50 Best Values in Private Universities 2009-10

Survey methodology and definitions

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  Quality Measures Financial Measures Other
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 DebtTuition CostRoom & Board CostAvg. Financial AidFreshman Retention Rate% of Male Students% of Female Students% of SAT Verbal 700-800% of SAT Math 700-800% of ACT    30-36 
1Cal. Institute of Technology, PasadenaCA92117%99%/100%381%87%$46,629$18,15990%$17,71516$9,871$33,324$10,755$31,61198%66%34%76%100%99%
2Princeton, PrincetonNJ4,98110%97%/98%590%95%$49,055$17,70496%$49,0550$5,955$35,340$11,680$32,70798%52%48%73%77%85%
3Yale, New HavenCT5,2779%98%/98%687%95%$48,450$12,74796%$48,4500$12,297$36,500$11,000$37,22399%50%50%77%77%N/A
4Rice, HoustonTX3,05125%88%/92%578%89%$44,088$19,98496%$29,42323$11,108$31,430$11,230$24,98197%52%48%53%64%71%
5Harvard, CambridgeMA6,6788%100%/100%788%96%$49,684$12,83494%$49,6840$10,813$33,696$11,856$39,19397%50%50%75%75%N/A
6Duke, DurhamNC6,49622%92%/94%688%94%$51,125$20,23592%$23,4068$24,205$37,485$11,154$33,56296%51%49%60%68%72%
7Columbia, New YorkNY5,66711%94%/96%687%93%$54,789$21,03896%$54,7890$18,420$39,296$10,228$35,09299%53%47%64%66%73%
8University of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaPA9,75617%93%/96%688%94%$51,080$23,96986%$51,0800$19,085$34,868$11,016$31,50898%50%50%52%70%75%
9Dartmouth College, HanoverNH4,14713%91%/93%886%94%$51,821$18,37393%$51,3710$20,126$38,679$11,295$35,96698%50%50%65%67%73%
10MIT, CambridgeMA4,15312%90%/99%783%92%$50,292$20,23493%$50,2920$14,148$37,510$11,360$32,43798%55%45%58%85%84%
11Stanford, StanfordCA6,5329%92%/95%679%92%$51,267$20,66191%$47,75226$15,724$37,380$11,463$33,53898.3%51%49%57%66%77%
12Brown, ProvidenceRI6,09514%90%/93%984%92%$50,394$20,46889%$50,3940$19,390$38,048$10,280$33,52198%48%52%57%66%66%
13Emory, AtlantaGA6,89027%93%/95%782%87%$50,032$23,07491%$31,53026$23,181$37,500$10,896$29,62795%45%55%45%61%75%
14University of Richmond, RichmondVA2,79532%72%/74%882%87%$49,540$18,48590%$30,33027$20,915$40,010$8,480$34,42391%49%51%15%18%33%
15Northwestern, EvanstonIL8,47626%95%/96%786%92%$51,850$25,91488%$49,6077$19,808$38,088$11,703$29,41197%48%52%60%71%73%
16University of Notre Dame, Notre DameIN8,36327%92%/96%1295%95%$49,795$25,65875%$43,6896$29,835$37,970$10,368$32,11397%53%47%50%64%83%
17Vanderbilt, NashvilleTN6,63725%91%/95%984%89%$52,520$22,10481%$34,27622$19,839$37,632$12,650$37,55397%48%52%47%66%82%
18Cornell, IthacaNY13,84621%86%/93%987%92%$50,874$25,60285%$50,8740$23,485$37,750$12,160$29,62196%51%49%41%64%69%
19University of Chicago, ChicagoIL5,06528%91%/89%686%91%$52,232$18,39491%$40,712NA$27,562$38,550$11,697$37,13898%50%50%63%60%68%
20Johns Hopkins, BaltimoreMD4,74425%88%/92%1281%89%$52,890$25,53888%$28,1013$21,984$39,150$12,040$31,13098%52%48%45%60%69%
21Washington Univ. in St. Louis, St. LouisMO6,98522%98%/99%785%92%$52,609$25,13588%$45,22320N/A$37,800$12,465$31,09396%48%52%64%77%92%
22Tufts, MedfordMA5,04426%94%/95%786%91%$51,889$24,29991%$51,3892$23,687$39,432$10,747$30,36397%49%51%62%62%N/A
23Boston College, Chestnut HillMA9,06026%81%/87%1388%91%$52,308$26,76186%$34,4123$19,358$38,530$11,840$29,58696%48%52%29%42%62%
24Brandeis, WalthamMA3,19633%89%/91%986%89%$50,739$26,71283%$28,29138$20,095$37,530$10,792$29,04493%44%56%38%43%61%
25Wake Forest, Winston-SalemNC4,47638%82%/87%1083%88%$49,932$25,55783%$37,14813$24,827$38,206$10,410$29,24593%49%51%25%33%42%
26Georgetown, WashingtonDC7,09219%89%/91%1190%92%$52,878$24,62882%$52,878N/A$23,333$38,616$12,506$34,30796%46%54%54%56%N/A
27Lehigh, BethlehemPA4,87628%74%/88%972%83%$49,830$23,03385%$39,34413$29,756$38,330$10,200$31,61193.5%58%42%17%40%N/A
28Elon University, ElonNC4,99242%61%/63%1472%78%$34,625$25,25261%$29,20531$23,392$25,159$8,236$15,42890%41%59%10%12%13%
29Villanova University, VillanovaPA7,16139%71%/82%1184%88%$50,110$29,58181%$39,04910$29,812$38,240$10,340$25,25895%49%51%16%32%56%
30Bentley, WalthamMA4,25938%48%/81%1274%82%$48,618$28,88574%$33,08018$30,577$34,360$11,740$26,58493%60%40%4%19%17%
31Trinity, San AntonioTX2,48958%73%/81%1070%80%$42,232$26,01772%$32,11071$21,000$28,272$11,965$22,52990%46%54%24%23%50%
32University of Miami, Coral GablesFL10,42239%71%/80%1164%75%$48,238$26,47175%$30,53736$24,500$35,540$10,800$29,17090%47%53%20%27%42%
33Univ. of So. California, Los AngelesCA16,60822%85%/91%969%86%$52,141$29,77568%$38,23532$27,692$38,570$11,458$33,02597%50%50%33%50%63%
34University of Rochester, RochesterNY5,35543%72%/85%974%82%$51,140$26,47882%$42,86450$27,121$37,870$11,200$30,12393%48%52%22%41%43%
35Providence College, ProvidenceRI3,93845%41%/49%1284%86%$45,280$32,67368%$25,04717$33,297$32,320$11,360$18,50092%44%56%5%8%13%
36Emerson College, BostonMA5,42337%69%/49%1472%75%$42,998$28,73088%$30,5116$15,701$29,408$12,280$16,15390%61%39%17%6%21%
37Clark, WorcesterMA2,36756%56%/49%1067%72%$42,870$20,93878%$28,39854$22,250$34,900$6,600$27,94588%41%59%15%9%17%
38Creighton, OmahaNE4,08782%79%1167%75%$39,358$21,36375%$27,79064$29,074$28,238$8,814$23,91687%41%59%9%11%19%
39Whitworth, SpokaneWA2,33149%54%/57%1358%71%$37,730$22,45373%$27,93059$19,305$28,320$8,120$20,88187%41%59%12%9%20%
40Carnegie Mellon, PittsburghPA5,99838%84%/92%1170%84%$52,068$33,32376%$40,64513$30,533$40,300$10,340$24,72495.4%60%40%33%66%67%
41Butler, IndianapolisIN3,63972%83%1152%60%$39,560$24,45176%$28,15975$24,000$28,460$9,500$19,88089%39%61%10%7%23%
42Bradley, PeoriaIL5,07464%64%1362%71%$33,074$22,18479%$25,51368$18,859$23,950$7,650$13,79889%46%54%10%11%12%
43Santa Clara Univ., Santa ClaraCA5,26758%54%/67%1278%84%$49,323$32,85374%$37,24444$25,438$36,000$11,400$22,14993.2%47%53%9%19%27%
44Pepperdine, MalibuCA3,40434%59%/63%1474%80%$49,950$26,87670%$33,78927$31,546$37,730$10,900$32,76091%46%54%16%19%33%
45University of Tulsa, TulsaOK3,04946%82%1048%61%$36,556$31,55421%$24,82956$13,273$26,722$8,544$23,28588%52%48%27%23%33%
46Marist College, PoughkeepsieNY5,03137%38%/43%1573%79%$39,180$29,16451%$32,61843$28,374$26,105$11,225$19,79088%44%56%3%5%9%
47Boston Univ., BostonMA18,73359%67%/75%1476%81%$51,228$30,24666%$33,01513$26,586$37,910$11,848$31,65091%41%59%17%22%26%
48Tulane, New OrleansLA6,74927%90%/74%959%73%$51,304$29,55471%$31,85435$22,378$37,200$9,520$30,72187%46%54%43%24%54%
49Case Western Reserve, ClevelandOH4,35673%73%/84%1058%78%$48,623$27,65760%$30,03952$37,892$35,900$10,890$34,92791.5%57%43%24%41%48%
50Gonzaga, SpokaneWA4,51778%42%/49%1167%78%$38,676$26,81258%$31,50072$24,094$29,200$7,976$20,63092%46%54%6%7%18%

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.