Located in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania is a private college with just under 10,000 undergraduates. It is also home to the Wharton School of Business, which is the top-ranked business school in the country. It is a selective school, admitting under 17 percent of applicants in 2008. The university was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, and it has a strong emphasis on local and global involvement through study abroad and community service projects.
University of Pennsylvania
3451 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-7507
www.upenn.edu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a private university with just more than 4,000 undergraduates. While it is known for being a science powerhouse, it also has a strong reputation for its business program, which came in second in the 2009 rankings. In 2008, MIT admitted more than 11 percent of undergraduate applicants.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-253-3400
web.mit.edu
Tied for second in the rankings is the University of California, Berkeley. It is a large public school with more than 25,000 undergraduates. In 2008, UC Berkeley admitted about 22 percent of applicants. Tuition for out-of-state applicants that year was nearly four times that of in-state applicants. Berkeley also has a strong reputation for graduate programs, and it has the most graduate programs in the top 10 of their fields. There are seven Nobel Laureates currently on the faculty.
University of California, Berkeley
110 Sproul Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-5800
510-642-3175
berkeley.edu
Coming in at number four in the rankings is the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor. It is also a large public university with more than 25,000 undergraduates. The 2008 acceptance rate was about 40 percent, and out-of-state tuition was about three times that of in-state tuition. Some notable alumni in the world of business include Henry Block, co-founder of H&R Block, David Brandon, CEO of Domino's Pizza, and Charles Walgreen, founder of Walgreen's drugstores.
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-764-7433
umich.edu
Situated in New York City, NYU is the largest private university in the United States with more than 21,000 undergraduates. Its business program was ranked fifth in the 2009 survey, and the university had a 31 percent acceptance rate in 2008. NYU offers more than 150 undergraduate majors, and students have the opportunity to create interdisciplinary majors or choose a double major.
New York University
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
212-998-4500
nyu.edu
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was one of three programs tied for sixth in the rankings. This large public university with more than 17,000 undergraduates was the first public university in the United States. In 2008, it accepted about 34 percent of applicants, and tuition for in-state students was under $6,000. UNC has a strong academic reputation, and it has produced more Rhodes scholars between the years of 2004 and 2009 than any other public university.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
South Building, CB #9100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
919-966-3621
unc.edu
The University of Texas at Austin is a public university with more than 37,000 undergraduates. It was also ranked sixth in the 2009 ratings, and it has a student acceptance rate in 2008 of just under 44 percent. Thanks to its size, the university is able to offer more than 300 areas of study and has state-of-the-art facilities, including its own observatory.
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1111
512-475-7440
utexas.edu
The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, also ranked as the number six program on the list. It is a public university with just more than 15,000 undergraduates. The acceptance rate in 2008 was just under 37 percent of applicants. UVA strives to create the sense of community found at a small, liberal arts college while enjoying the resources of a large research university.
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904
434-982-3200
virginia.edu
Coming in at ninth is Carnegie Mellon University, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a private university with approximately 6,000 undergraduates. It accepted 38 percent of applicants in 2008, and tuition for 2009 was nearly $40,000. Carnegie Mellon has developed programs and partnerships around the world, and it boasts degree programs in 10 countries, including Qatar.
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-268-2082
cmu.edu
Tied for 10th in the rankings are Cornell University and the University of Southern California. Located in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a private university with just under 14,000 undergraduates. The 2008 acceptance rate was under 21 percent. Cornell also has a global focus, and in addition to starting the first American medical school outside of the United States, it has established partnerships with programs in Singapore, India and China.
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-5241
cornell.edu
The University of Southern California, located in Los Angeles, is also a private university with more than 16,000 undergraduates. The 2008 acceptance rate was under 22 percent. USC encourages undergraduates to combine professional and liberal arts studies through one of its 17 professional schools.
University of Southern California
University Park
Los Angeles, CA 90089
213-740-1111
usc.edu