Ivy League Colleges: A Comprehensive Ranking and Guide

The term "Ivy League" conjures images of prestigious universities, historic campuses, and exceptional academic opportunities. This article delves into the specifics of these eight institutions, exploring their history, unique characteristics, and how they stack up against each other.

What is the Ivy League?

An “Ivy League school” refers to one of the eight prestigious private research universities in the Northeastern United States. Eight research schools make up the “Ivy League,” including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Columbia University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Cornell University. Each of the schools is known for their strong academics, historic campuses, large endowments, state-of-the-art facilities, notable alumni, unique networking opportunities, and more. They’re also highly selective. Every Ivy League is highly selective - in 2023, Harvard accepted just 3% of applicants. The Ivy League is also an American collegiate athletic conference of eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, and in football, in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The conference headquarters is in Princeton, New Jersey.

A Brief History

All of the "Ivies" except Cornell were founded during the colonial period and therefore make up seven of the nine colonial colleges. Cornell, the exception to this commonality, was founded immediately after the American Civil War. These seven colleges served as the primary institutions of higher learning in British America's Northern and Middle Colonies. During the colonial era, the schools' faculties and founding boards were largely drawn from other Ivy League institutions. Also represented were British graduates from the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of St. Andrews, and the University of Edinburgh.

The Name "Ivy League"

The first known instance of the term Ivy League appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on February 7, 1935. Several sportswriters and other journalists used the term shortly later to refer to the older colleges, those along the northeastern seaboard of the United States, chiefly the nine institutions with origins dating from the colonial era, together with the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Naval Academy, and a few others. These schools were known for their long-standing traditions in intercollegiate athletics, often being the first schools to participate in such activities.

Collaboration and Governance

Collaboration between the member schools is illustrated by the student-led Ivy Council that meets in the fall and spring of each year, with representatives from every Ivy League school. The governing body of the Ivy League is the Council of Ivy Group presidents, composed of each university president.

Individual Ivy League Institutions

The Ivy Leagues schools are world renown, but each one is unique. If you’re thinking about applying to one of these prestigious schools, it’s important to find the right one for you.

Brown University

Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island, was first known as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations or Rhode Island College. The future Ivy League school was founded in 1764. Brown University, a private research institution, embraces an open curriculum to allow students to design a personalized course of study while becoming creative thinkers and intellectual risk-takers. This open academic program for undergraduates comprises rigorous multidisciplinary study in more than 80 concentrations, such as egyptology and assyriology; cognitive neuroscience; and business, entrepreneurship and organizations. Its highly competitive Program in Liberal Medical Education allows students to complete an undergraduate degree and a medical degree in a single eight-year program. Notable Alumni: Andrew Yang, John D. Rockefeller, Ted Turner, Emma Watson, John F. Kennedy.

Columbia University

Originally called the King’s College, Columbia University was founded and chartered in 1754, with the first classes opening the same year. It’s the oldest institution of higher education in New York! Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Columbia University is the oldest institution of higher education in the state of New York. The Ivy League school would become Columbia College in 1784 and Columbia University in 1896. Columbia University students and athletes are called the Lions and wear Columbia blue and white. Columbia is the birthplace of many significant technologies and platforms, including FM radio, the nation’s oldest literary magazine, the first Black student advocacy group on a multiracial campus and the first college gay rights advocacy group. The university is made up of three undergraduate schools: Columbia College, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies. Highly ranked graduate and professional schools include the business and law schools, the Teachers College, and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Columbia boasts one of the most diverse student bodies in the country and in 1953 was the first university to enroll 1,000 international students.

Cornell University

Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, classes started at Cornell University in 1868. All areas of study were available at this Ivy League school from day one. Known as the Big Red, students and athletes wear red and white. Cornell University has a mission to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to produce creative work, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Each of Cornell’s seven undergraduate colleges and schools admits its own students and provides its own faculty, even though every graduate receives a degree from Cornell University. Cornell’s two largest undergraduate colleges are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Graduate schools include the highly ranked Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Weill Cornell Medical College, College of Engineering and Law School. Cornell is also known for its top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine and esteemed School of Hotel Administration. Cornell offers around 200 fields of study (majors and minors) and has campuses in Ithaca, New York; New York City; Geneva, New York; Doha, Qatar; Washington, D.C.; and Rome.

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, founded in 1769, originally opened to teach Native Americans about Christian theology and English ways of life in an effort to turn them into missionaries. Athletes at this Ivy League school are known as the Big Green and wear Dartmouth Green and white. Dartmouth College is the birthplace of the programming language BASIC, which gave way to other computing innovations. The college includes the highly ranked Tuck School of Business, which houses the world’s first graduate school of management, as well as Thayer School of Engineering and Geisel School of Medicine. Dartmouth established one of the first Native American programs in the country to begin actively recruiting students and has more Native American graduates among its alumni than any other Ivy League institution.

Read also: Decoding GPA for Ivy Leagues

Harvard University

Harvard University was originally known as Harvard College, named so for clergyman John Harvard. It was founded in 1636, offered its first classes in 1642, and chartered in 1650. Harvard may very well be the first university you think of when considering Ivy League rankings. But did you know that Harvard is the oldest school of higher education in America? Founded in 1636, it’s also one of the most difficult Ivies to get into, which should come as no surprise. Today, Harvard features 13 schools and institutes, 100 on-campus research centers, and over 500 extracurricular, cocurricular, and athletic organizations. Harvard’s extensive library system houses the oldest national collection and the largest private collection worldwide. Notable Alumni: John Adams, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Ralph Waldo Emerson, J.

Princeton University

Princeton University, first known as the College of New Jersey and located in Princeton, was founded and chartered in 1746. The first courses would be offered the following year. They would get their current moniker in 1896. Princeton University, established nearly 280 years ago, is the fourth-oldest college in the country. A world-renowned research university, Princeton is No. 1 in our National Universities ranking. Princeton offers first-rate academic resources, from specialized libraries to state-of-the-art laboratories and even an art museum on campus. More than 117,000 works reside in the collections of the Princeton University Art Museum. With a 5-to-1 student-faculty ratio, the university allows students to benefit from small class sizes and one-on-one advising relationships. presidents, Supreme Court justices, Olympic medalists and Nobel Prize winners. Committed to sustainability, Harvard offers green living programs for undergraduates, graduates and community members.

University of Pennsylvania

Also known as Penn or UPenn, this Ivy League school was founded under the name College of Philadelphia in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. The early courses offered by the school were not focused on the clergy, but instead focused on overall higher education. It would be renamed University of Pennsylvania in 1791. Founded in part by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania offers a mixture of world-class liberal arts coursework and preprofessional education. Penn enrolls many international students: Of the undergraduate population, 13% of students are international. For students wanting a new learning experience, the school has international study programs offered in nearly 50 countries worldwide. On campus, undergraduate students can join hundreds of clubs spanning political action efforts, performing arts, sports clubs and student publications. The university's highly ranked graduate schools include the Wharton School, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Perelman School of Medicine, and the education and law schools. Notable Alumni: Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, F.

Yale University

Yale University was originally known as the Collegiate School and was meant to educate Calvinist Congregational ministers. Founded and chartered in 1701, the school originally only taught theology and sacred languages. Known as the Bulldogs, Yale athletes wear Yale Blue and their mascot is Handsome Dan (who, of course, is a bulldog!). Yale University is known for its drama and music programs at the well-regarded Yale School of Drama. In addition to Yale College and Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the university has 13 professional schools, including the country’s top-ranked law school and highly ranked schools of medicine, management, art and nursing. Undergraduate students at this research institution have made strides in many fields, discovering new species and patenting products. Students can take advantage of global learning opportunities, from studying abroad to embarking on international internships and directed research. The most popular majors at Yale include social sciences; biological and biomedical sciences; computer and information sciences and support services; multi/interdisciplinary studies; and mathematics and statistics.

Rankings and Factors to Consider

Ivy League rankings or not, the answer all depends on the person. And Ivy League school rankings depend on a variety of factors (academic reputation, students’ future careers, quality of livelihood) - but ultimately, you’ll need to figure out what works best for you.

The Role of Rankings

You’ll come across many lists of Ivy League school rankings that delve into the overall quality of their academics. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and other outlets that focus on education. News & World Report focuses on the overall academic reputation of the universities; they offer peer-assessed surveys to university officials and high school counselors to make such conclusions. Alternatively, a publication like Forbes will focus on post-graduate outcomes such as salaries, student debt after graduation, and prestigious accomplishments, such as winning the Nobel Prize (no pressure).

US News & World Report Ranking Changes

For its 2025 edition, US News and World Report dropped two factors that it previously used as criteria to determine a given college’s national ranking - first generation graduation rate and first generation graduation rate performance. US News’ recent changes in methodology over the last few years came after a number of universities withdrew from providing their data to the organization’s rankings.

Recent Ranking Fluctuations

Brown officials said in a statement that changes in ranking methodology by US News and other organizations prompted gains in some rankings and declines in others. Columbia decreased in the US News ranking for its 2025 edition to 13th nationally, down from 12th the prior year. Cornell University rose to the 11th best university nationally in the US News rankings, up from 12th the prior year. Dartmouth College rose in its US News ranking to 15th, up from 18th the prior year. Harvard University retained its spot at number three nationally on the US News list, unchanged from the year before. That marks a decline from 1st place in that category for the 2024 edition. Harvard’s six-year graduation rate for students who received a Pell Grant fell to 95%, down from 96% in 2024. Princeton University was ranked by US News as the number one university nationally, marking the 14th consecutive year that it has topped the list. Penn fell to number 10 nationally in US News’ ranking for 2025, having moved down from sixth the year prior. Penn fell to 17th place in the category “Best Value Schools,” down from 13th in 2024. Yale came in fifth place overall in US News’ ranking for 2025, the same as the year prior. Yale’s ranking for best undergraduate engineering programs rose to 35th place, an upgrade from 37th for the 2024 edition, while its “Writing in the Disciplines” rank came in at 5th place. Yale dramatically declined in “First-Year Experiences” to 26th place, up from 11th in 2024.

Choosing the Right Fit

In the end, each student will have their own criteria for determining what school is right for them - their interests, their passions, and their needs. US News and other rankings can be a helpful guide and a source of information. If you’re planning to apply to an Ivy League school, it’s crucial to understand what makes each of these academic institutions so unique. Then, it’s best to evaluate how each school could help you grow the most, both personally and professionally.

Factors Beyond Rankings

There are countless ways to rank the Ivy League schools, and you’ll find people ready to debate their different merits for hours. Regardless of any ranking, the Ivies are some of the most exceptional institutions of higher learning in both the United States and the world.

Location

The Ivy Leagues are sprawled throughout America’s northeast, with locations ranging from windy New Hampshire to temperate Pennsylvania. Location: With its proximity to Boston-often dubbed the largest college town in America-Harvard students never run out of ways to keep busy off-campus.

Campus Happiness

How happy is each school’s student body? Some Ivy League students are so content that they consistently rank amongst the nation’s happiest schools. Campus happiness: Yale is one of only two Ivies to appear consistently on lists of the nation’s happiest campuses. The city’s cultural institutions make New Haven an ideal environment for fostering intellectual and social skills.

Quality of Academics

It’s no mystery that the Ivy Leagues are considered the academic elite of the nation, consistently placing within the top 20 on all noted college lists. But how do they rank amongst themselves? Quality of academics: As was previously mentioned, the quality of academics between Yale and Princeton is extremely comparable, from resources offered to general prestige.

Job Prospects

Students have a wide range of reasons for pursuing a college degree, but for most, the goal is to find a good job upon graduating. While all eight Ivies look impressive on a résumé, it’s fair to say some carry more weight than others.

Historical Context and Social Issues

Ivy League institutions have a complex history of racial segregation, and, eventually, integration. All of the universities in the Ivy League besides Cornell University were chartered during the American era of slavery.

Ties to Slavery

In 2003, Brown University was the first of the Ivies to take accountability for their historic ties to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. Following Brown, other Ivy League universities formed committees to examine their ties to slavery, and found various institutional relationships to slavery.

Early Black Students

A small number of Black people did attend Ivy League institutions as students during their early years. These early students, however, were not always granted degrees. In 1900, W. E. B. Du Bois oversaw and edited The College-bred Negro a study on Black integration in colleges and universities that found a combined total of 52 Black students had graduated from Ivy League schools in their collective histories. Early Black student admits to Ivy League universities were controversial and often faced backlash.

Discrimination and Inclusion

Ivy League schools are considered the most sought-after institutions of higher learning in the country and around the world. These eight private Northeastern schools are known for their highly selective admissions process, academic excellence and promising career opportunities for those who attend. The name recognition and social prestige don’t hurt either. There have been arguments that Ivy League schools discriminate against Asian-American candidates.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the Ivy League Conference committed itself to uphold "diversity, equity, and inclusion," to combat racism and homophobia.

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