Best Ivy League Schools for 2021-2022
What ivy league school should you go to? This is a question that many students ask themselves as they are deciding on their future. The answer, however, is not cut and dried. Each school has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to do your research before picking one over the other. This article will discuss all the best ivy league schools from top to bottom- what makes them great, what makes them bad, and why each student needs to make sure they’ve found the right match for their personality type.
How Ivy League schools are ranked
Academic standings
Every school has different criteria for what makes them the best ivy league schools, so it’s important to look at the rankings of each one. These rankings are made by looking at how well they do on standardized tests and if their students graduate or not. The Ivies who have high scores in both categories will be better ranked than those who only excel in one or the other.
Career earnings
These rankings are also based on how much money students make after graduation, specifically what field they go into and whether their employers think these graduates will be successful. This is often used as a measure of whether the school has been preparing its students well enough to enter the job market with skills essential to a successful career.
What makes Ivy League Schools great?
The best ivy league schools have the most competitive admission rates and the highest ranking in terms of academics. They have students who go on to be very successful, earn six-figure salaries post-graduation for their chosen field, and they send graduates into positions that would allow them to make the best money possible.
What is unique about Ivy League schools?
The best ivy league schools are those that have a different curriculum for each student. They’re able to focus on what’s going to work better for the individual by offering courses tailored to their strengths and weaknesses rather than making everyone take the same classes.
Why should students looking for ivy league schools do research?
Each person has different interests and needs. This is why it is crucial to find the right school that will help them achieve those goals and get into a good career afterwards. Ivy League Schools are often very competitive- which means you have to make sure your odds of getting in are at their highest. If you don’t do your research, it’s easy to miss out on the best ivy league schools and end up compromising on what you want for your future.
The Best Ivy League Schools Rankings 2021-2022
1. Harvard University
The first school on the list is Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this Ivy League school has a lot to offer its students. It’s ranked number one for academic standing and ranks second out of all schools regarding career earnings potential.
Harvard’s endowment size is $38.0 billion, which makes it the wealthiest school on this list by far. They also have an undergraduate enrollment of 6655 students (the second largest on our list).
Harvard does a great job at making sure that its faculty and student populations are diverse- they’ve even expressed interest in increasing diversity among its students in the future.
Despite all of those positives, Harvard is not without its flaws. The cost of attending this prestigious school can be upwards of $70,000 a year (when you factor in costs like room and board). That means that roughly 84% of students have to take out student loans to cover their tuition expenses- which could mean that they end up paying upwards of $50,000 over the course of their four years at school before they even find a job.
Harvard also has an undergraduate enrollment that is quite small- less than 6700 students, which can make it difficult for students to find the community they were expecting.
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2. Yale University
The second school on our list is Yale University. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this Ivy League School has a lot to offer its students. Like Harvard, they are ranked number one for academic standing and rank third out of all schools in terms of career earnings potential (not far behind from the top spot).
This prestigious ivy league university also has a sizeable endowment size of $29.0 billion, which ranks them as the second wealthiest school on our list.
Yale has an undergraduate enrollment of around 6092 students- making it one of the largest schools in this prestigious ranking (behind Harvard).
Despite all of these positives, Yale does have their weaknesses too. They are ranked number two out of all schools in terms of the cost to attend- which can be upwards of $68,000 a year. That means roughly 77% of students have to take out student loans to cover their tuition expenses.
Yale also has a lower acceptance rate than many other top schools- with less than 6.1% of applicants being accepted into this school.
In conclusion, Yale University is an Ivy League school with a lot to offer its students, but it also comes at a high cost for those who want to attend. It should be noted that there are some scholarships available for those who want to attend this prestigious ivy league school.
3. Princeton University
The third school on our list is Princeton University. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this Ivy League School has a lot to offer its students. They are ranked number one for academic standing and rank fourth out of all schools in terms of career earnings potential (just behind Yale).
This prestigious ivy league university also has an endowment size that ranks at $25.9 billion, which ranks them as the third wealthiest school on our list- not far behind number two.
Princeton has an undergraduate enrollment of around 5422 students (which makes it one of the smaller schools in this prestigious ranking). However, it should be noted that Princeton strives to make sure that they have a diverse student population, which includes faculty and students.
Princeton has a lower acceptance rate than many of the other top schools, with around 5.8% of applicants being accepted into this school. It should also be noted that there are some scholarships available for those who want to attend this prestigious ivy league school.
The only real downside to this ivy league school is that it has a higher cost of attendance than many other schools. They are ranked number three out of all schools in terms of the cost to attend- which can be upwards of $73,000 a year with room and board included (which means there’s no need for student loans). That means that roughly 81% of students have to take out student loans to cover their tuition expenses- which could mean that they end up paying upwards of $60,000 over the course of their four years at school before they even find a job.
Princeton does offer some scholarships for those who want to attend this prestigious ivy league school (but it should be noted that they are not as plentiful or as large in comparison to scholarships at other schools we have looked at on this list).
In conclusion, Princeton University is an Ivy League school with a lot to offer its students, but it also comes with the highest cost of attendance. So if you’re looking for an ivy league school, then make sure you factor in the expense of attending Princeton before you make your decision.
4. Brown University
Brown University is the fourth school on our list. It’s located in Providence, Rhode Island. This school is ranked number one for academic reputation and ranks sixth out of all schools in career earnings potential. Brown also has an endowment size that ranks at $3.8 Billion.
Brown’s undergraduate enrollment is around 7160 students- making it one of the smaller schools in this ranking. It should be noted, however, that Brown strives to make sure they have a diverse student population- with faculty and students making up their
Brown also has an acceptance rate of around 16%, which is lower than many other top ivy league schools (although still quite high). When it comes to scholarships for Brown, it should be noted that they have some but not as many or as large in comparison to the other schools we have looked at.
In conclusion, Brown is an ivy league school with a lot to offer its students, but they are not as well known for having the best career opportunities. So if you’re looking for an ivy league school that will give you some of the best chances in terms of your future success, then make sure you factor this into your decision- especially when it comes to the scholarship opportunities.
5. University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is the fifth school on our list. It’s located in Philadelphia, PA, and it has an undergraduate enrollment that ranks at about 10,019 students- making it one of the larger schools in this ranking.
Penn also has a lower acceptance rate than many if not all top ivy league schools (with only 7.7% being accepted into this school).
Penn also has a higher cost of attendance, just like other ivy league schools. Scholarships are available for those who want to attend this prestigious school- but it should be noted that they are not as plentiful or as large in comparison to the other schools we looked at on this list (especially when you compare them with Princeton).
Penn is the only ivy league school on this list to offer a Pre-Law major (which means they also have one of the best law schools in America).
In conclusion, Penn is an Ivy League school with a lot to offer its students, but it has fewer scholarship opportunities than many other top ivy league schools. So if you’re looking for an ivy league school that offers the best chances of getting scholarships, then make sure you factor this into your decision- especially when it comes to comparing them with Princeton.
6. Columbia University
Columbia University is the sixth school on our list. It’s located in New York City, NY, and it has an undergraduate enrollment of around 6245 students- making it one of the smaller schools ranked here.
Columbia also has a higher cost of attendance- but they are known for having more large scholarships available to their students. The cost of attendance may go up to $60,000 a year for tuition- but the average student’s cost will be around $37,500.
Columbia also has an endowment size that ranks at around $10.9 Billion. The endowment is the sum of gifts, grants and other donations that schools use to fund a variety of programs, including financial aid for low-income families and research projects. The larger the endowment, the more money there is to support these programs.
As one of the top ivy league schools in America and also as far as Ivy League Schools go- Columbia has a diverse student population among both faculty and students with opportunities for minority groups and women in STEM fields, which they rank number one school for female undergraduates in STEM.
Columbia University is a good choice for students who are looking to pursue a STEM field at one of the best ivy league schools in America.
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7. Dartmouth College
Seventh on the list is Dartmouth College, which has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4459 students. Dartmouth is one of the smaller schools in this ranking, and it also has a lower acceptance rate (with only 12% being accepted).
Dartmouth’s tuition for students who live on campus runs at around $53,000- but that does not include room and board costs. The average cost of attendance is about $58,000.
Dartmouth does provide need-based scholarships for those who qualify, and they have a variety of other scholarship opportunities as well that are available to students.
The only downside with Dartmouth College is that there aren’t many career opportunities for their students. The opportunities there aren’t nearly as diverse compared to some of the ivy league schools ranked above them on this list (especially when it comes to job placement rates).
Dartmouth ranks at number eight for undergraduate enrollment, which means you have a higher chance of getting accepted if your grades and test scores fall within the average for the school.
The endowment size is around $5.5 billion- which is much smaller than many of the other ivy league schools on this list.
8. Cornell university
The eighth school on our list is Cornell University. Undergraduate enrollment at this ivy league school is around 15,043 students- making it one of the larger schools ranked here.
Cornell also has an acceptance rate of about 10%, being among the easiest Ivy school to be accepted into. The tuition for in-state undergraduate students living on campus runs at about $49,000- but that does not include room and board costs. The average cost of attendance is about $56,500, which might be more.
Cornell provides need-based scholarships for those who qualify, and they have a variety of other scholarship opportunities as well that are available to students. They also rank number two in terms of the best schools with on-campus jobs (they provide about one out of every six on-campus jobs).
The school has an endowment size of around $7.2 billion- which is about average for all of the ivy league schools on this list.
Cornell University also has a diverse student population among both faculty and students with opportunities for minority groups. This ivy league school also offers need-based scholarships for those who qualify, and they have a variety of other scholarship opportunities.
One of Cornell’s advantages is that it’s one of the cheaper ivy league schools to get into, so tuition is one less thing to worry about.
One of the disadvantages Cornell has in comparison to other ivy league schools on this list is that it doesn’t have a large alumni network- which means there aren’t as many opportunities for networking and connections when you graduate from here.
It’s also worth noting that Cornell does not offer any post-graduate degrees.
How to get into any Ivy League school
Now that you know about the best ivy league schools-2021-2022, what is your next step? It’s important to understand how these universities work and rank in order to get into one.
The first thing you need to do is make sure that this field of study or major suits your interests. You would want to choose a major you are interested in because you won’t feel frustrated or bored with the work.
Once you have chosen your major, it’s time to make sure that you fit in academically- if not, then this won’t be a good school for you. Make sure your grades are up and that you take the necessary tests (such as SAT or ACT) when they’re offered at your high school.
The next step is to make sure that you also meet the requirements for admission. Requirements vary from school to school, so be sure to research what they are and how these schools rank in terms of their acceptance rates.
Finally, you need to make sure that the school is affordable. Scholarships and financial aid may be options for students who cannot afford a certain prestigious college or university.
The last way to get into an Ivy League School-2021-2022 is through extracurricular activities such as volunteering or any other type of after-school activities. Participating in these activities that are not class-related can gain you a lot of experience and will show the admissions officers how well rounded you are.
Consider this before applying to any Ivy League schools.
- Location- how far are you willing to go? The distance from your home to the Ivy League school can be a factor, especially when you want to study as a commuter student.
- Weather- some schools are located in colder climates, and if you cannot handle the weather, it is important to consider this before applying.
- On-campus employment opportunities – Do you want the ability to work while in school, or are you looking for more of a carefree experience?
- Semester schedule – How does this fit with your academic and professional plans?
- Education- what is your academic goal before applying to any Ivy League schools? What classes will you take as a current student before graduating from college beforehand if that’s the case?
- Timeline- what time frame do you have in mind when considering attending an Ivy League school?
- Cost: How much money do you have saved up for the application fee and monthly tuition fees before applying to Ivy League schools?
- Future goals- what are your future plans after graduating from college or university once you graduate with a degree in any field of study, whether it be law, engineering, biology etc.? What are your career goals?
- Finally, it is always important to consider your timeline for attending an Ivy League school. That way, you will be able to plan accordingly with how much time you have left in college or university beforehand and what degree of education- undergraduate or graduate level -you wish to pursue.
Disadvantages of Ivy Schools?
Some schools are not as great because they have very competitive admission rates, which means that it’s difficult for any student to get in. These schools also tend to rank lower on standardized test scores and graduation rates- making them less desirable than those with better scores across the board.
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Does Ivy League School Ranking Matter?
Pros
-A ranking is a way for schools to establish an identity and reputation in the world. Many students also use the rankings as a predictive tool when choosing what school they want to attend. A higher rank means that it was more difficult to get accepted into the institution, so you can expect better professors, facilities, etc.
-The ranking is important because it gives you a better understanding of how selective the school is and whether or not an Ivy League school will be able to provide for your educational needs.
-The rankings are used as a predictive tool by many students when choosing which school they want to attend. It is important to know that, as a more selective institution, you will be getting instructors with better qualifications and well-equipped facilities for students’ needs.
Cons
-Rankings are a subjective metric, there is an inherent bias in any ranking system. It’s important to remember that rankings can change from year to year and even day-to-day depending on each school’s circumstances. For example, a school may acquire new technology or equipment which would increase its rank for this particular attribute.
Ivy League schools are a great option if you want to pursue higher education. However, it is very important to consider your timeline for when you want to attend college before applying. Many students tend to over-commit themselves with the school work that they forget to have a social life. Extracurricular activities can help you release classroom stress. It’s also important to consider your future goals and what education you want to pursue before applying as an undergraduate or graduate student.
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