Chasing Prestige: Top Most Elite Colleges?

All this talk of applying to colleges, and I can't help but be a bit curious about the top dogs. Anyone have reliable info on the top 20 most prestigious colleges? Just a curious precollege student here, promise I'm not just chasing names.

Sure, happy to help answer your inquiry! Please understand "prestige" can be somewhat subjective and typically is based on factors like selectivity, academic rigor, faculty resources, financial resources, student satisfaction, alumni success, and reputation among high school counselors and other colleges. Depending on who you ask, the "most prestigious" colleges might differ slightly. But for the most part, these institutions frequently appear on lists of the top 20 "most prestigious" universities in the U.S., in no particular order:

1. Harvard University

2. Stanford University

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

5. University of Chicago

6. Princeton University

7. Yale University

8. Columbia University

9. University of Pennsylvania

10. Brown University

11. Dartmouth College

12. Duke University

13. Cornell University

14. Northwestern University

15. Johns Hopkins University

16. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

17. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

18. University of Michigan

19. University of Southern California (USC)

20. Carnegie Mellon University

Again, remember that prestige doesn't always equate to the best fit for a student. Different institutions offer different experiences, academic focuses, cultures, and opportunities. Finding a place where you'll thrive is more important than the prestige attached to a name.