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Top Universities and Colleges in USA for 2023: Rankings, Courses & Fees

Top Universities in USA for 2023: Known for its diverse ethnicities as well as top universities, USA is one of the hotspots of global education across all disciplines, especially in the business programs. As recorded by NCES, around 4,000 colleges and universities across the country presently welcome international students to study in USA. According to QS World University Rankings, 2023, the USA comprises 45 of the top 200 universities in the world.

Admission Processes to universities in USA varies based on the programs and level of study. Most of the top colleges and universities in the USA focus on academic achievements and professional experiences. As an international student, you need to demonstrate a GPA score of 3.0-4.0 on a 4.0 scale (~83-100%) to get selected by the US universities.

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Study MBA in USA	Study MS in USA	Study Law in USA
Study PhD in USA	Study Computer Science in USA	Study Engineering in USA

The supporting documents required for admission include SOP, LOR, financial proof, immigration documents, CV and scores of exams to study in USA. Remember, if you have transcripts or any certificates in a regional language, the US universities may ask for translated copies from recognized evaluating agencies.

Top 15 Universities in USA

With a significant number of universities ranking in the top universities list of various reputed ranking organizations, USA truly has set benchmarks in standards of education. The following table contains some of the best universities to study in USA:

University	QS Ranking 2023	THE Ranking 2022
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	#1	#5
Stanford University	#3	#4
Harvard University	#5	#2
California Institute of Technology	=#6	#2
The University of Chicago	#10	#10
University of Pennsylvania	#13	#13
Princeton University	=#16	#7
Yale University	#18	#9
Cornell University	#20	#19
Columbia University	#22	#11
Johns Hopkins University	#24	#13
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	#25	#22
University of California, Berkeley	#27	#8
Northwestern University	#32	#24
New York University	#39	#26

Top Universities in USA: Top Courses and Specializations

Best Universities in USA offer a variety of specialization courses to the postgraduate students. Almost all the colleges and universities offer specialization degrees to the postgraduate students. Extensive double-degree programs are also offered by several universities with specialization in two homogenous programs. Following are some of the top specialization programs offered by the US universities:

Programs	Specializations
MBA	Accounting, Marketing
MFin	Finance
M.S. in Computer Science	Programming Languages, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity
MSN	Family Nurse Practitioner
M..S. in Business Analytics	Big Data Analytics, Supply Chain Analytics
M.S. in Psychology	Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology
Master of Architecture	Building Architecture
M.S. in Aerospace Engineering	Flight Mechanics
M.S. in International Business	International Business and Trade

Note: The aforementioned programs are only a few among the diverse range of specializations offered to the international students interested to study in USA.

Top Universities in USA for Bachelors

The undergraduate programs in the USA are equally popular among international students like the graduate and postgraduate programs. The students planning to prepare for the graduate programs from an early stage choose to take admission to a US college or university. This eases their endeavour in taking admission to the top institutions like medical science or engineering colleges in USA.

Besides, some of the regional universities offer a 3-year undergraduate program which is not accepted by the universities in the USA. In rarest of the cases these degrees are accepted with demonstration of additional test documents. To avoid such burdens, students prefer to study in a 4-year undergraduate program at a US institution.

As an added advantage, the English proficiency test requirements are waived for admission to postgraduate programs, if the student already completes a 4-year graduate program in the USA. Some of the top undergraduate programs offered by the US universities are tabulated below:

Popular Undergraduate Programs	Top Universities
BBA	Harvard University Stanford University Columbia University
Bachelor of Physics	Stanford University The University of Chicago MIT
B.Sc. in Nursing	University of Pennsylvania University of California Los Angeles University of Washington
B.Sc. in Computer Science	Harvard University Stanford University MIT
B.Sc. in Chemistry	University of California Los Angeles Princeton University Columbia University
B.Sc. in Civil Engineering	California Institute of Technology Yale University John Hopkins University
B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering	University of California San Diego University of Washington New York University
B.Sc. in Biology	Harvard University University of California Berkeley Stanford University
B. Sc. in Physics	Harvard University Stanford University MIT
B.A. in Economics	Northwestern University University of Michigan Cornell University
B.A. in Psychology	Harvard University Stanford University University of California Berkeley

Note: The above table comprises only a few of the top universities offering these programs. Each of these programs are offered by numerous other universities and colleges in USA.

Top Universities in USA for Masters

The international students from all across the world visit the USA to study graduate programs. In general, nearly 1.1 million international students enrol in the universities and colleges of the USA in an academic year. International candidates steadily comprise 5.5% of the student population in the USA due to the wide availability of the uncommon programs and top-notch quality of the common programs.

Another reason for choosing US universities over others is, students with a US degree are valued anywhere around the world. Following are some of the top graduate programs offered by the US universities:

Popular Graduate Programs	Top Universities
MBA	Harvard University Stanford University MIT
M.S. in Computer Engineering	University of California Columbia University Yale University
M.S. in Finance	Harvard University Princeton University University of Pennsylvania
MSN	Yale University University of Pennsylvania University of California Los Angeles
M.S. in Biomedical Engineering	John Hopkins University Duke University Stanford University
M.S. in Mathematics	University of California Harvard University Stanford University
M.Sc. in Economics	The University of Chicago Cornell University Columbia University
M.S. in Statistics	University of Pennsylvania Harvard University Stanford University
M.S. in Marketing	Georgia State University University of Washington Duke University
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering	Harvard University University of Washington New York University
M.S. in Artificial Intelligence	Stanford University Columbia University Northwestern University
M.S. in Robotics	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor New York University

Best MS Colleges in USA

There is an abundance of MS programs in the top colleges in USA. The cost of studying this program varies based on several factors like the university type, tuition cost and additional research costs. Majority of these MS in USA programs are STEM discipline centred. The duration of the MS program in USA varies between 1-3 years based on the time taken to complete their thesis. Some universities offer accelerated programs to the international students which takes only 1 year to complete MS. Some of the popular MS courses and few colleges offering those programs are tabulated below:

Programs	Universities
M.S. in Computer Engineering	Harvard University Stanford University Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. in Finance	University of California Berkeley University of Pennsylvania New York University
M.S. in Marketing	John Hopkins University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Northwestern University
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering	Harvard University MIT Stanford University
M.S. in Civil Engineering	Duke University Washington University University of Minnesota
M.S. in Data Science	University of California Berkeley Illinois Institute of Technology Columbia University
M.S. in Electrical Engineering	California Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics	University of Texas Austin University of Michigan Ann Arbor Stanford University
M.S. in Physics	Yale University Columbia University University of Pennsylvania
M.S. in Biology	Harvard University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University

Best Universities in USA for MBA

MBA being one of the most coveted programs to study in the USA, expectedly attracts a large number of international candidates. The country offers over 1000 MBA programs across various colleges, B-schools and universities. International students can study full-time MBA, part-time MBA, executive MBA and other accelerated MBA programs in USA. After completing their MBA in USA, graduate students earn a yearly salary of around 160,000 USD on an average. Some of the top MBA colleges in USA are listed below:

Colleges	Annual Cost in USD	Admission Requirements
Harvard Business School	112,000	Transcripts, TOEFL iBT: 109, IELTS: 7.5 or PTE: 75
Stanford Graduate School of Business	119,000	Transcripts, GMAT or GRE, LOR, Essays, SOP, English proficiency tests
The Wharton School	115,000	Transcripts, GRE or GMAT score, Application, English proficiency tests
University of Chicago Booth School of Business	112,000	UG degree, GMAT or GRE score, TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores
John Hopkins Carey Business School	67,000	Transcripts, Resume, 2 essays, LOR, GMAT or GRE score, TOEFL or IELTS score, Interview
MIT Sloan School of Management	79,000	Cover letter, Resume, Video statement, LOR, Organizational chart, Transcripts, GMAT or GRE scores, Professional certificates, Relevant courseworks
Kellogg School of Management	111,000-150,000	Transcripts, Test scores, Work experience, Interpersonal skills
Columbia Business School	118,000	Transcripts, Test scores
Stern School of Business, NYU	121,000	4-years degree, IELTS, TOEFL or DET score
Yale School of Management	104,000	Bachelor’s degree, GMAT, GRE or EA, Professional LOR, Employer approval, Resume, Essays and area of focus

Best Universities in USA for MS in Computer Science

M.S. is one of the most awarded degrees offered to international students in the USA across a wide variety of programs. Most of the renowned colleges offer the MS in Computer Science programs to the international applicants. The admission requirements for the programs are higher in comparison to the other countries. Some of the top universities offering M.Sc. or M.S. in Computer Science in USA are tabulated below:

Colleges	Annual Cost in USD
University of California, Berkeley	10,000-18,000
Harvard University	55,000
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	28,000
Columbia University (Dual degree)	119,000-123,000
Stanford University	33,000
Cornell University	50,000
John Hopkins University	59,000
New York University	50,000
Northwestern University	91,000
Princeton University	56,400

Top Universities in USA for Doctoral Courses

There is an abundance of doctoral and postdoctoral programs in the USA for overseas candidates. Students get state-of-the-art technology and research options while pursuing their doctoral programs across several universities in the USA. Some scholars are offered with fully-funded doctoral programs by various top universities in USA.

As the USA is an industry-rich country, students get on-hand opportunities to observe professionals closely. This helps in learning lessons practically and in their proper implementation. Some of the significant doctoral and research programs in USA are listed below:

Programs	Popular Colleges	Average Costs in USD
Ph.D. in Computer Science	Harvard University Stanford University MIT	25,000
Ph.D. in Business Administration	Columbia University Stanford University University of California Berkeley	18,000
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering	Stanford University Duke University Columbia University	Fully-funded
Ph.D. in Neuroscience	Stanford University Harvard University University of Pennsylvania	72,000
Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology	Harvard University MIT John Hopkins University	25,000
Ph.D. in Data Science	Stanford University California Institute of Technology Harvard University	25,000
Ph.D. in Statistics	Yale University University of California Berkeley University of Washington	Fully-funded
Ph.D. in Genetics	MIT Harvard University Boston University	70,000
Ph.D. in Anthropology	Stanford University MIT Columbia University	17,000-72,000
Ph.D. in Immunology	The University of Chicago Stanford University Harvard University	72,000

Special Programs at Top Universities in USA

The variety of vocational programs in the USA are vast and dependent on the occupations of the locality of the institutes. Students with goals to start earning early shows the tendency to choose these programs. Some of the secondary vocational programs also provide general and specialized job-market preparations. Some of the top disciplines of vocational programs in USA are:

Health
Agriculture
Business and office
Marketing and distribution
Trade and industry
Occupational home industries

There are also technical education opportunities like engineering and science technologies, communication technologies, computer and data processing, and protective services. The number of international students is less than the natives pursuing the vocational programs, as the ROI for other postsecondary programs are higher on a long term basis.

Admission Requirements for USA Universities

The admission requirements widely differ across various programs and top universities in the USA. Following are some of the common application requirements for admission to US colleges:

Official transcripts, marksheets and proof of degree
Translated copies of documents in regional languages
Official evaluation of scores by recognized foreign score evaluators
Application fees
A minimum GPA of 3.0-4.0 (~83-100%)
Competitive SAT or ACT scores
CV/resume
SOP
GRE or GMAT scores
Academic and profession LOR, based on the program requirements
Proof of financial availability to support the expenses in USA
English proficiency test scores

Scholarships at Top Universities in USA

The top universities in the USA offer a plethora of scholarships to the international students. Most of the scholarships are merit-based or need-based and dependent on the duration of the programs. The top universities do not distinguish students according to their selected programs. Furthermore, the government and external organizations also offer several international student scholarships in USA. Here is a list of some of the best scholarships offered by the authority of the top colleges in USA:

Scholarships	University	Grant Details
Academic Scholars Award	Harvard University	67,000 USD
Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program	Stanford University	150,000 USD
MIT Scholarships	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Full or partial cost of studying
Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship	Columbia University	10,000 USD
UChicago Scholarships	The University of Chicago	10,000 USD
Bershadsky Family Scholarship in Science or Engineering	Princeton University	10,000 USD
University Grants	Yale University	Up to 74,000 USD
Knight Scholarship	Cornell University	Up to 40,000 USD

Read more: Despite changes in visa policies, sky-rocketing fees of courses, strict interviews during visa and more, the US remains a popular student hub. Find out why are students choosing the US!

Top Universities in USA by ROI

One of the key reasons for students choosing top US universities for graduation is the promising high salaried career opportunities. The top US college graduates are esteemed with excellent salaries by various multinational brands in and out of the USA. Following are some of the top universities in USA and the average starting salaries offered to the graduate students according to US News and World Report:

Universities	Mean Starting Salaries in USD
California Institute of Technology	82,900
MIT	82,700
Thomas Jefferson University	73,000
Stanford University	73,900
Colorado School of Mines	72,400
Stevens Institute of Technology	71,500
Princeton University	71,300
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	71,200

The top colleges and universities in the USA accept a huge number of students every year. However, these universities never compromise on their world-class education quality. Although different universities have contrasting goals and teaching objectives, all the universities focus on implementation of advanced study modules and equipment for the betterment of the future. The top US universities ensure excellent placement options of the alumni across various multinational companies and other desirable employment opportunities, attracting a humongous number of international students every year.

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CD Rank	College Info	RqInK9	Top Courses	Ranking & Reviews
#1	Stanford University, Stanford California, Usa4.8%Acceptance Rate	Tuition: ₹35.68L/Yr ($43,048/Yr)Living: ₹25.37L/Yr ($30,610/Yr)Admission	M.B.AGMAT730TOEFL100PTE68₹63.78L/Yr $76,950 Course duration: 2 years 162+ More Programs	8.0/10(3 Users)Ranked 2 by THE in 2024 Ranked 5 by QS in 2024
#2	Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts, Usa5.6%Acceptance Rate	Tuition: ₹39.82L/Yr ($48,043/Yr)Living: ₹10.98L/Yr ($13,248/Yr)Admission	M.S Data ScienceGRE updated292TOEFL100₹43.48L/Yr $52,456 Course duration: 2 years 104+ More Programs	7.5/10(4 Users)Ranked 4 by THE in 2024 Ranked 4 by QS in 2024

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