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Schools in the National Universities category, such as Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs. These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.
Best National Universities
These schools offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs.
See Full Rankings ListThe National Liberal Arts Colleges, including schools like Wellesley College and Bowdoin College, emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.
Best National Liberal Arts Colleges
These schools emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.
See Full Rankings ListRegional Universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs. Regional Universities include Providence College, Santa Clara University, Elon University and Butler University. These rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.
Regional Universities North
See Full Rankings ListThese colleges focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Regional Colleges include Carroll College, High Point University, Cooper Union and Taylor University. These rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.
The undergraduate business program rankings were based solely on peer assessment surveys. To appear on these surveys, undergraduate business programs must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Best Undergraduate Business Programs
These schools are all accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
The undergraduate engineering program rankings were based solely on peer assessment surveys. To appear on an undergraduate engineering survey, a school must have an undergraduate engineering program accredited by ABET. These programs are split into two groups: schools whose highest engineering degree offered is a doctorate and schools whose highest engineering degree offered is a bachelor's or master's.
Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate
See Full Rankings ListBest Undergraduate Engineering Programs
At schools were doctorate is not offered
These historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were compared only with one another for these rankings. In order to be on the list, a school must be currently designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an HBCU. To qualify for the U.S. News rankings, an HBCU also must be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and must be a school that is part of the 2017 Best Colleges rankings.
Best HBCUs
These historically black colleges and universities were compared only with one another for these rankings.
See Full Rankings ListThis is the 16th consecutive year that U.S. News is publishing a list of schools with outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success. With the help of education experts, including staff members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, we identified eight such types of programs. In spring and summer 2018, we invited college presidents, chief academic officers, deans of students and deans of admissions from more than 1,500 schools to nominate up to 15 institutions with stellar examples of each program type. Colleges and universities that received seven or more nominations are included in these lists, in alphabetical order.
Colleges that offer most or all of their degrees in fine arts, performing arts, business or engineering are listed here as specialty schools. One hundred percent of students at the Juilliard School in New York, for example, major in the performing arts (music, dance or drama). These schools are not ranked, since each category is so small.
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