Best Colleges In CT Ranked, Including No. 1 In U.S.

CONNECTICUT — Yale is the best college in Connecticut — and the rest of the country — according to rankings released Monday by Niche, a college ranking and review platform. In all, 31 colleges in Connecticut were ranked among the best.

Niche said its 2024 Best Colleges Rankings reflect the declining importance of SAT and ACT scores and the increasing importance prospective students and their families place on value and economic mobility — that is, the ability of students to improve their economic status after graduation.

The platform evaluated 4,048 public and private four-year colleges nationwide and developed separate lists for the best academics value, food, dorms and college life.

The top 15 colleges in Connecticut are:

1. Yale, New Haven
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 5 percent
Net price: $20,605
SAT range: 1480 to 1580

2. Wesleyan University, Middletown
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 19 percent
Net price: $20,535
SAT range: 1300 to 1510

3. University of Connecticut, Storrs
Overall Niche grade: A-
Acceptance rate: 56 percent
Net price: $22,168
SAT range: 1230 to 1430

4. Trinity College, Hartford
Overall Niche grade: A
Acceptance rate: 38 percent
Net price: $29,789
SAT range: 1300 to 1480

5. Connecticut College, New London
Overall Niche grade: B+
Acceptance rate: 41 percent
Net price: $44,820
SAT range: 1340 to 1450

6. Fairfield University, Fairfield
Overall Niche grade: B+
Acceptance rate: 56 percent
Net price: $44,723
SAT range: 1230 to 1380

7. University of Connecticut - Hartford
Overall Niche grade: B
Acceptance rate: 85 percent
Net price: $9,152
SAT range: 1020 to 1210

8. University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford
Overall Niche grade: B
Acceptance rate: 78 percent
Net price: $26,328
SAT range: 970 to 1230

9. University of Connecticut - Stamford
Overall Niche grade: B
Acceptance rate: 76 percent
Net price: $9,678
SAT range: 1040 to 1260

10. Quinnipiac University, Hamden
Overall Niche grade: B
Acceptance rate: 88 percent
Net price: $38,244
SAT range: 1090 to 1260

11. Central Connecticut State University, New Britain
Overall Niche grade: B-
Acceptance rate: 75 percent
Net price: $14,425
SAT range: 950 to 1180

12. Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic
Overall Niche grade: B-
Acceptance rate: 73 percent
Net price: $19,054
SAT range: NA

13. Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven
Overall Niche grade: B-
Acceptance rate: 83 percent
Net price: $18,493
SAT range: 910 to 1090

14. Sacred Heart University, Fairfield
Overall Niche grade: B-
Acceptance rate: 66 percent
Net price: $43,907
SAT range: 1040 to 1200

15. University of Connecticut - Waterbury
Overall Niche grade: B-
Acceptance rate: 83 percent
Net price: $7,515
SAT range: 1010 to 1230

Other Connecticut schools ranked by Niche are found on the website.

To rank the schools, Niche analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education along with reviews and ratings from current students, alumni and parents. The new economic mobility index takes into account the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, the net tuition price for students from low-income households and the median earnings of those students six years after they get their first post-graduation jobs.

Following Yale, the top schools nationwide are: Stanford University, Stanford, California; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Harvard University, Cambridge; and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.

The best value colleges are, respectively, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California; Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; and Clarmont-McKenna College.

Yale also topped the list of the best value colleges in Connecticut.