumni actor Timothy Olyphant as well as artist Paul McCarthy. 

Runners up:

#2 college for design: Rhode Island School of Design (Location: Providence, RI; Acceptance rate: 34%; Overall Niche rank: #160)
#3 college for design: Washington University in St. Louis (Location: Saint Louis, MO; Acceptance rate: 17%; Overall Niche rank: #11)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

The Harvard Economics program encourages students to work towards a well-rounded education by awarding credit for relevant classes outside the major. Faculty include a former chief economist, and a current economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Runners up:

#2 college for economics: Stanford University (Location: Stanford, CA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #2)
#3 college for economics: University of Chicago (Location: Chicago, IL; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #15)

Location: Nashville, TN
Acceptance rate: 11%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #18
Net price: $23,150
SAT range: 1420-1590

Through the main university and their Peabody College subsidiary, Vanderbilt provides renowned undergraduate programs in elementary and special education. This program has students working with kids starting in the first week of classes. The small faculty is comprised of experts who advise non-profits and publish papers on educational psychology.

Runners up:

#2 college for education: Brown University (Location: Providence, RI; Acceptance rate: 9%; Overall Niche rank: #9)
#3 college for education: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Location: Ann Arbor, MI; Acceptance rate: 29.%; Overall Niche rank: #23)

Location: Cambridge, M
Acceptance rate: 8%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #1
Net price: $21,576
SAT range: 1460-1590

Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers an engineering school with a flexible degree program where you can learn under Turing, MacArthur, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers award-winners. Alumni Katy Croff Bell and Tom Scholz offer a glimpse into just how wide and varied this program can be.

Runners up:

#2 college for engineering: Stanford University (Location: Stanford, CA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #2)
#3 college for engineering: California Institute of Technology (Location: Pasadena, CA; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #10)

Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 7%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #7
Net price: $22,973
SAT range: 1410-1590

If there was ever an undergrad English program for the curious, it's Columbia's English and Comparative Literature program. Take courses on Aldous Huxley and Shakespeare from National Humanities Award-winners and Guggenheim fellows. Most classes are open to any level, permitting students to study whatever interests them.

Runners up:

#2 college for English: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)
#3 college for English: Brown University (Location: Providence, RI; Acceptance rate: 9%; Overall Niche rank: #9)

Location: Stanford, CA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #2
Net price: $16,695
SAT range: 1380-1580

At Stanford Earth, data science and field work come center stage when it comes to environmental conservation. Students work alongside top industrial leaders, and have the option to work in industrial affiliate programs next to the action. The alumni for this program usually pursue careers in environmental science—but one of them may be heading off to Mars.

Runners up:

#2 college for environmental-science: Duke University (Location: Durham, NC; Acceptance rate: 11%; Overall Niche rank: #8)
#3 college for environmental-science: Harvard University (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #3)

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Acceptance rate: 17%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #20
Net price: $32,932
SAT range: 1280-1500

Only the USC Cinematic Arts program can claim Judd Apatow, Amy Nicholson, and John Carpenter as alumni. This comprehensive program features classes based on film production, writing, and even video game design. Students will study under the screenwriter of "Shrek," as well as one of the top horror podcast hosts.

Runners up:

#2 college for film: New York University (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 32%; Overall Niche rank: #57)
#3 college for film: University of Pennsylvania (Location: Philadelphia, PA; Acceptance rate: 9%; Overall Niche rank: #6)

Location: New Haven, CT
Acceptance rate: 6%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #4
Net price: $18,319
SAT range: 1420-1600

Boasting an extensive library of maps, microforms, and everything in between, Yale's history department takes a humanistic approach to higher education. Students study under field leaders like Eastern European history Dr. Timothy Snyder.

Runners up:

#2 college for history: Harvard University (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #3)
#3 college for history: Columbia University (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 7%; Overall Niche rank: #7)

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Acceptance rate: 22%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #33
Net price: $35,250
SAT range: 1380-1550

The IT program at Carnegie Mellon is where real-life meets education. Students complete two projects each semester, developing information systems for real companies once they start their careers. Many of the faculty have also taught at the school's sister degree program in Qatar.

Runners up:

#2 college for information technology: Brigham Young University (Location: Provo, UT; Acceptance rate: 51%; Overall Niche rank: #69)
#3 college for information technology: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Location: Troy, NY; Acceptance rate: 44%; Overall Niche rank: #79)

Location: Washington, DC
Acceptance rate: 17%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #22
Net price: $26,625
SAT range: 1320-1520

Have a special interest in refugee issues, or how technology affects international affairs? Georgetown University offers international relations degrees taught by experts like global political analyst Dr. Kathleen R. McNamara, and former White House advisor on North Korea Dr. Victor Cha.

Runners up:

#2 college for international-relations: Stanford University (Location: Stanford, CA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #2)
#3 college for international-relations: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)

Location: Houston, TX
Acceptance rate: 15%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #12
Net price: $22,061
SAT range: 1410-1570

Rice University's sports medicine department strongly encourages independent study, which is perfect for those looking to lead the way in physical therapy. Rice offers many opportunities to study abroad, and boasts an in-university EMT class team (run by acclaimed EMT instructor Lisa Basgall).

Runners up:

#2 college for physical-therapy: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Location: Ann Arbor, MI; Acceptance rate: 29.%; Overall Niche rank: #23)
#3 college for physical-therapy: Wake Forest University (Location: Winston-Salem, NC; Acceptance rate: 30%; Overall Niche rank: #45)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Harvard's math department offers a staggering 64 pages of course offerings, with students able to specialize in their exact mathematical interests. The program also offers a one-year master's program for those continuing their studies. It's the home of MacArthur fellow David Mumford.

Runners up:

#2 college for math: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #1)
#3 college for math: University of Chicago (Location: Chicago, IL; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #15)

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 4%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: Not ranked
Net price: $11,345
SAT range: N/A

The Curtis Institute of Music focuses on music from vocal and pipe organ to orchestral conducting. Students can participate in the Summerfest seminar, and follow in the footsteps of legendary alumni Leonard Bernstein and George Walker. The performances, to the great advantage of students, alumni and parents alike, practically never stop.

Runners up:

#2 college for music: Berklee College of Music (Location: Boston, MA; Acceptance rate: 34%; Overall Niche rank: #386)
#3 college for music: The Juilliard School (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: Not ranked)

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 9%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #6
Net price: $22,944
SAT range: 1380-1570

The University of Pennsylvania's nursing program boasts high-tech simulation and close-to-the-action clinical practice as part of its educational program. Nurse's rights' advocate Dr. Linda Aiken and urban health development specialist Dr. Bridgette M. Brawner number among the forward-looking faculty.

Runners up:

#2 college for nursing: Emory University (Location: Atlanta, GA; Acceptance rate: 25%; Overall Niche rank: #27)
#3 college for nursing: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Location: Ann Arbor, MI; Acceptance rate: 29.%; Overall Niche rank: #23)

Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 6%
Overall Niche grade: A
Overall Niche rank: Not ranked
Net price: $29,175
SAT range: N/A

Ever heard of Robin Williams or Val Kilmer? Both are just two in a long list of greats from the Juilliard theater program. Students act in theatrical productions and learn from expert instructors like Macy Sullivan and Richard Feldman.

Runners up:

#2 college for theater: Columbia University (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 7%; Overall Niche rank: #7)
#3 college for theater: Northwestern University (Location: Evanston, IL; Acceptance rate: 11%; Overall Niche rank: #14)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Ready for Modal Logic, Ancient Ethics and Modern Morality, and Happiness? These classes, offered at Harvard's philosophy department, may be just what you've been searching for. Interested students can join the department's intriguing Black Hole Initiative. No wonder "The Big Bang Theory" writer Eric Kaplan and Vox founder Matthew Yglesias are alumni.

Runners up:

#2 college for philosophy: Columbia University (Location: New York, NY; Acceptance rate: 7%; Overall Niche rank: #7)
#3 college for philosophy: University of Pennsylvania (Location: Philadelphia, PA; Acceptance rate: 9%; Overall Niche rank: #6)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 8%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #1
Net price: $21,576
SAT range: 1460-1590

Famous for science-based pranks, MIT boasts a physics department filled with research labs for discovering how the world works. Students can take courses like “Relativity,” and alumni include Silicon Valley's oldest startup founder, in addition to eight Nobel Laureates.

Runners up:

#2 college for physics: California Institute of Technology (Location: Pasadena, CA; Acceptance rate: 8%; Overall Niche rank: #10)
#3 college for physics: Harvard University (Location: Cambridge, MA; Acceptance rate: 5%; Overall Niche rank: #3)

Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #3
Net price: $16,205
SAT range: 1430-1600

Harvard's Department of Government boasts faculty like Stephen Ansolabehere (author of "The End of Inequality" and "Going Negative") and Danielle Allen (author of "The World of Prometheus: The Politics of Punishing in Democratic Athens"). The school has produced a number of renowned writers and journalists, like Nafees Syed and Nicholas Kristof.

Runners up:

#2 college for political-science: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)
#3 college for political-science: Georgetown University (Location: Washington, DC; Acceptance rate: 17%; Overall Niche rank: #22)

Location: Stanford, CA
Acceptance rate: 5%
Overall Niche grade: A+
Overall Niche rank: #2
Net price: $16,695
SAT range: 1380-1580

Known for its ongoing studies, Stanford's psychology department is always abuzz with seminars featuring famous doctors. Faculty includes Dr. Alia Crum, noted for her TED talks. 

Runners up:

#2 college for psychology: Yale University (Location: New Haven, CT; Acceptance rate: 6%; Overall Niche rank: #4)
#3 college for psychology: Vanderbilt University (Location: Nashville, TN; Acceptance rate: 11%; Overall Niche rank: #18)

Location: Lynchburg, VA
Acceptance rate: 24%
Overall Niche grade: A-
Overall Niche rank: #226
Net price: $24,794
SAT range: 950-1190

Liberty University's religious studies program is built for the modern student, offering courses from Biblical Languages to Evangelism and Christian Life. The faculty is small, consisting of 11 professors, 10 of whom have doctorates. The university's blog on the role of faith in the world is always updated with fresh conversations. 

Runners up:

#2 college for religious-studies: Moody Bible Institute (Location: Chicago, IL; Acceptance rate: 62%; Overall Niche rank: Not ranked)
#3 college for religious-studies: University of Notre Dame (Location: Notre Dame, IN; Acceptance rate: 19%; Overall Niche rank: #13)