A graduate from the California Institute of Technology.YouTube/Ricky ChavezWe recently ranked the 50 best colleges in America based on how well they prepare students for success, focusing on graduation rate and early-career earnings. Next, we wanted to find out which schools enroll the smartest students.
Jonathan Wai, a Duke University Talent Identification Program research scientist, created a ranking exclusively for Business Insider of the smartest US colleges and universities based on the schools' average standardized test scores.
While these tests are often criticized, research shows that both the SAT and ACT are good measures of general cognitive ability, since they rely on a person's ability to reason. Therefore, these scores give a reasonable snapshot of a school’s overall smarts.
Last year, information was taken directly from the US News & World Report. We updated that ranking by including all the schools that report average SAT and ACT scores to the government. ACT scores were converted to the SAT scale for the purposes of this analysis.
See more detail on methods and limitations here.
Once again, the Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology took the top spot on the list, and the University of Chicago, Harvard, Harvey Mudd College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology rounded out the top five schools.
Keep scrolling to see the 50 smartest colleges in America.
50. Colgate University — Average SAT: 1369
Colgate University/Facebook Location: Hamilton, New YorkStudent population: 2,872Tuition: $51,635Best known for: Sends its students to top graduate schools like, Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University, and Cornell University.
50. Brandeis University — Average SAT: 1369
Brandeis University/Facebook Location: Waltham, MassachusettsStudent population: 3,621
Tuition: $49,586Best known for: Strong program offerings in English, history, social policy, and health policy.
49. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Average SAT: 1372
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute/Facebook Location: Troy, New YorkStudent population:
5,864Tuition:
$49,520Best known for: Highly-ranked engineering program.
48. College of William and Mary — Average SAT: 1373
The College of William & Mary/Facebook Location:
Williamsburg, VirginiaStudent population:
6,301Tuition: In-state: $15,674; Out-of-state $36,158Best known for: The second oldest college in America, and the first to become a university.
47. Case Western Reserve University — Average SAT: 1375
Case Western Reserve University/Facebook Location:
Cleveland, OhioStudent population: 5,048Tuition:
$45,592Best known for: Science, engineering, and research.
46. Middlebury College — Average SAT: 1379
Middlebury College Admissions/Facebook Location:
Middlebury, VermontStudent population:
2,450Tuition: $49,648Best known for: F
ourth-best liberal arts college in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report
rankings.43. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — Average SAT: 1380
Location:
Ann Arbor, MichiganStudent population:
28,312Tuition and fees: In-state freshman:
$14,402; out-of-state freshman: $45,410Best known for: Has a number of strong programs including engineering, business, and law.
43. Boston College — Average SAT: 1380
Location:
Chestnut Hill, MassachusettsStudent population:
9,100Tuition: $50,480
Best known for: Jesuit Catholic research university.43. University of Southern California — Average SAT: 1380
Location:
Los Angeles, CaliforniaStudent population: 19,000Tuition:
$51,442Best known for:
School of Cinematic Arts, from which directors Judd Apatow and George Lucas graduated.42. University of California-Berkeley Average SAT score: 1382
Location:
Berkeley, CaliforniaStudent population:
27,496Tuition
and fees: In-state: $13,509; out-of-state: $40,191.Best known for: Also referred to as Cal, it's the most selective school in the University of California system.
41. Reed College — Average SAT: 1383
Location:
Portland, OregonStudent population:
1,410Tuition: $51,850Best known for: An alternative approach to learning. Students don't receive grades and a must take a mandatory humanities program.
40. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Average — SAT score: 1388
Location: New York, New YorkStudent population: 901Tuition: $42,000, though students receive a half-tuition scholarship currently worth $21,000 per yearBest known for: Used to be a tuition-free college, but that changed in 2014.
39. Wellesley College — Average SAT: 1390
Wellesley College/Facebook Location: Wellesley, MassachusettsStudent population: 2,344 studentsTuition: $48,510Best known for: Being an all-women's college and one of the Seven Sisters Colleges which includes: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe (now part of Harvard), Smith, Vassar.
38. Hamilton College — Average SAT: 1393
Location: Clinton, New YorkStudent population: 1,850 Tuition: $50,730
Best known for: A liberal arts college in upstate New York.37. Washington and Lee University — Average SAT: 1395
Washington and Lee University/Facebook Location: Lexington, VirginiaStudent population: 1,854Tuition: $47,280Best known for: Was named after George Washington, who provided a large endowment gift to the school.
36. Grinnell College — Average SAT: 1398
Location:
Grinnell, IowaStudent population: 1,705Tuition:
$48,322Best known for: Its social activism.
35. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — Average SAT: 1400
Location: Atlanta, GeorgiaStudent population:
15,142Tuition: In-state:
$10,106; Out-of-state: $30,904Best known for: Awards more engineering degrees to women than any other school in the US.
34. Vassar College — Average SAT: 1403
Location:
Poughkeepsie, New YorkStudent population:
2,450 Tuition:
$52,320Best known for: Previously an all-women's college, Vassar went co-ed in 1969. Notable alums include Meryl Streep and Anthony Bourdain.
33. Carleton College — Average SAT: 1408
Carleton College/Facebook Location:
Northfield, MinnesotaStudent population:
1,995Tuition:
$50,580Best known for:
10-week trimesters and the fast pace of instruction.32. Georgetown University — Average SAT: 1414
Location:
Washington, D.C.Student population:
7,562Tuition:
$49,968Best known for: Strong schools of business, law, and medicine. Notable alumni include President Bill Clinton and Bradley Cooper.
31. Claremont McKenna College — Average SAT: 1419
Claremont McKenna College/Facebook Location:
Claremont, CaliforniaStudent population:
1,328Tuition and fees:
$50,945Best known for: Being p
art of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College
, Pomona
, Harvey Mudd College
, Pitzer College
, Claremont Graduate University, and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.29. Webb Institute — Average SAT: 1420
Location:
Glen Cove, New YorkStudent population: 91Tuition: FreeBest known for:
All students double major in naval architecture and marine engineering which is tuition-free for their four-year education.29. Northeastern University — Average SAT: 1420
Northeastern University/Facebook Location:
Boston, MassachusettsStudent population:
13,697Tuition: $
46,720Best known for: Many students take five years to graduate, so they can complete what the school calls co-ops, periods of full-time employment related to academic study.
27. Haverford College — Average SAT: 1422
Haverford College/Facebook Location:
Haverford, PennsylvaniaStudent population:
1,233Tuition:
$50,564Best known for: Students can also take classes at
Bryn Mawr
, Swarthmore,
and the University of Pennsylvania
.27. Cornell University — Average SAT score: 1422
Cornell University/Facebook Location:
Ithaca, New YorkStudent population:
14,315Tuition and fees: Out-of-state:
$50,953; In-state: $34,209Best known for: Being a part of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
26. Tufts University — Average SAT: 1423
Tufts University/Facebook Location:
Medford, MassachusettsStudent population:
5,290Tuition:
$51,304Best known for: Being a tier one research university, according to the
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
25. Swarthmore College — Average SAT: 1433
Swarthmore College/Facebook Location:
Swarthmore, PennsylvaniaStudent population:
1,581Tuition:
$48,720Best known for: Being part of the Tri-College Consortium. S
tudents can take classes at Bryn Mawr College
and Haverford College.
24. Brown University — Average SAT: 1435
Location:
Providence, Rhode IslandStudent population:
6,652Tuition:
$50,224Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Brown offers flexibility and has no core program requirements for students.
23. Carnegie Mellon University — Average SAT: 1436
Carnegie Mellon University/Facebook Location:
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaStudent population:
6,454Tuition:
$51,196Best known for: Strong programming in science and technology.
21. Amherst College — Average SAT: 1439
Location:
Amherst, MassachusettsStudent population:
1,795Tuition:
$51,620Best known for: Rigorous academic coursework. Ranked as the second best liberal arts college in the nation by the US News & World Report.
21. Johns Hopkins University — Average SAT: 1439
Johns Hopkins University/Facebook Location:
Baltimore, MarylandStudent population:
6,524Tuition:
$50,410Best known for: Johns Hopkins Hospital, the best hospital in the nation.
20. Dartmouth College — Average SAT: 1444
Location:
Hanover, New HampshireStudent population:
4,307Tuition:
$49,998Best known for: A member of the Ivy League, notable alumni include
Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, and Timothy Geitner.19. University of Notre Dame — Average SAT: 1450
Notre Dame Admissions/Facebook Location:
Notre Dame, IndianaStudent population:
8,462Tuition and fees:
49,685Best known for: Being a highly ranked business and law schools. Notable alumni include
U. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Hall of Fame football player Joe Montana.17. University of Pennsylvania — Average SAT: 1452
University of Pennsylvania/Facebook Location:
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaStudent population:
9,726Tuition and fees: $51,464Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. UPenn was founded by Ben Franklin and is highly acclaimed for its Wharton school of Business.
17. Williams College — Average SAT: 1452
Williams College/Facebook Location:
Williamstown, MassachusettsStudent population:
2,099Tuition:
$51,490Best known for: Rigorous academics. Was ranked the best liberal arts college by the US News & World Report.
15. Duke University — Average SAT: 1454
Location:
Durham, North CarolinaStudent population:
6,639Tuition and fees:
$51,510Best known for: Its strong medical and business programs. Notable alumni include
US Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul.15. Pomona College — Average SAT: 1454
Facebook/Pomona College of Admissions Location:
Claremont, CaliforniaStudent population:
1,663Tuition: $49,005Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools
14. Rice University — Average SAT: 1460
Location:
Houston, TexasStudent population:
3,910Tuition:
$39,880Best known for: Its strong programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
13. Northwestern University — Average SAT: 1461
Northwestern University/Facebook Location:
Evanston, IllinoisStudent population:
8,314Tuition:
$50,424Best known for: Highly-ranked business and journalism programs. Notable alumni include retired US
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Steven and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.12. Stanford University — Average SAT: 1465
Linda A Cicero/Stanford University/Facebook Location:
Stanford, CaliforniaStudent population:
6,999Tuition: $45,729Best known for: Rigorous academics. It's consistently the most selective school in the US.
11. Columbia University — Average SAT: 1470
Columbia University in the City of New York/Facebook Location: New York, New YorkStudent population:
6,102Tuition and fees:
$55,056Best known for: A member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include President Barack Obama.
10. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering — Average SAT: 1475
AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye Location:
Needham, MassachusettsStudent population:
370Tuition: $46,800Best known for:
Students choose from only three available majors: engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering.9. Washington University in St Louis — Average SAT: 1478
Washington University in St. Louis/Facebook Location:
St. Louis, MissouriStudent population:
7,504Tuition:
$48,950Best known for: Being a tier one research university according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
8. Vanderbilt University — Average SAT: 1481
Facebook/Vanderbilt University Location:
Nashville, TennesseeStudent population:
6,883Tuition:
$44,496Best known for: Rigorous academics and the Peabody College of Education and the Blair School of Music.
7. Princeton University — Average SAT: 1491
Location:
Princeton, New JerseyStudent population:
5,402Tuition:
$45,320Best known for: Ranked number one best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include
President Woodrow Wilson and Michelle Obama.6. Yale University — Average SAT: 1493
Location: New Haven, ConnecticutStudent population:
5,532Tuition:
$49,480Best known for: Tied for third best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include President
George W. Bush and Secretary of State John Kerry.4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1500
Location:
Cambridge, MassachusettsStudent population:
4,527Tuition:
$46,400Best known for: Its science and technology research programs.
4. Harvey Mudd College — Average SAT score: 1500
Location:
Claremont, CaliforniaStudent population:
815Tuition:
$52,383Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.
3. Harvard University — Average SAT: 1501
Flickr / Elliot Margolies Location:
Cambridge, MassachusettsStudent population:
6,699Tuition:
$43,280Best known for: Ranked number two best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include Presidents
Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.2. University of Chicago — Average SAT: 1505
Location:
Chicago, IllinoisStudent population:
5,844Tuition:
$50,997Best known for: Tied for third best college by the US News & World Report. Notable alumni include
former US Attorney General John Ashcroft and economist Milton Friedman.1. California Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1545
Location:
Pasadena, CaliforniaStudent population:
1,001Tuition:
$45,846Best known for: One of the best schools for science and engineering.
