The top universities in the United States

So you’ve set your hopes on attending one of the most elite universities in the world?

You’ve heard of Harvard, Stanford and MIT of course.

But with a grand total of 147 US universities in the World University Rankings, there are plenty of options for a world-class education you may never have thought of.

For the fourth year running California Institute of Technology has reigned as the best university in the world.

The prestigious Ivy League universities, which include Columbia University, Harvard and Princeton, among others, fare particularly well in the rankings, but many younger or public universities also perform extremely well when judged on teaching, research, international outcome and influence.

University of California, Berkeley, is the highest ranked public institution, at position 13.

Other state schools (outside California, which has a high concentration) include Pennsylvania State University and Ohio State University, both ranked within the best 100 universities in the world.

These state universities generally charge lower fees than private colleges, even for international students.

See the full ranking for 2015-16 here.

See the current ranking of the best universities in the United States