It's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Top Middle Atlantic Region Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 451 colleges and universities across the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Our 2023 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 9,822 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $103,246 during the early years of their career..
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #2 in the Middle Atlantic Region on this year’s overall quality ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,381 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Carnegie Mellon make an average of $99,998 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 10,486 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Johns Hopkins make an average of $83,287 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list means Princeton University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Princeton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,075 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Princeton go into careers with an average salary of $95,689 during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Cornell University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in Ithaca, New York, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 7,952 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell is $91,176 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #6, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Columbia is located in New York, New York and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13,952 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Columbia make an average of $89,871 a year.
Georgetown University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 7,126 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $96,375 during the early years of their career..
Weill Cornell Medical College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. Weill Cornell Medical College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 355 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Weill Cornell Medical College make an average of $91,176 per year during the early years of their career.
New York University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. New York University is a large private not-for-profit school located in New York, New York that handed out 17,605 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NYU is $76,040 during the early years of their career.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. LECOM is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Erie, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1,252 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 1 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #11. Located in College Park, Maryland, the large public school awarded 12,417 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $71,837 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #12, Lehigh University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 2,158 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $95,033 during the early years of their career..
Colgate University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Hamilton, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 899 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $76,267 during the early years of their career..
George Washington University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,981 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from GWU is $80,606 during the early years of their career.
Teachers College at Columbia University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Teachers College at Columbia University is a small private not-for-profit school located in New York, New York that handed out 1,995 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Relay Graduate School of Education came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in New York, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,753 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%
The Juilliard School did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #17. Juilliard is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 251 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 83%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Juilliard go into careers with an average salary of $37,960 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, Salus University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Villanova University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,100 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Villanova is $90,613 during the early years of their career.
Swarthmore College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 481 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore is $72,637 during the early years of their career.
Bucknell University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Bucknell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,093 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell is $88,154 during the early years of their career.
University of the Sciences ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 591 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from USciences go into careers with an average salary of $98,779 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #23, Culinary Institute of America did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hyde Park, New York. It awarded 1,088 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from The Culinary Institute of America go into careers with an average salary of $48,424 during the early years of their career.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #24.Troy, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,179 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from RPI make an average of $93,416 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Rochester came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,070 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 78%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester make an average of $68,335 per year during the early years of their career.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
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