(STACKER) - Considering the United States was birthed from a revolution waged along the Eastern Seaboard, it makes sense that the roots of the country's higher education system were planted there as well.
Harvard University came first, founded in 1636, predating the Declaration of Independence by 140 years. The nation's oldest institution of higher learning was followed by a slew of state and public universities throughout the 13 colonies.
The East Coast remains home to a number of private and public colleges that consistently top “best of" lists, highlighted by the prestigious Ivy League eight. Stacker combed through Niche's 2021 Best Colleges in America list (current as of February 2021) in order to discover which 50 East Coast schools, old and new, are the cream of the crop.
Niche ranks colleges by analyzing student and alumni reviews, as well as data on academic, admissions, and student life culled from the U.S. Department of Education. Stacker filtered its list to include schools in the District of Columbia and states that border the Atlantic Ocean within 100 miles of their eastern borders: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Keep reading to discover the best schools on the East Coast—and find out if any among them beat out the Ivies for top spot.
1 / 50Cynthia Farmer // Shutterstock
#50. Lafayette College
- Location: Easton, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,603
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 31%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $68,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #72
2 / 50Nick McPhee // Flickr
#49. Smith College
- Location: Northampton, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,490
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $46,200
- Two-year employment rate: 88%
- Overall rank: #71
3 / 50Barbara Kalbfleisch // Shutterstock
#48. University of Miami
- Location: Coral Gables, FL
- Undergraduate enrollment: 10,484
- Student to faculty ratio: 12:1
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,100
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #70
4 / 50Jennifer Yakey-Ault // Shutterstock
#47. Bates College
- Location: Lewiston, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,832
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $59,200
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #69
5 / 50Brian Logan Photography // Shutterstock
#46. Vassar College
- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,442
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $54,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #67
6 / 50Villanova University Digital Library // Flickr
#45. Villanova University
- Location: Villanova, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,565
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 28%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $77,900
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #64
7 / 50Joseph Giansante '76 // Wikimedia Commons
#44. Lehigh University
- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,982
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 32%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $81,900
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #63
8 / 50Anna Creech // Flickr
#43. University of Richmond
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 3,040
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 28%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $64,500
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #62
9 / 50Eric T Gunther // Wikimedia Commons
#42. Virginia Tech
- Location: Blacksburg, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 27,180
- Student to faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 70%
- Graduation rate: 86%
- Six-year median earnings: $62,500
- Two-year employment rate: 96%
- Overall rank: #60
10 / 50Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
#41. University of Georgia
- Location: Athens, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 27,947
- Student to faculty ratio: 17:1
- Acceptance rate: 45%
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Six-year median earnings: $50,500
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #59
11 / 50Spohpatuf // Wikimedia Commons
#40. University of Florida
- Location: Gainesville, FL
- Undergraduate enrollment: 32,209
- Student to faculty ratio: 18:1
- Acceptance rate: 37%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $56,000
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #56
12 / 50Jorge Salcedo // Shutterstock
#39. Boston University
- Location: Boston, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 17,396
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,300
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #55
13 / 50William Silver // Shutterstock
#38. William & Mary
- Location: Williamsburg, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,300
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 38%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #54
14 / 50Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons
#37. Hamilton College
- Location: Clinton, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,991
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,200
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #53
15 / 50Svineyard // Shutterstock
#36. Wesleyan University
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,928
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Six-year median earnings: $54,700
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #52
16 / 50littlenySTOCK // Shutterstock
#35. New York University
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 25,725
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Six-year median earnings: $61,900
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #51
17 / 50Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#34. Northeastern University
- Location: Boston, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 13,864
- Student to faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $67,400
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #50
18 / 50Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism // Flickr
#33. Boston College
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 9,696
- Student to faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 27%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $72,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #49
19 / 50Yeungb // Wikimedia Commons
#32. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Location: Chapel Hill, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 18,526
- Student to faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 23%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $55,600
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #48
20 / 50Dacoslett // Wikimedia Commons
#31. Davidson College
- Location: Davidson, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,843
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 18%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,900
- Two-year employment rate: 88%
- Overall rank: #47
21 / 50Fryslan0109 // Wikimedia Commons
#30. Colgate University
- Location: Hamilton, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,936
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 23%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $63,600
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #45
22 / 50Bryan Pollard // Shutterstock
#29. Wake Forest University
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,171
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 30%
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Six-year median earnings: $63,800
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #44
23 / 50Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#28. Wellesley College
- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,391
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 22%
- Graduation rate: 91%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,800
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #43
24 / 50Spiroview Inc // Shutterstock
#27. Swarthmore College
- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,554
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $56,700
- Two-year employment rate: 85%
- Overall rank: #42
25 / 50Popova Valeriya // Shutterstock
#26. Barnard College
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,519
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Six-year median earnings: $57,900
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #41
26 / 50EQRoy // Shutterstock
#25. Emory University
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,985
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $66,000
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #40
27 / 50Margaret Berry // Shutterstock
#24. Middlebury College
- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,551
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,200
- Two-year employment rate: 87%
- Overall rank: #38
28 / 50Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism // Flickr
#23. Amherst College
- Location: Amherst, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,855
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,000
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #37
29 / 50Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock
#22. Washington & Lee University
- Location: Lexington, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,825
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 19%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $76,100
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #36
30 / 50Popova Valeriya // Shutterstock
#21. Colby College
- Location: Waterville, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,000
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Six-year median earnings: $58,100
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #35
31 / 50Jackbauerinvc // Wikimedia Commons
#20. Haverford College
- Location: Haverford, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,308
- Student to faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $60,700
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #34
32 / 50Colin D. Young // Shutterstock
#19. Williams College
- Location: Williamstown, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 2,042
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $59,000
- Two-year employment rate: 90%
- Overall rank: #33
33 / 50Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
#18. United States Military Academy at West Point
- Location: West Point, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,589
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Six-year median earnings: null
- Two-year employment rate: null
- Overall rank: #32
34 / 50Kevin D. Walsh // Shutterstock
#17. Tufts University
- Location: Medford, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,508
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Six-year median earnings: $75,800
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #31
35 / 50Kim Kelley-Wagner // Shutterstock
#16. University of Virginia
- Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 15,990
- Student to faculty ratio: 15:1
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $61,200
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #29
36 / 50EQRoy // Shutterstock
#15. Georgia Institute of Technology
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 14,318
- Student to faculty ratio: 18:1
- Acceptance rate: 21%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $79,100
- Two-year employment rate: 95%
- Overall rank: #27
37 / 50EQRoy // Shutterstock
#14. Bowdoin College
- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,825
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $65,500
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #26
38 / 50Flapane // Wikimedia Commons
#13. Georgetown University
- Location: Washington, DC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,990
- Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $93,500
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #25
39 / 50Jay Yuan // Shutterstock
#12. Carnegie Mellon University
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,343
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 15%
- Graduation rate: 90%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,600
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #22
40 / 50Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#11. Johns Hopkins University
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,595
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Six-year median earnings: $73,200
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #21
41 / 50sach1tb // Wikimedia Commons
#10. Cornell University
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 15,175
- Student to faculty ratio: 9:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $77,200
- Two-year employment rate: 93%
- Overall rank: #18
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#9. Dartmouth College
- Location: Hanover, NH
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,357
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $75,500
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #13
43 / 50Kristina D.C. Hoeppner // Flickr
#8. Columbia University
- Location: New York, NY
- Undergraduate enrollment: 7,666
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,300
- Two-year employment rate: 89%
- Overall rank: #12
44 / 50Eileen_10 // Shutterstock
#7. University of Pennsylvania
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 10,605
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Six-year median earnings: $85,900
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #10
45 / 50Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
#6. Brown University
- Location: Providence, RI
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,735
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Six-year median earnings: $67,500
- Two-year employment rate: 91%
- Overall rank: #9
46 / 50EQRoy // Shutterstock
#5. Princeton University
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,321
- Student to faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Graduation rate: 98%
- Six-year median earnings: $74,700
- Two-year employment rate: 87%
- Overall rank: #6
47 / 50Ilyse Whitney // Flickr
#4. Duke University
- Location: Durham, NC
- Undergraduate enrollment: 6,659
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $84,400
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #5
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#3. Yale University
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Undergraduate enrollment: 5,939
- Student to faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Six-year median earnings: $83,200
- Two-year employment rate: 92%
- Overall rank: #4
49 / 50Marcio Jose Bastos Silva // Shutterstock
#2. Harvard University
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 7,210
- Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Six-year median earnings: $89,700
- Two-year employment rate: 89%
- Overall rank: #2
50 / 50Paper Cat // Shutterstock
#1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Undergraduate enrollment: 4,557
- Student to faculty ratio: 3:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Six-year median earnings: $104,700
- Two-year employment rate: 94%
- Overall rank: #1
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