#100. Rhode Island School of Design
- Location: Providence, RI
- Students: 1,736
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $51,100

Heading off to college comes with a hefty price tag.
At public schools, 2025-26 tuition costs rose by 2.9% on average for in-state students and about 3.4% for their out-of-state counterparts compared to the year prior, according to data from CollegeBoard. These days, tuition and fees to attend a ranked public school will cost $11,950 for in-state students and about $31,880 for out-of-staters. However, it's not all bad news: CollegeBoard also found that the majority of first-time, full-time undergrads receive grant aid that drops their average annual tuition and fees to just $2,300 per year for in-state public students.
Private schools, as always, remain a different story. While public colleges and universities are at least partially subsidized by state government funding, private schools are funded by tuition dollars, endowments, grants, and donations. Per CollegeBoard, average tuition at these institutions has grown to $45,000 per year, a 4% increase from the year prior. As a result, the cost of attending private college remains a significant impediment for many families. After all, those high prices can still affect a student's finances even after graduation—according to the Education Data Initiative, the average private school student graduates with more than $44,100 in student loan debt as of August 2026, compared to public school students who carry nearly $29,694 in debt on average.
Both private and public schools play important roles in the postsecondary landscape, offering top-tier education and valuable opportunities outside the classroom. But some characteristics of private institutions—namely size, reputation, and flexibility—make them more appealing to prospective students. For one thing, these schools tend to be highly selective about their student bodies. Top private colleges like Yale, Columbia, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology each accepted less than 5% of applicants during the 2024-25 college application cycle, so merely being accepted to a private school can be an achievement in itself.
To find out which other private universities top the rest, Stacker compiled a list of the best private colleges in America, using data from Niche released in 2023. Niche ranks schools based on a variety of factors, including academic, admissions, financial, and student life.
Read on to see which schools made the cut!
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- Location: Providence, RI
- Students: 1,736
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $51,100
- Location: New York, NY
- Students: 2,553
- Acceptance rate: 67%
- Graduation rate: 77%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $58,500
- Location: Crawfordsville, IN
- Students: 868
- Acceptance rate: 63%
- Graduation rate: 75%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $56,300
- Location: Omaha, NE
- Students: 4,330
- Acceptance rate: 64%
- Graduation rate: 82%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $59,700
- Location: Dayton, OH
- Students: 8,285
- Acceptance rate: 81%
- Graduation rate: 81%
- Faculty ratio: 11:1
- Six-year median earnings: $55,100
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- Location: Hoboken, NJ
- Students: 4,025
- Acceptance rate: 53%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 12:1
- Six-year median earnings: $89,200
- Location: Washington, DC
- Students: 7,453
- Acceptance rate: 39%
- Graduation rate: 79%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $61,000
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Students: 5,294
- Acceptance rate: 59%
- Graduation rate: 80%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,000
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Students: 6,383
- Acceptance rate: 50%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $61,300
- Location: Granville, OH
- Students: 2,258
- Acceptance rate: 28%
- Graduation rate: 80%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,800
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- Location: Northfield, MN
- Students: 2,916
- Acceptance rate: 51%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Faculty ratio: 12:1
- Six-year median earnings: $50,400
- Location: Worcester, MA
- Students: 5,010
- Acceptance rate: 59%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 12:1
- Six-year median earnings: $84,900
- Location: South Hadley, MA
- Students: 2,200
- Acceptance rate: 52%
- Graduation rate: 84%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,600
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Students: 6,847
- Acceptance rate: 56%
- Graduation rate: 79%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $56,500
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Students: 1,938
- Acceptance rate: 41%
- Graduation rate: 84%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $50,600
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- Location: Wheaton, IL
- Students: 2,195
- Acceptance rate: 87%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,400
- Location: Schenectady, NY
- Students: 2,030
- Acceptance rate: 41%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,400
- Location: Hartford, CT
- Students: 2,167
- Acceptance rate: 36%
- Graduation rate: 82%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $66,100
- Location: Waltham, MA
- Students: 3,465
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $57,900
- Location: Tulsa, OK
- Students: 2,819
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Graduation rate: 73%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,500
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- Location: Bryn Mawr, PA
- Students: 1,421
- Acceptance rate: 38%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,600
- Location: Malibu, CA
- Students: 3,132
- Acceptance rate: 42%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,500
- Location: Troy, NY
- Students: 6,262
- Acceptance rate: 57%
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Faculty ratio: 14:1
- Six-year median earnings: $82,000
- Location: Terre Haute, IN
- Students: 2,058
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Faculty ratio: 11:1
- Six-year median earnings: $80,900
- Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
- Students: 2,510
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $49,700
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- Location: Portland, OR
- Students: 1,492
- Acceptance rate: 42%
- Graduation rate: 77%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $42,200
- Location: Santa Clara, CA
- Students: 5,478
- Acceptance rate: 51%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $72,600
- Location: Fort Worth, TX
- Students: 9,448
- Acceptance rate: 48%
- Graduation rate: 82%
- Faculty ratio: 11:1
- Six-year median earnings: $52,800
- Location: Claremont, CA
- Students: 1,095
- Acceptance rate: 35%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,100
- Location: Colorado Springs, CO
- Students: 2,190
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $45,400
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- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Students: 2,471
- Acceptance rate: 34%
- Graduation rate: 79%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,900
- Location: Provo, UT
- Students: 30,039
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Graduation rate: 75%
- Faculty ratio: 21:1
- Six-year median earnings: $59,700
- Location: Washington, DC
- Students: 10,141
- Acceptance rate: 43%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $69,600
- Location: Lewisburg, PA
- Students: 3,686
- Acceptance rate: 38%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $70,800
- Location: Easton, PA
- Students: 2,457
- Acceptance rate: 36%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $68,600
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Students: 802
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,700
- Location: Worcester, MA
- Students: 2,966
- Acceptance rate: 38%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $71,000
- Location: Gambier, OH
- Students: 1,610
- Acceptance rate: 37%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $48,700
- Location: Northampton, MA
- Students: 2,160
- Acceptance rate: 37%
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $46,200
- Location: Saint Paul, MN
- Students: 2,207
- Acceptance rate: 39%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 11:1
- Six-year median earnings: $47,600
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- Location: Dallas, TX
- Students: 6,616
- Acceptance rate: 53%
- Graduation rate: 81%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,700
- Location: University Of Richmond, VA
- Students: 3,028
- Acceptance rate: 31%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $64,500
- Location: New York, NY
- Students: 802
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 79%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $64,900
- Location: Northfield, MN
- Students: 1,918
- Acceptance rate: 21%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,200
- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
- Students: 2,409
- Acceptance rate: 25%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,600
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- Location: Grinnell, IA
- Students: 1,459
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $49,100
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Students: 6,100
- Acceptance rate: 35%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $61,200
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Students: 2,836
- Acceptance rate: 21%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $54,700
- Location: Villanova, PA
- Students: 6,793
- Acceptance rate: 31%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $77,900
- Location: Waterville, ME
- Students: 2,155
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $58,100
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- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Students: 5,286
- Acceptance rate: 30%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $74,600
- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Students: 5,374
- Acceptance rate: 50%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $81,900
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Students: 8,231
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $61,700
- Location: Clinton, NY
- Students: 2,043
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,200
- Location: Coral Gables, FL
- Students: 12,089
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,100
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- Location: Lewiston, ME
- Students: 1,876
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $59,200
- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Students: 2,457
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 12:1
- Six-year median earnings: $96,100
- Location: Hamilton, NY
- Students: 3,023
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $63,600
- Location: Haverford, PA
- Students: 1,419
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,700
- Location: New York, NY
- Students: 25,854
- Acceptance rate: 21%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $61,900
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- Location: Winston-salem, NC
- Students: 5,391
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $63,800
- Location: Boston, MA
- Students: 16,026
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,300
- Location: Boston, MA
- Students: 15,131
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $67,400
- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Students: 2,835
- Acceptance rate: 22%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $58,200
- Location: Williamstown, MA
- Students: 1,917
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $59,000
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- Location: Amherst, MA
- Students: 1,745
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,000
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Students: 9,532
- Acceptance rate: 26%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $72,500
- Location: Medford, MA
- Students: 5,938
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $75,800
- Location: Lexington, VA
- Students: 1,853
- Acceptance rate: 25%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $76,100
- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Students: 2,375
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $60,800
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- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Students: 6,814
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $66,000
- Location: Davidson, NC
- Students: 1,983
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $58,900
- Location: New York, NY
- Students: 2,651
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Faculty ratio: 10:1
- Six-year median earnings: $57,900
- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Students: 1,437
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $56,700
- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Students: 1,948
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 9:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,500
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Students: 1,240
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $72,900
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Students: 18,560
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $74,000
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Students: 15,735
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $77,200
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Students: 6,341
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $83,600
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Students: 5,766
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $73,200
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Students: 1,756
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $58,100
- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- Students: 8,833
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $78,400
- Location: Claremont, CA
- Students: 821
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 8:1
- Six-year median earnings: $88,800
- Location: Washington, DC
- Students: 6,610
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $93,500
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Students: 7,020
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $68,100
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- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- Students: 7,348
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $70,100
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Students: 8,095
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $69,000
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Students: 6,983
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $69,000
- Location: New York, NY
- Students: 7,509
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $83,300
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Students: 9,960
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $85,900
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- Location: Hanover, NH
- Students: 4,169
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 5:1
- Six-year median earnings: $75,500
- Location: Providence, RI
- Students: 6,605
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 7:1
- Six-year median earnings: $67,500
- Location: Durham, NC
- Students: 6,838
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $84,400
- Location: Pasadena, CA
- Students: 901
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $85,900
- Location: Houston, TX
- Students: 4,150
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Faculty ratio: 6:1
- Six-year median earnings: $65,400
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- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Students: 4,689
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Graduation rate: 98%
- Faculty ratio: 4:1
- Six-year median earnings: $74,700
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Students: 4,696
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $83,200
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Students: 5,699
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 98%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $89,700
- Location: Stanford, CA
- Students: 5,752
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Faculty ratio: 2:1
- Six-year median earnings: $94,000
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Students: 4,234
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Faculty ratio: 3:1
- Six-year median earnings: $104,700
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