Buzz
When picking a college, there are multiple factors to weigh—programs, location, acceptance rates, and tuition, just to name a few.
Niche, an online platform, simplifies your decision-making by gathering all the essential data and providing college rankings. Prospective students can filter schools based on various aspects such as four-year vs. two-year, public vs. private, program areas, majors, cost of tuition, student population, test score requirements, average post-graduation salary, and more. You can even focus on schools that offer early decision or don’t charge an application fee.
You can also browse colleges by state, which is a fun way to discover which schools are leading in your area or where you'd like to study. Niche uses an in-depth method to determine rankings, relying on weighted scores across nine categories: academics, value, professors, campus, diversity, student life, student surveys on overall satisfaction, location, and safety. Professors are given more weight than, say, the quality of food, though it's nice that even campus dining is considered. Niche also factors in over half a million student surveys, making the rankings more than just statistical data.
The top universities overall are also the leading institutions in their respective states. In Connecticut, that honor goes to Yale University, while Stanford University takes the top spot in California. Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks third nationally, surpassing Harvard University, which comes in fourth overall. Ivy League schools perform admirably in Niche's rankings. But if you prefer to view only public institutions, that option is also available.
Discover which college claims the top position in each state below, and explore more of Niche's features here.
