U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of U.S. colleges and universities provides a starting point for clients searching for the best academic value for their children.

Nearly 1,800 schools were ranked on 16 measures of academic excellence. Factors such as graduation and retention rates were the most heavily weighted.

The No. 1 one college held onto the top spot for the second consecutive year.

No. 10
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, Calif.
Tuition and fees: $43,362
Enrollment: 2,181
Average freshman retention rate: 97 percent
6-year graduation rate: 93 percent

No. 8 (Tie)
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.
Tuition and fees: $47,668
Enrollment: 21,358
Average freshman retention rate: 98 percent
6-year graduation rate: 96 percent

No. 8 (Tie)
Duke University
Durham, N.C.
Tuition and fees: $47,488
Enrollment: 15,465
Average freshman retention rate: 97 percent
6-year graduation rate: 94 percent

No. 7
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Mass.
Tuition and fees: $45,016
Enrollment: 11,301
Average freshman retention rate: 98 percent
6-year graduation rate: 93 percent

No. 4 (Tie)
University of Chicago
Chicago, Ill.
Tuition and fees: $48,253
Enrollment: 12,539
Average freshman retention rate: 99 percent
6-year graduation rate: 93 percent

No. 4 (Tie)
Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.
Tuition and fees: $44,757
Enrollment: 18,136
Average freshman retention rate: 98 percent
6-year graduation rate: 96 percent

No. 4 (Tie)
Columbia University
New York, N.Y.
Tuition and fees: $51,008
Enrollment: 23,606
Average freshman retention rate: 99 percent
6-year graduation rate: 96 percent

No. 3
Yale University
New Haven, Conn.
Tuition and fees: $45,800
Enrollment: 12,109
Average freshman retention rate: 99 percent
6-year graduation rate: 98 percent

No. 2
Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
Tuition and fees: $43,938
Enrollment: 19,882
Average freshman retention rate: 97 percent
6-year graduation rate: 97 percent

No. 1
Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.
Tuition and fees: $41,820
Enrollment: 8,014
Average freshman retention rate: 98 percent
6-year graduation rate: 97 percent

 

Click U.S. News & World Report for the complete rankings.