50 Best Values in Private Universities 2009-10

Survey methodology and definitions

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Private Universities
  Quality Measures Financial Measures
RankNameStateUndergrad.
Enroll.
Admission
Rate
High scorers on SAT (V/M) or ACTStudents per Faculty4-Year
Grad. Rate
5-Year
Grad. Rate
Total
Costs
Cost After Need-
Based Aid
% of Aid From
Grants
Cost After Non-
Need-Based Aid
% of Non-Need-
Based Aid**
Average Debt
1Cal. Institute of Technology, PasadenaCA92117%99%/100%381%87%$46,629$18,15990%$17,71516$9,871
2Princeton, PrincetonNJ4,98110%97%/98%590%95%$49,055$17,70496%$49,0550$5,955
3Yale, New HavenCT5,2779%98%/98%687%95%$48,450$12,74796%$48,4500$12,297
4Rice, HoustonTX3,05125%88%/92%578%89%$44,088$19,98496%$29,42323$11,108
5Harvard, CambridgeMA6,6788%100%/100%788%96%$49,684$12,83494%$49,6840$10,813
6Duke, DurhamNC6,49622%92%/94%688%94%$51,125$20,23592%$23,4068$24,205
7Columbia, New YorkNY5,66711%94%/96%687%93%$54,789$21,03896%$54,7890$18,420
8University of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaPA9,75617%93%/96%688%94%$51,080$23,96986%$51,0800$19,085
9Dartmouth College, HanoverNH4,14713%91%/93%886%94%$51,821$18,37393%$51,3710$20,126
10MIT, CambridgeMA4,15312%90%/99%783%92%$50,292$20,23493%$50,2920$14,148
11Stanford, StanfordCA6,5329%92%/95%679%92%$51,267$20,66191%$47,75226$15,724
12Brown, ProvidenceRI6,09514%90%/93%984%92%$50,394$20,46889%$50,3940$19,390
13Emory, AtlantaGA6,89027%93%/95%782%87%$50,032$23,07491%$31,53026$23,181
14University of Richmond, RichmondVA2,79532%72%/74%882%87%$49,540$18,48590%$30,33027$20,915
15Northwestern, EvanstonIL8,47626%95%/96%786%92%$51,850$25,91488%$49,6077$19,808
16University of Notre Dame, Notre DameIN8,36327%92%/96%1295%95%$49,795$25,65875%$43,6896$29,835
17Vanderbilt, NashvilleTN6,63725%91%/95%984%89%$52,520$22,10481%$34,27622$19,839
18Cornell, IthacaNY13,84621%86%/93%987%92%$50,874$25,60285%$50,8740$23,485
19University of Chicago, ChicagoIL5,06528%91%/89%686%91%$52,232$18,39491%$40,712NA$27,562
20Johns Hopkins, BaltimoreMD4,74425%88%/92%1281%89%$52,890$25,53888%$28,1013$21,984
21Washington Univ. in St. Louis, St. LouisMO6,98522%98%/99%785%92%$52,609$25,13588%$45,22320N/A
22Tufts, MedfordMA5,04426%94%/95%786%91%$51,889$24,29991%$51,3892$23,687
23Boston College, Chestnut HillMA9,06026%81%/87%1388%91%$52,308$26,76186%$34,4123$19,358
24Brandeis, WalthamMA3,19633%89%/91%986%89%$50,739$26,71283%$28,29138$20,095
25Wake Forest, Winston-SalemNC4,47638%82%/87%1083%88%$49,932$25,55783%$37,14813$24,827
26Georgetown, WashingtonDC7,09219%89%/91%1190%92%$52,878$24,62882%$52,878N/A$23,333
27Lehigh, BethlehemPA4,87628%74%/88%972%83%$49,830$23,03385%$39,34413$29,756
28Elon University, ElonNC4,99242%61%/63%1472%78%$34,625$25,25261%$29,20531$23,392
29Villanova University, VillanovaPA7,16139%71%/82%1184%88%$50,110$29,58181%$39,04910$29,812
30Bentley, WalthamMA4,25938%48%/81%1274%82%$48,618$28,88574%$33,08018$30,577
31Trinity, San AntonioTX2,48958%73%/81%1070%80%$42,232$26,01772%$32,11071$21,000
32University of Miami, Coral GablesFL10,42239%71%/80%1164%75%$48,238$26,47175%$30,53736$24,500
33Univ. of So. California, Los AngelesCA16,60822%85%/91%969%86%$52,141$29,77568%$38,23532$27,692
34University of Rochester, RochesterNY5,35543%72%/85%974%82%$51,140$26,47882%$42,86450$27,121
35Providence College, ProvidenceRI3,93845%41%/49%1284%86%$45,280$32,67368%$25,04717$33,297
36Emerson College, BostonMA5,42337%69%/49%1472%75%$42,998$28,73088%$30,5116$15,701
37Clark, WorcesterMA2,36756%56%/49%1067%72%$42,870$20,93878%$28,39854$22,250
38Creighton, OmahaNE4,08782%79%1167%75%$39,358$21,36375%$27,79064$29,074
39Whitworth, SpokaneWA2,33149%54%/57%1358%71%$37,730$22,45373%$27,93059$19,305
40Carnegie Mellon, PittsburghPA5,99838%84%/92%1170%84%$52,068$33,32376%$40,64513$30,533
41Butler, IndianapolisIN3,63972%83%1152%60%$39,560$24,45176%$28,15975$24,000
42Bradley, PeoriaIL5,07464%64%1362%71%$33,074$22,18479%$25,51368$18,859
43Santa Clara Univ., Santa ClaraCA5,26758%54%/67%1278%84%$49,323$32,85374%$37,24444$25,438
44Pepperdine, MalibuCA3,40434%59%/63%1474%80%$49,950$26,87670%$33,78927$31,546
45University of Tulsa, TulsaOK3,04946%82%1048%61%$36,556$31,55421%$24,82956$13,273
46Marist College, PoughkeepsieNY5,03137%38%/43%1573%79%$39,180$29,16451%$32,61843$28,374
47Boston Univ., BostonMA18,73359%67%/75%1476%81%$51,228$30,24666%$33,01513$26,586
48Tulane, New OrleansLA6,74927%90%/74%959%73%$51,304$29,55471%$31,85435$22,378
49Case Western Reserve, ClevelandOH4,35673%73%/84%1058%78%$48,623$27,65760%$30,03952$37,892
50Gonzaga, SpokaneWA4,51778%42%/49%1167%78%$38,676$26,81258%$31,50072$24,094

N/A not available.
* Percentage of 2008-09 freshman class that scored 600 or higher on verbal/math SATs or 24 or higher on ACT.
** Percentage of all undergraduates without need who received non-need-based aid.
Source: Peterson's Undergraduate Database. Copyright © 2009 Peterson's/Nelnet LLC. All rights reserved.