The Ivy League is still the best place to get a college education in the U.S., according to a recent online ranking of American universities.

Six of the top 10 schools in the U.S. are in the elite East Coast private universities that constitute the Ivy League, according to College Factual, a web-based higher education research and comparison tool. 

College Factual examined the quality of incoming students, including their placement test scores, and information about the schools' graduates, including average starting salaries.

The rankings also consider statistics like freshman retention rates, the number of full-time teachers and student loan default rates.

These are the schools ranked by College Factual as the tops in the nation, in ascending order:

10. University of Notre Dame

This private non-profit college located in South Bend, Ind., has a 91 percent on-time graduation rate. Graduates have an average starting salary of $50,000. Notre Dame also boasts a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

9. Princeton University

Students enter New Jersey’s Princeton University with an average SAT score of 1500 and leave to an average starting salary of $53,000. The school has a 90 percent on-time graduation rate and a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

8. Cornell University

Based in Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell  has a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an 87 percent on-time graduation rate. Students graduate to an average starting salary of $53,000. Almost all of Cornell’s faculty, 90 percent, are full-time employees.

7. Brown University

This private non-profit school in Providence, R.I., has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Most students, 85 percent, graduate on time and to an average starting salary of $48,000.

6. Amherst College

Located in Amherst, a town in central Massachussets, Amherst’s graduates have an average starting salary of $46,000. The school has an 87 percent on-time graduation rate and a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1.

5. Stanford University

Located in Stanford, Calif., near the northern extent of Silicon Valley, Stanford has a 76 percent on-time graduation rate. Students enter with an average SAT score of 1475 and emerge with a $54,000 average starting salary.

4. Duke University

Duke University in Durham, N.C., has an 87 percent on-time graduation rate. The student-to-faculty ratio is 7:1 and students graduate to a $48,000 starting salary.

3. University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania's students see a $54,000 average starting salary. The school has a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an 87 percent on-time graduation rate.

2. Harvard University

Harvard University has an on-time graduation rate of 86 percent. The Cambridge, Mass., private college also has an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and its graduates earn a $48,000 average starting salary. Harvard did rank behind its primary rival, however.

1. Yale University

Yale in New Haven, Conn., has students who enter with an average SAT score of 1505 and emerge to a $48,000 starting salary. The school has an 87 percent on-time graduation rate.