| U.S. News rank | School | Location | Tuition and Fees | Total enrollment | Fall 2012 acceptance rate | Average freshman retention rate |
| 1 | 普林斯顿大学 | Princeton, NJ | $40,170 | 8,010 | 7.90% | 98% |
| 2 | 哈佛大学 | Cambridge, MA | $42,292 | 19,726 | 6.10% | 98% |
| 3 | 耶鲁大学 | New Haven, CT | $44,000 | 11,906 | 7.10% | 99% |
| 4 | 哥伦比亚大学 | New York, NY | $49,138 | 23,168 | 7.40% | 99% |
| 5 | 斯坦福大学 | Stanford, CA | $43,245 | 18,217 | 6.60% | 98% |
| 5 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $46,386 | 12,508 | 13.20% | 99% |
| 7 | 杜克大学 | Durham, NC | $45,476 | 15,386 | 13.40% | 97% |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $43,498 | 11,189 | 9.00% | 97% |
| 7 | 宾夕法尼亚大学 | Philadelphia, PA | $45,890 | 21,339 | 12.60% | 98% |
| 10 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | $41,538 | 2,243 | 11.80% | 98% |
| 10 | 达特茅斯学院 | Hanover, NH | $46,752 | 6,277 | 9.80% | 98% |
| 12 | 约翰霍普金斯大学 | Baltimore, MD | $45,470 | 21,001 | 17.70% | 97% |
| 12 | 西北大学 | Evanston, IL | $45,527 | 20,439 | 15.30% | 97% |
| 14 | 布朗大学 | Providence, RI | $45,612 | 8,885 | 9.60% | 98% |
| 14 | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | $44,841 | 13,952 | 17.90% | 97% |
| 16 | 康奈尔大学 | Ithaca, NY | $45,359 | 21,424 | 16.60% | 96% |
| 17 | 范德堡大学 | Nashville, TN | $42,978 | 12,710 | 14.20% | 96% |
| 18 | 莱斯大学 | Houston, TX | $38,941 | 6,484 | 16.70% | 96% |
| 18 | 圣母诺特大学 | Notre Dame, IN | $44,605 | 12,126 | 23.30% | 98% |
| 20 | 埃默里大学 | Atlanta, GA | $44,008 | 14,236 | 26.30% | 95% |
| 20 | 乔治城大学 | Washington, DC | $44,805 | 17,357 | 17.00% | 96% |
| 20 | University of California–Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | in-state: $13,836, out-of-state: $25,056 | 35,899 | 18.00% | 97% |
| 23 | 卡内基梅隆大学 | Pittsburgh, PA | $46,962 | 12,569 | 27.80% | 96% |
| 23 | University of California–Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | in-state: $12,696, out-of-state: $35,574 | 41,341 | 22.00% | 97% |
| 23 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $46,298 | 39,958 | 19.90% | 97% |
| 23 | 弗吉尼亚大学 | Charlottesville, VA | in-state: $12,458, out-of-state: $39,844 | 23,907 | 29.60% | 97% |
| 23 | 维克森林大学 | Winston-Salem, NC | $44,742 | 7,432 | 34.00% | 94% |
| 28 | 塔夫茨大学 | Medford, MA | $46,598 | 10,837 | 21.40% | 96% |
| 28 | University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | in-state: $13,819, out-of-state: $40,496 | 43,426 | 36.60% | 96% |
| 30 | University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | in-state: $8,340, out-of-state: $30,122 | 29,278 | 27.60% | 97% |
| 31 | 波士顿学院 | Chestnut Hill, MA | $45,622 | 13,783 | 28.80% | 95% |
| 32 | 布兰迪斯大学 | Waltham, MA | $46,106 | 5,808 | 39.10% | 94% |
| 32 | 威廉玛丽学院 | Williamsburg, VA | in-state: $15,464, out-of-state: $37,852 | 8,258 | 32.20% | 95% |
| 32 | 纽约大学 | New York, NY | $44,848 | 44,516 | 35.00% | 92% |
| 32 | 罗切斯特大学 | Rochester, NY | $45,372 | 10,510 | 35.30% | 96% |
| 36 | 佐治亚理工学院 | Atlanta, GA | in-state: $10,650, out-of-state: $29,954 | 21,557 | 54.90% | 94% |
| 37 | 凯斯西储大学 | Cleveland, OH | $41,800 | 10,026 | 54.30% | 92% |
| 37 | Pennsylvania State University–University Park | University Park, PA | in-state: $16,992, out-of-state: $29,566 | 45,783 | 54.20% | 92% |
| 39 | University of California–Davis | Davis, CA | in-state: $13,896, out-of-state: $36,774 | 32,354 | 45.70% | 92% |
| 39 | University of California–San Diego | La Jolla, CA | in-state: $13,234, out-of-state: $36,112 | 28,294 | 37.80% | 95% |
| 41 | 波士顿大学 | Boston, MA | $44,910 | 32,603 | 45.60% | 91% |
| 41 | 利哈依大学 | Bethlehem, PA | $43,520 | 7,080 | 32.60% | 94% |
| 41 | 伦斯勒理工学院 | Troy, NY | $46,269 | 6,999 | 43.60% | 92% |
| 41 | University of California–Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | in-state: $13,746, out-of-state: $36,624 | 21,927 | 44.00% | 91% |
| 41 | University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | in-state: $15,258, out-of-state: $29,640 | 44,520 | 63.30% | 94% |
| 41 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, WI | in-state: $10,403, out-of-state: $26,653 | 42,820 | 54.60% | 95% |
| 47 | 迈阿密大学 | Coral Gables, FL | $42,852 | 16,172 | 39.70% | 91% |
| 47 | Yeshiva University | New York, NY | $37,600 | 6,753 | 84.00% | 91% |
| 49 | 东北大学 | Boston, MA | $41,686 | 20,447 | 31.90% | 94% |
| 49 | University of California–Irvine | Irvine, CA | in-state: $14,688, out-of-state: $37,566 | 27,479 | 42.40% | 94% |
| 49 | 佛罗里达大学 | Gainesville, FL | in-state: $6,263, out-of-state: $28,541 | 49,913 | 44.10% | 96% |
| 52 | 乔治华盛顿大学 | Washington, DC | $47,343 | 25,653 | 33.10% | 93% |
| 52 | Ohio State University–Columbus | Columbus, OH | in-state: $10,037, out-of-state: $25,757 | 56,387 | 64.00% | 93% |
| 52 | 杜兰大学 | New Orleans, LA | $46,930 | 13,486 | 27.30% | 90% |
| 52 | 德克萨斯大学圣安东尼分校–Austin | Austin, TX | in-state: $9,790, out-of-state: $33,824 | 52,186 | 46.80% | 92% |
| 52 | 华盛顿大学西雅图分校 | Seattle, WA | in-state: $12,383, out-of-state: $29,938 | 42,568 | 59.20% | 93% |
| 57 | 福特汉姆大学 | New York, NY | $43,577 | 15,170 | 42.90% | 89% |
| 57 | 佩珀代因大学 | Malibu, CA | $44,902 | 7,319 | 38.50% | 91% |
| 57 | 康涅狄格大学 | Storrs, CT | in-state: $12,022, out-of-state: $30,970 | 25,483 | 44.70% | 93% |
| 60 | 南卫理公会大学 | Dallas, TX | $43,800 | 10,893 | 53.80% | 89% |
| 60 | 乔治亚大学 | Athens, GA | in-state: $10,262, out-of-state: $28,472 | 34,519 | 56.10% | 94% |
| 62 | Brigham Young University–Provo | Provo, UT | $4,850 | 34,409 | 54.90% | 86% |
| 62 | 克莱姆森大学 | Clemson, SC | in-state: $13,382, out-of-state: $30,816 | 20,768 | 57.90% | 90% |
| 62 | 雪城大学 | Syracuse, NY | $40,458 | 21,029 | 51.30% | 92% |
| 62 | University of Maryland–College Park | College Park, MD | in-state: $9,162, out-of-state: $28,348 | 37,197 | 46.80% | 94% |
| 62 | 匹兹堡大学 | Pittsburgh, PA | in-state: $17,100, out-of-state: $27,106 | 28,769 | 56.10% | 92% |
| 62 | 伍斯特理工学院 | Worcester, MA | $42,778 | 5,957 | 52.60% | 95% |
| 68 | Purdue University–West Lafayette | West Lafayette, IN | in-state: $9,992, out-of-state: $28,794 | 39,256 | 61.30% | 89% |
| 69 | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick | Piscataway, NJ | in-state: $13,499, out-of-state: $27,523 | 40,434 | 60.90% | 92% |
| 69 | Texas A&M University–College Station | College Station, TX | in-state: $8,506, out-of-state: $25,126 | 50,227 | 67.10% | 92% |
| 69 | University of Minnesota–Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN | in-state: $13,555, out-of-state: $19,805 | 51,853 | 49.50% | 90% |
| 69 | 弗吉尼亚理工大学 | Blacksburg, VA | in-state: $10,930, out-of-state: $25,320 | 31,087 | 70.40% | 92% |
| 73 | 密歇根州立大学 | East Lansing, MI | in-state: $12,863, out-of-state: $33,750 | 48,906 | 70.60% | 91% |
| 73 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | in-state: $8,061, out-of-state: $26,931 | 30,119 | 78.40% | 85% |
| 75 | 美国大学 | Washington, DC | $40,649 | 12,904 | 44.20% | 90% |
| 75 | 贝勒大学 | Waco, TX | $35,972 | 15,364 | 60.70% | 85% |
| 75 | 克拉克大学 | Worcester, MA | $39,550 | 3,503 | 70.10% | 89% |
| 75 | Indiana University–Bloomington | Bloomington, IN | in-state: $10,209, out-of-state: $32,350 | 42,133 | 74.40% | 89% |
| 75 | 马凯特大学 | Milwaukee, WI | $34,640 | 11,749 | 55.20% | 89% |
| 75 | Miami University–Oxford | Oxford, OH | in-state: $13,799, out-of-state: $29,589 | 17,683 | 72.80% | 89% |
| 75 | 德拉华大学 | Newark, DE | in-state: $12,112, out-of-state: $29,932 | 21,081 | 56.60% | 92% |
| 82 | 斯蒂文斯理工学院 | Hoboken, NJ | $43,561 | 5,649 | 42.70% | 92% |
| 82 | Stony Brook University–SUNY | Stony Brook, NY | in-state: $7,984, out-of-state: $19,924 | 24,149 | 40.10% | 90% |
| 82 | 德克萨斯基督大学 | Fort Worth, TX | $36,590 | 9,727 | 40.90% | 87% |
| 82 | University of Vermont | Burlington, VT | in-state: $15,718, out-of-state: $36,646 | 13,097 | 76.70% | 86% |
| 86 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Syracuse, NY | in-state: $6,995, out-of-state: $16,445 | 2,401 | 50.70% | 85% |
| 86 | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | in-state: $9,200, out-of-state: $22,950 | 33,503 | 53.10% | 85% |
| 86 | University of California–Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA | in-state: $13,416, out-of-state: $36,294 | 17,404 | 60.90% | 90% |
| 86 | University of Colorado–Boulder | Boulder, CO | in-state: $10,240, out-of-state: $32,008 | 31,725 | 83.60% | 84% |
| 86 | 塔尔萨大学 | Tulsa, OK | $33,702 | 4,326 | 40.70% | 87% |
| 91 | 奥本大学 | 奥本大学, AL | in-state: $9,852, out-of-state: $26,364 | 25,134 | 77.20% | 88% |
| 91 | 科罗拉多矿业大学 | Golden, CO | in-state: $16,485, out-of-state: $32,415 | 5,632 | 37.40% | 89% |
| 91 | 佛罗里达州立大学 | Tallahassee, FL | in-state: $6,537, out-of-state: $21,703 | 40,695 | 53.70% | 92% |
| 91 | 丹佛大学 | Denver, CO | $40,707 | 11,656 | 67.60% | 87% |
| 91 | University of Massachusetts–Amherst | Amherst, MA | in-state: $13,258, out-of-state: $27,974 | 28,236 | 62.60% | 88% |
| 91 | 圣地亚哥大学 | San Diego, CA | $41,392 | 8,105 | 42.60% | 88% |
| 97 | Binghamton University–SUNY | Binghamton, NY | in-state: $8,144, out-of-state: $18,464 | 15,308 | 42.90% | 91% |
| 97 | 德雷塞尔大学 | Philadelphia, PA | $37,505 | 18,067 | 74.90% | 84% |
| 97 | University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | in-state: $9,415, out-of-state: $23,764 | 34,748 | 81.50% | 85% |
| 97 | 新罕布什尔大学 | Durham, NH | in-state: $16,496, out-of-state: $29,216 | 15,301 | 77.90% | 87% |