Institutions listed in the "America's Best Colleges" National Universities category offer a wide array of undergraduate majors, master's degrees and doctoral degrees. Additionally, these school are well-known for their focus on academic research and obtain high levels of grant funding. The National Universities include such well-known schools as the Ivy League institutions; top private schools such as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and state institutions such as the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Virginia.
Schools included in the National Liberal Arts Colleges provide a greater focus on undergraduate education and award at least half their degrees in fields considered to be liberal arts, such as English and classics. This category includes institutions such as Williams College, Davidson College and Morehouse College.
According to "U.S. News and World Report," schools listed as Regional Universities provide "a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs." The "America's Best Colleges" listing divides Regional Universities into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West. Regional Universities include institutions like Villanova University, Creighton University and James Madison University.
Institutions listed as Regional Colleges emphasize undergraduate education. However, unlike schools included in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category, these schools award less than half their degrees in liberal arts majors. As with Regional Universities, "America's Best Colleges" divides Regional Colleges into North, South, Midwest and West regions. Regional Colleges include schools such as the U.S. Air Force Academy, Cooper Union and Ohio Northern University.