Princeton University ranked No. 5 in Washington Monthly’s 2025 College Guide, the highest of the Ivy League schools.
WASHINGTON MONTHLY’S TOP 100
The usual powerhouses make the top 100 in Washington Monthly’s 2025 ranking of Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars. Generally, they rank highly in outcome metrics like graduation rate and median earnings, while ranking lower for service and access metrics.
As part of its rankings package, which appears in the magazine’s September/October issue, Washington Monthly also ranks master’s universities, liberal arts and bachelor’s colleges, America’s Best Colleges For Research, America’s Best Hispanic-Serving Colleges, and 25 Best-in-Class Colleges.
Washington Monthly’s top 100 colleges for 2025 are listed below.
Washington Monthly’s Top 100 |
|||||||||
Rank |
Name |
Net Price |
Median Earnings (9 yrs) |
Student Loan Debt |
8-yr Grad Rate |
Access Rank |
Affordability Rank |
Outcomes Rank |
Service Rank |
| 1 | Berea College (KY) | $3,395 | $36,974 | $4,041 | 68% | 25 | 2 | 233 | 84 |
| 2 | CA State University–Fresno (CA)* | $5,171 | $50,337 | $14,715 | 70% | 17 | 42 | 287 | 41 |
| 3 | CA State University–Northridge (CA)* | $6,645 | $49,449 | $14,124 | 70% | 2 | 50 | 220 | 362 |
| 4 | CA State University–Los Angeles (CA)* | $3,139 | $49,310 | $13,323 | 69% | 5 | 21 | 167 | 580 |
| 5 | Princeton University (NJ) | $4,838 | $92,563 | $10,507 | 98% | 443 | 13 | 3 | 379 |
| 6 | CA State University–Sacramento (CA)* | $7,665 | $54,997 | $15,107 | 70% | 18 | 69 | 194 | 224 |
| 7 | Univ. of TX–Rio Grande Valley (TX)* | $5,583 | $42,745 | $12,894 | 57% | 4 | 27 | 522 | 452 |
| 8 | Florida International University (FL)* | $6,784 | $51,935 | $17,139 | 69% | 7 | 92 | 145 | 572 |
| 9 | CA State University–Long Beach (CA)* | $6,598 | $54,096 | $14,724 | 83% | 8 | 57 | 387 | 380 |
| 10 | MA Institute of Technology (MA) | -$2,398 | $118,346 | $13,562 | 97% | 592 | 4 | 2 | 894 |
| 11 | CA State Univ.–San Bernardino (CA)* | $4,220 | $49,708 | $14,905 | 71% | 32 | 37 | 132 | 413 |
| 12 | California State Univ.–Fullerton (CA)* | $3,867 | $53,044 | $14,167 | 79% | 10 | 30 | 449 | 644 |
| 13 | Stanford University (CA) | -$813 | $106,969 | $11,917 | 97% | 460 | 3 | 5 | 679 |
| 14 | CA State Univ.–Dominguez Hills (CA)* | $3,332 | $47,982 | $13,942 | 68% | 39 | 24 | 117 | 720 |
| 15 | University of Pennsylvania (PA) | $4,072 | $94,712 | $16,909 | 97% | 450 | 63 | 28 | 29 |
| 16 | Duke University (NC) | $5,506 | $83,142 | $13,027 | 96% | 566 | 29 | 61 | 21 |
| 17 | University of Central Florida (FL)* | $7,510 | $49,606 | $18,525 | 73% | 11 | 129 | 644 | 327 |
| 18 | Williams College (MA) | $1,027 | $65,891 | $13,087 | 96% | 759 | 15 | 9 | 321 |
| 19 | Haverford College (PA) | $7,940 | $66,218 | $12,968 | 91% | 834 | 43 | 15 | 105 |
| 20 | Macalester College (MN) | $13,765 | $54,515 | $22,244 | 91% | 541 | 487 | 44 | 2 |
| 21 | Cornell University (NY) | $4,953 | $87,492 | $14,387 | 96% | 447 | 36 | 39 | 118 |
| 22 | Brigham Young University (UT) | $10,498 | $61,864 | $11,523 | 83% | 28 | 48 | 47 | 1258 |
| 23 | CA State University–Stanislaus (CA)* | $4,642 | $52,408 | $13,912 | 71% | 52 | 32 | 84 | 680 |
| 24 | Washington and Lee University (VA) | $2,948 | $73,321 | $19,833 | 94% | 1051 | 93 | 55 | 6 |
| 25 | New College of Florida (FL)* | $4,795 | $39,988 | $16,130 | 66% | 631 | 61 | 20 | 140 |
| 26 | Pomona College (CA) | $4,828 | $56,872 | $11,257 | 94% | 640 | 16 | 49 | 177 |
| 27 | CA State University–Chico (CA)* | $11,368 | $55,077 | $16,828 | 74% | 106 | 149 | 232 | 36 |
| 28 | Harvard University (MA) | $2,341 | $78,092 | $13,472 | 98% | 785 | 20 | 23 | 249 |
| 29 | Brown University (RI) | $5,320 | $77,188 | $13,143 | 96% | 720 | 28 | 29 | 180 |
| 30 | Middlebury College (VT) | $10,095 | $63,541 | $13,722 | 93% | 628 | 73 | 144 | 12 |
| 31 | Yale University (CT) | $9,626 | $79,954 | $13,059 | 97% | 403 | 62 | 21 | 307 |
| 32 | Arizona State University (AZ)* | $10,638 | $52,547 | $19,926 | 68% | 14 | 230 | 934 | 193 |
| 33 | Johns Hopkins University (MD) | $2,708 | $80,833 | $12,833 | 94% | 397 | 17 | 66 | 295 |
| 34 | Columbia Univ. in the City of NY (NY) | $2,478 | $89,697 | $21,500 | 92% | 324 | 115 | 7 | 489 |
| 35 | University of California–Davis (CA)* | $10,568 | $66,092 | $13,066 | 89% | 42 | 67 | 651 | 292 |
| 36 | Amherst College (MA) | $6,413 | $73,845 | $13,680 | 95% | 676 | 39 | 6 | 749 |
| 37 | Swarthmore College (PA) | $9,137 | $62,058 | $18,417 | 96% | 437 | 152 | 19 | 183 |
| 38 | University of Notre Dame (IN) | $10,654 | $83,507 | $19,000 | 96% | 567 | 203 | 30 | 51 |
| 39 | Florida Atlantic University (FL)* | $5,624 | $48,670 | $17,518 | 62% | 96 | 86 | 230 | 267 |
| 40 | University of Illinois–Chicago (IL)* | $9,877 | $57,439 | $17,151 | 70% | 23 | 137 | 725 | 448 |
| 41 | CUNY Hunter College (NY)* | $2,281 | $53,444 | $11,778 | 57% | 22 | 9 | 1045 | 873 |
| 42 | University of CA–Berkeley (CA)* | $9,898 | $77,204 | $13,326 | 94% | 51 | 66 | 240 | 628 |
| 43 | University of NC–Chapel Hill (NC)* | $6,888 | $59,642 | $14,633 | 91% | 336 | 60 | 236 | 73 |
| 44 | CA State University–Bakersfield (CA)* | $5,224 | $48,488 | $16,284 | 61% | 56 | 64 | 271 | 541 |
| 45 | Boricua College (NY) | $13,848 | $31,768 | $6,313 | 78% | 76 | 22 | 95 | 1103 |
| 46 | University of Texas–El Paso (TX)* | $9,709 | $42,793 | $18,403 | 50% | 27 | 163 | 615 | 444 |
| 47 | University of California–LA (CA)* | $8,900 | $68,444 | $14,667 | 93% | 62 | 79 | 701 | 179 |
| 48 | CA State Univ.–Monterey Bay (CA)* | $7,476 | $48,945 | $13,333 | 73% | 191 | 45 | 324 | 203 |
| 49 | Georgetown University (DC) | $7,666 | $84,890 | $16,140 | 95% | 1254 | 84 | 35 | 46 |
| 50 | University of CA–Riverside (CA)* | $10,151 | $55,174 | $18,167 | 80% | 15 | 165 | 1169 | 331 |
| 51 | Western Governors University (UT) | $10,070 | $51,418 | $11,296 | 52% | 6 | 40 | 1297 | 930 |
| 52 | University of WI–Madison (WI)* | $6,539 | $62,917 | $20,495 | 88% | 276 | 164 | 241 | 37 |
| 53 | CA State Poly. Univ.–Pomona (CA)* | $9,232 | $59,870 | $16,517 | 78% | 24 | 104 | 592 | 767 |
| 54 | University of Chicago (IL) | $2,290 | $73,131 | $15,326 | 96% | 613 | 31 | 65 | 335 |
| 55 | Claremont McKenna College (CA) | $10,712 | $89,566 | $14,500 | 92% | 643 | 91 | 13 | 506 |
| 56 | Bowdoin College (ME) | $5,632 | $62,517 | $17,669 | 95% | 508 | 87 | 60 | 241 |
| 57 | University of South Florida (FL)* | $6,517 | $48,826 | $18,360 | 74% | 49 | 105 | 576 | 323 |
| 58 | California Institute of Tech. (CA) | $3,699 | $119,183 | $15,579 | 94% | 944 | 41 | 4 | 1147 |
| 59 | Northeastern State University (OK)* | $9,089 | $39,343 | $17,622 | 46% | 297 | 135 | 169 | 98 |
| 60 | Wesleyan University (CT) | $6,341 | $61,195 | $16,201 | 92% | 1052 | 74 | 24 | 263 |
| 61 | Bates College (ME) | $6,861 | $59,341 | $13,959 | 92% | 971 | 49 | 109 | 109 |
| 62 | Metropolitan State University (MN)* | $17,614 | $55,395 | $17,287 | 57% | 335 | 324 | 40 | 165 |
| 63 | Rice University (TX) | $4,709 | $75,418 | $11,663 | 94% | 383 | 18 | 112 | 616 |
| 64 | Hampshire College (MA) | $17,701 | $40,007 | $26,298 | 66% | 724 | 981 | 17 | 10 |
| 65 | CUNY Lehman College (NY)* | $3,115 | $49,495 | $10,864 | 58% | 103 | 6 | 161 | 1150 |
| 66 | San Francisco State University (CA)* | $10,652 | $57,754 | $15,583 | 67% | 48 | 103 | 446 | 524 |
| 67 | Davidson College (NC) | $7,634 | $69,249 | $19,063 | 92% | 777 | 143 | 10 | 399 |
| 68 | Towson University (MD)* | $9,008 | $54,523 | $18,799 | 73% | 259 | 160 | 136 | 159 |
| 69 | Washington Univ. in St. Louis (MO) | $3,223 | $75,380 | $17,000 | 93% | 385 | 58 | 122 | 351 |
| 70 | University of Florida (FL)* | $3,183 | $60,268 | $15,482 | 89% | 93 | 35 | 436 | 539 |
| 71 | University of CA–San Diego (CA)* | $9,646 | $70,214 | $16,167 | 90% | 40 | 102 | 657 | 586 |
| 72 | University of Texas–San Antonio (TX)* | $9,005 | $49,257 | $20,819 | 56% | 34 | 225 | 825 | 353 |
| 73 | CA State University–San Marcos (CA)* | $9,278 | $52,828 | $17,405 | 67% | 82 | 131 | 349 | 348 |
| 74 | Vanderbilt University (TN) | $6,707 | $75,747 | $14,490 | 93% | 325 | 54 | 135 | 431 |
| 75 | Dartmouth College (NH) | $5,394 | $77,103 | $16,500 | 95% | 582 | 68 | 34 | 583 |
| 76 | Hobart & William Smith Colls. (NY) | $16,768 | $59,152 | $27,000 | 76% | 1044 | 988 | 138 | 1 |
| 77 | Univ. of IL–Urbana-Champaign (IL)* | $7,439 | $68,881 | $19,333 | 87% | 54 | 147 | 370 | 493 |
| 78 | SUNY Albany (NY)* | $14,954 | $57,923 | $19,791 | 67% | 154 | 378 | 239 | 83 |
| 79 | University of NC–Greensboro (NC)* | $8,837 | $41,459 | $22,851 | 59% | 37 | 315 | 646 | 342 |
| 80 | University of MN–Morris (MN)* | $3,005 | $43,563 | $18,543 | 59% | 752 | 80 | 114 | 189 |
| 81 | Emory University (GA) | $9,523 | $69,150 | $17,102 | 92% | 420 | 123 | 497 | 19 |
| 82 | CA State U.–Maritime Academy (CA)* | $13,073 | $84,873 | $24,860 | 71% | 966 | 625 | 22 | 26 |
| 83 | Texas A&M International Univ. (TX)* | $3,630 | $41,695 | $14,930 | 55% | 95 | 33 | 743 | 450 |
| 84 | Florida State University (FL)* | $6,497 | $51,859 | $18,584 | 82% | 129 | 109 | 295 | 369 |
| 85 | Brigham Young University–ID (ID) | $4,144 | $43,847 | $13,464 | 60% | 53 | 25 | 158 | 1351 |
| 86 | San Diego State University (CA)* | $7,712 | $54,767 | $15,166 | 80% | 74 | 71 | 737 | 397 |
| 87 | Carleton College (MN) | $12,473 | $62,337 | $16,525 | 93% | 596 | 161 | 26 | 416 |
| 88 | CUNY John Jay Col. Crim. Just. (NY)* | $2,661 | $48,972 | $11,000 | 60% | 64 | 5 | 262 | 1332 |
| 89 | Univ. of California–Merced (CA)* | $9,867 | $54,649 | $17,215 | 72% | 38 | 138 | 677 | 699 |
| 90 | Utah State University (UT)* | $10,322 | $44,332 | $14,423 | 56% | 145 | 85 | 722 | 176 |
| 91 | Harvey Mudd College (CA) | $18,576 | $123,761 | $23,066 | 93% | 954 | 740 | 1 | 865 |
| 92 | University of WA–Tacoma (WA)* | $6,069 | $65,544 | $14,872 | 74% | 194 | 53 | 102 | 900 |
| 93 | CUNY Baruch College (NY)* | $2,362 | $63,286 | $11,381 | 69% | 31 | 7 | 708 | 1389 |
| 94 | CUNY Brooklyn College (NY)* | $2,701 | $49,380 | $11,167 | 57% | 35 | 8 | 948 | 1272 |
| 95 | Georgia State University (GA)* | $15,849 | $39,523 | $21,356 | 57% | 16 | 520 | 945 | 508 |
| 96 | University of WA–Seattle (WA)* | $6,507 | $65,544 | $14,872 | 84% | 227 | 59 | 802 | 146 |
| 97 | University of Texas–Arlington (TX)* | $13,551 | $53,412 | $18,147 | 58% | 45 | 239 | 578 | 464 |
| 98 | SUNY Geneseo (NY)* | $13,602 | $56,103 | $20,016 | 76% | 870 | 329 | 104 | 33 |
| 99 | University of MN–Twin Cities (MN)* | $8,738 | $58,769 | $19,500 | 83% | 130 | 176 | 536 | 181 |
| 100 | Montclair State University (NJ)* | $11,307 | $52,573 | $22,586 | 70% | 107 | 400 | 172 | 347 |
NEXT Page: Washington Monthly’s Best Bang for the Buck colleges by region
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