50 Best Colleges on the East Coast
Find out if any among them beat out the Ivies for top spot.
50. Lafayette College
- Location: Easton, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,603
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 31%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $68,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #72
49. Smith College
- Location: Northampton, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,490
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $46,200
- Two-year employment rate: 88%
- Overall rank: #71
48. University of Miami
- Location: Coral Gables, FL
- Undergraduate enrollment: 10,484
- Student to faculty ratio: 12:1
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,100
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #70
47. Bates College
- Location: Lewiston, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,832
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $59,200
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #69
46. Vassar College
- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,442
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $54,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #67
45. Villanova University
- Location: Villanova, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,565
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 28%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $77,900
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #64
44. Lehigh University
- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,982
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $81,900
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #63
43. University of Richmond
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 3,040
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 28%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $64,500
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #62
42. Virginia Tech
- Location: Blacksburg, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 27,180
- Student to faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 70%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Six-year median earnings: $62,500
- Two-year employment rate: 96%
- Overall rank: #60
41. University of Georgia
- Location: Athens, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 27,947
- Student to faculty ratio: 17:1
- Acceptance rate: 45%
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Six-year median earnings: $50,500
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #59
40. University of Florida
- Location: Gainesville, FL
- Undergraduate enrollment: 32,209
- Student to faculty ratio: 18:1
- Acceptance rate: 37%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $56,000
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #56
39. Boston University
- Location: Boston, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 17,396
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,300
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #55
38. William & Mary
- Location: Williamsburg, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,300
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 38%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #54
37. Hamilton College
- Location: Clinton, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,991
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,200
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #53
36. Wesleyan University
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,928
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Six-year median earnings: $54,700
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #52
35. New York University
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 25,725
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Six-year median earnings: $61,900
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #51
34. Northeastern University
- Location: Boston, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 13,864
- Student to faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $67,400
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #50
33. Boston College
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 9,696
- Student to faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $72,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #49
32. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Location: Chapel Hill, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 18,526
- Student to faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 23%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $55,600
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #48
31. Davidson College
- Location: Davidson, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,843
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,900
- Two-year employment rate: 88%
- Overall rank: #47
30. Colgate University
- Location: Hamilton, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,936
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 23%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $63,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #45
29. Wake Forest University
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,171
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 30%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $63,800
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #44
28. Wellesley College
- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,391
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 22%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,800
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #43
27. Swarthmore College
- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,554
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $56,700
- Two-year employment rate: 85%
- Overall rank: #42
26. Barnard College
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,519
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Six-year median earnings: $57,900
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #41
25. Emory University
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,985
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $66,000
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #40
24. Middlebury College
- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,551
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,200
- Two-year employment rate: 87%
- Overall rank: #38
23. Amherst College
- Location: Amherst, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,855
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,000
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #37
22. Washington & Lee University
- Location: Lexington, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,825
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $76,100
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #36
21. Colby College
- Location: Waterville, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,000
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,100
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #35
20. Haverford College
- Location: Haverford, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,308
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,700
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #34
19. Williams College
- Location: Williamstown, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,042
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $59,000
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #33
18. United States Military Academy at West Point
- Location: West Point, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,589
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Six-year median earnings: null
- Two-year employment rate: null
- Overall rank: #32
17. Tufts University
- Location: Medford, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,508
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $75,800
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #31
16. University of Virginia
- Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 15,990
- Student to faculty ratio: 15:1
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $61,200
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #29
15. Georgia Institute of Technology
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 14,318
- Student to faculty ratio: 18:1
- Acceptance rate: 21%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $79,100
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #27
14. Bowdoin College
- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,825
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,500
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #26
13. Georgetown University
- Location: Washington, DC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,990
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $93,500
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #25
12. Carnegie Mellon University
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,343
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,600
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #22
11. Johns Hopkins University
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,595
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $73,200
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #21
10. Cornell University
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 15,175
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $77,200
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #18
9. Dartmouth College
- Location: Hanover, NH
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,357
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $75,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #13
8. Columbia University
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 7,666
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,300
- Two-year employment rate: 89%
- Overall rank: #12
7. University of Pennsylvania
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 10,605
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Six-year median earnings: $85,900
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #10
6. Brown University
- Location: Providence, RI
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,735
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Six-year median earnings: $67,500
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #9
5. Princeton University
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,321
- Student to faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Graduation rate: 98%
- Six-year median earnings: $74,700
- Two-year employment rate: 87%
- Overall rank: #6
4. Duke University
- Location: Durham, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,659
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $84,400
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #5
3. Yale University
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,939
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,200
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #4
2. Harvard University
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 7,210
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Six-year median earnings: $89,700
- Two-year employment rate: 89%
- Overall rank: #2
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,557
- Student to faculty ratio: 3:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $104,700
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #1
