Best Private Universities 2026
Top private nonprofit universities ranked by overall excellence
How this ranking is calculated
Applies the full College Index composite score exclusively to private nonprofit colleges and universities — the category home to most of the nation's most selective and research-intensive institutions.
Source measurement years vary and may precede the ranking edition. The update date records the published dataset, not when every outcome was measured.
See exact overall weights and a worked exampleWhat drives the score
- All factors from the College Index (academics, value, earnings, safety, etc.)
- School ownership code: private nonprofit
Data sources
- All sources used in the College Index composite
- Institutional ownership classification from federal education databases
Private for-profit institutions are excluded from this ranking. Only private nonprofit schools — where tuition revenue is reinvested into the institution — are included.
Top 100 private results
Sorted by College Index's private score. The displayed list index rescales the leading score to 100; equal rounded scores may have different sequential ranks.
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Duke University
Durham, NC
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
Rice University
Houston, TX
Yale University
New Haven, CT
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Brown University
Providence, RI
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
Northeastern University
Boston, MA
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
New York University
New York, NY
Babson College
Wellesley, MA
Boston University
Boston, MA
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
Barnard College
New York, NY
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
Davidson College
Davidson, NC
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
George Washington University
Washington, DC
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY
Colby College
Waterville, ME
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, VA
Scripps College
Claremont, CA
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Fordham University
Bronx, NY
Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Baylor University
Waco, TX
University of San Diego
San Diego, CA
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA
Bates College
Lewiston, ME
Chapman University
Orange, CA
Smith College
Northampton, MA
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Trinity College
Hartford, CT
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
American University
Washington, DC
Union College
Schenectady, NY
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT
University of Denver
Denver, CO
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, FL
Providence College
Providence, RI
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Prescott, AZ
University of Portland
Portland, OR