This year's ranking of universities by the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education are top-heavy in terms of prestige—and cost.

The 2021 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings are based on 15 factors comprising four main categories, with 40% of each school's score based on student outcomes that includes graduate salaries and debt.

According to the Wall Street Journal, 30% of the score comes from academic resources, including teaching expenditures; 20% from student engagement, and 10% from each school's learning environment, including campus diversity.

The newspaper also noted that the data for the latest rankings were taken before the Covid outbreak, which has led to the virtual shutdown of most U.S. college campuses and a shift to remote learning.

"Still, fundamentals like the cost of tuition or student-body diversity remain basically the same during the pandemic," the newspaper stated in announcing the ranking.

The following schools, in ascending order, topped the WSJ/THE college ranking:  

10. Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.

Tuition and fees: $54,568
Room and board: $16,626
Salary after 10 years: $66,433