Vanderbilt University in USA

Vanderbilt University is a private institution that was founded in 1873. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,835, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 333 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Vanderbilt University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 16. Its tuition and fees are $43,838 (2014-15).

Vanderbilt University offers a wide range of student activities. Located in Nashville, or Music City, there are plenty of off-campus options for dining, shopping, music and entertainment. On campus, Greek organizations play a big role in social life, with approximately 40 percent of students affiliated with Greek life. All undergraduate students at Vanderbilt are required to live on campus, and freshmen live together in The Commons, which has six LEED certified green dorms. The Commodores, named for Vanderbilt founder "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, have teams in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference. About 35 percent of students take advantage of Vanderbilt’s study abroad programs, which are offered in more than 35 countries.

Vanderbilt is comprised of 10 schools and colleges covering disciplines from the humanities to music to engineering. Among its graduate programs are the top-ranked Peabody College of Education and Human Development, which also offers undergraduate programs, and the highly ranked Owen Graduate School of Management, School of Engineering, Law School, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. Vanderbilt is also well known for its undergraduate Blair School of Music, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center is ranked one of the best in the nation. Former chairman and CEO of Time Inc. Ann Moore, NFL quarterback Jay Cutler and novelist James Patterson all received degrees from Vanderbilt.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Comprised of four undergraduate schools and six graduate programs, Vanderbilt University offers students a world-class liberal arts education that includes both a high level of intellectual engagement and myriad extracurricular and research opportunities. Vanderbilt students -- who hail from across the country and the world -- speak often about maintaining an excellent balance between academic challenge and campus involvement. With 350+ student-led organizations, mirroring the diverse array of opinions and backgrounds represented at Vanderbilt, campus is always buzzing with activity. From Greek life to religious organizations and everything in between, there is never a shortage of opportunities to get involved. Designed to foster a sense of community for first-year students making the transition to college, The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons offers a living-learning residential experience, and has often been cited as a key source of friendship and camaraderie among our students, who keep in touch well after that crucial freshman year. Seven of The Ingram Commons buildings have been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, making it one of the largest collections of LEED-certified buildings planned on a single campus in the Southeastern United States. Moreover, Vanderbilt Visions enhances The Ingram Commons by facilitating conversations about the college experience among first-year students, peer mentors, and faculty advisers. Vanderbilt's study abroad program offers more than 100 direct-credit programs in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, and Spain, among others. Service is also important to Vanderbilt students, who engage with the local and global community through a large number of volunteer programs and organizations such as Alternative Spring Break, which was founded at Vanderbilt and has since become a staple at many other universities. Well-known speakers and musical acts always draw a crowd on campus through the popular Rites of Spring festival, which takes place on Alumni Lawn, as well as IMPACT, Commodore Quake and other events conceived of and executed almost entirely by students. Indeed, Vanderbilt's location in Midtown Nashville, in the heart of Music City, provides something for everyone: a rich supply of music from every conceivable genre, and an abundance of restaurants, theaters, shops, museums, and coffee shops, all within walking distance of campus. Outside Nashville, the state of Tennessee is home to the Great Smoky Mountains and state parks featuring beautiful lakes and prime hiking trails. Regarding financial aid, Vanderbilt practices a need-blind policy for all U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens, and promises to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students. Students' need-based aid includes a combination of grant monies and federal work-study funding and does not include loans. Additionally, the university offers merit aid to approximately 3% of applying students. The three signature merit programs -- the Ingram Scholarship Program, Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship Program, and Chancellor's Scholarship Program -- require a separate application and each award includes full tuition plus a summer stipend.

Nashville, TN 37240

Phone: (615) 322-7311

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$43,838

Students

6,835 enrolled

50% male / 50% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

12.7% accepted

Brown University in USA

Brown University is a private institution that was founded in 1764. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,455 and the campus size is 146 acres. Brown University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 16. Its tuition and fees are $47,434 (2014-15).

Located atop College Hill in Providence, R.I., Brown University has a college-town feel with Thayer Street serving as a center of activity for shopping and dining. The Brown Bears have about 35 NCAA Division I athletic teams and compete in the Ivy League. The Bears are well known for their men’s soccer team, which consistently ranks among the top 25 teams in the nation. All students at Brown are required to live on campus for their first six semesters, and housing options include traditional singles, doubles and suites. With around 400 student organizations on campus ranging from The Brown Jug comedy magazine to Brown Ballroom Dance, students can find a way to pursue their interests. Brown also has a small but vibrant Greek community with approximately 10 chapters, including a few co-ed Greek organizations.

Brown offers a number of a graduate studies through its Graduate School, which offers well-regarded programs in English and history, and the highly ranked Warren Alpert Medical School. The center section of the Van Wickle Gates on Brown’s campus opens only twice a year: once to let incoming students onto campus and once to let recent graduates exit after commencement. Brown hosts an annual celebratory "Spring Weekend" with athletic events, concerts and free food. Notable alumni include John D. Rockefeller Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr. and CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Brown is the only major research university in the nation where undergraduates are the architects of their own course of study. The University's signature academic program for undergraduates encourages intellectual exploration and risk taking and fosters rigorous multidisciplinary study in more than 70 concentrations, ranging from Egyptology to Cognitive Neuroscience. Its unique, highly competitive program in Liberal Medical Education provides the opportunity to receive an undergraduate degree and a medical degree in an eight-year continuum. Its School of Engineering prepares students for careers that will make a difference by seeking solutions to current problems that challenge our society. Brown is frequently recognized for its global reach, many cultural events, numerous campus groups and activities, active community service programs, highly competitive athletics, and beautiful facilities located in a richly historic urban setting. Brown students are distinguished by their academic excellence, creativity, self-direction, leadership, and collaborative style of learning, while Brown's outstanding faculty is known for its singular dedication to teaching and research.

Box 1920

Providence, RI 02912

Phone: (401) 863-1000

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$47,434

Students

6,455 enrolled

48% male / 52% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

9.2% accepted

Cornell University in USA

Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 14,393, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 745 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Cornell University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 15. Its tuition and fees are $47,286 (2014-15).

Cornell University, located in Ithaca, N.Y., has more than 500 student organizations on campus, which range from the Big Red Marching Band to the International Affairs Society. First-year students live together on north campus, and the university has housing options for upperclassmen and graduate students, though many choose to live off campus. Cornell has a thriving Greek life, with around 70 total fraternity and sorority chapters. Cornell has more than 30 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Ivy League. The Cornell Big Red are perhaps best known for their successful men’s lacrosse team, which won seven consecutive Ivy League titles from 2003 to 2009. Cornell also has a strong hockey program.

Cornell’s 14 colleges and schools each admit their own students and provide their 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. Its graduate schools include the highly ranked S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, College of Engineering, Law School, Weill Cornell Medical College and a well-regarded program in education. Cornell is also well known for its top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine and the highly esteemed School of Hotel Administration. One of Cornell’s oldest traditions is Dragon Day, during which a dragon built by first-year architecture students is paraded through campus and then burned during a bonfire celebrating the coming of spring. Notable alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author E.B. White and Bill Nye, the "Science Guy."

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Cornell University was founded in 1865 as a coeducational, nonsectarian institution where "any person can find instruction in any study."

Once dubbed "the first American university" in recognition of the revolutionary principles on which it was founded, Cornell continues to push the limits of its founder's vision. Renowned for its distinctive mix of eminent scholarship, academic rigor and commitment to public service, it attracts more than 20,000 students from every state in the Union and more than 120 countries. They learn from a world-class faculty teaching more than 4,000 courses and participate in cutting-edge research in 11 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools on the uniquely beautiful Ithaca campus, at Cornell's medical college campuses in New York City and Qatar, and in affiliated programs around the world.

Cornell???s breadth of study, ranging from legendary programs in the humanities to world-class interdisciplinary research centers in nanotechnology, biotechnology, supercomputing and genomics, sets it apart from its Ivy League peers. As the land-grant university of New York State, Cornell also boasts the nation's first colleges devoted to hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and veterinary medicine. In 2011, Cornell was awarded the opportunity to create a new graduate school for information technology in New York City. Cornell NYC Tech is training the student entrepreneurs who will drive the 21st century???s digital transformation of publishing, advertising, news and information, and entertainment.

In recent years, Cornell has been aggressively expanding its international programs - from the establishment, in 2001, of the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the first American medical school outside of the United States, to the forging of partnerships and collaborations with major institutions in China, India, and Singapore - further supporting Cornell's status as the transnational university of the future. 

Ithaca, NY 14853

Phone: (607) 255-2000

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$47,286

Students

14,393 enrolled

49% male / 51% female

Admissions

Jan. 2 application deadline

15.6% accepted

University of Chicago in USA

University of Chicago is a private institution that was founded in 1890. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,659, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 215 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. University of Chicago's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 4. Its tuition and fees are $48,253 (2014-15).

The University of Chicago, situated in Chicago’s Hyde Park community, offers a rich campus life in a big-city setting. The Chicago Maroons have more than 15 NCAA Division III teams, which compete in the University Athletic Association, and have strong basketball and wrestling programs. At Chicago, freshmen are required to live on campus, and more than 50 percent of students choose to remain on campus, while others live in off-campus apartments and houses. On-campus students are placed in "houses" within their dorm, which serve as tight-knit communities and provide academic and social support. Chicago offers more than 400 student organizations.

The University of Chicago is comprised of the College and a number of graduate and professional schools. Its postgraduate offerings include the highly ranked Booth School of Business, Law School, Pritzker School of Medicine, Harris School of Public Policy Studies and Department of Geophysical Sciences, as well as a top-ranked graduate program in economics and a well-regarded Divinity School. Since 1987, the school has hosted the four-day long "University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt," now a venerable university tradition. Famous alumni include former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics recipient Milton Friedman, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and author Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school): 

The University of Chicago is universally recognized for its devotion to open and rigorous inquiry. The strength of our intellectual traditions, intense critical analysis, and free and lively debate draws from our engaged scholars who continually seek creative solutions to complex problems. Our College graduates have made discoveries in every field of academic study; they are ambitious thinkers who are unafraid to take on the most pressing questions of our time. Their accomplishments have established the University's legacy as one of the world's finest academic institutions. The University of Chicago is affiliated with 89 Nobel Prize winners, over 260 Guggenheim Fellows, 32 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellows, and 24 Pulitzer Prize winners. UChicago is also renowned for the unparalleled resources it provides its undergraduate students. Our 215-acre campus contains six libraries with over 11 million print volumes; over 150 research centers and institutes, including the new Institute for Molecular Engineering and the Institute of Politics; world-class theaters, museums, and art centers; and three of the nation's top professional schools in law, business, and medicine. Rooted in Hyde Park, a neighborhood home to both our campus (certified as a botanical garden) and over 60 percent of the private homes of our faculty, UChicago offers a true campus-based community within the context of a major American city. Our students engage the city of Chicago and its many neighborhoods through groundbreaking research and scholarship, unparalleled internship opportunities, and a commitment to community service. Just as Chicago is a global city, the University of Chicago remains a truly international university: we offer over 45 faculty-led study abroad programs in over 20 countries, including those in conjunction with our centers in Beijing, Delhi, and Paris. UChicago maintains a student-faculty ratio of 6:1, ensuring that every classroom experience exemplifies our commitment to close interactions between students and faculty in small, discussion-style seminars. Our famous Core curriculum - courses in eight subject areas that all students, regardless of their major, are required to take - provides students with a common vocabulary and a well-balanced academic experience, while allowing them the flexibility to explore their own particular interests within those eight subject areas. The Office of Career Advancement helps students translate what they are studying in our classrooms to their future careers. Career Advancement counsels students though individual meetings and larger pre-professional programs, the UChicago Careers In programs. There are eight different UChicago Careers In programs that cover sectors ranging from business and law to health professions and journalism, arts, and media. Additionally, Career Advancement connects students with over 1000 Metcalf internship opportunities - paid internships across a range of industries that are only available to UChicago students. Students also enjoy a highly successful Division III sports program; a small but active Greek life community; over thirty-five student theatrical productions a year; a rich music scene; and extraordinary opportunities in politics, music, theater, commerce, and neighborhood life in the city of Chicago.

5801 S. Ellis Avenue

Chicago, IL 60637

Phone: (773) 702-1234

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$48,253

Students

5,659 enrolled

53% male / 47% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

8.8% accepted

Washington University in St. Louis of USA

Washington University in St. Louis is a private institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,336, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 169 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Washington University in St. Louis's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 14. Its tuition and fees are $46,467 (2014-15).

Washington University in St. Louis is located in a city that offers professional sports in football, baseball and hockey in addition to a wide range of options for dining and entertainment. The Wash U Bears are members of the NCAA Division III University Athletic Association. Freshmen are required to live on campus in one of the residence houses. After freshman year, students can choose to live in suite-style housing, on-campus apartments, fraternity houses or off-campus apartments and homes. Approximately 25 percent of students are affiliated with Greek life at Wash U.

Wash U is divided four schools that serve undergraduate and graduate students and four graduate schools. Among Wash U’s graduate programs are the top-ranked George Warren Brown School of Social Work, the highly ranked Olin Business School,School of Law, School of Medicine, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, School of Engineering and Applied Science and a graduate program in education. The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on Wash U’s campus houses one of the most distinguished university collections in the country, including works from Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. Actor Peter Sarsgaard graduated from Wash U, as did former FBI Director William H. Webster. Wash U’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital is one of the top-ranked hospitals in the country.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Washington University in St. Louis is a research university that offers a unique environment for undergraduate students to learn and grow. Unparalleled curriculum flexibility and learning opportunities in a friendly and supportive community inspire undergraduates to explore their interests and develop new ones. Working with their advisors, undergraduates may choose a traditional single major, as many do. Others combine majors with minors, second majors, and pre-professional programs -- all within their four-year undergraduate experience. We encourage our students to participate in internships, study abroad programs, research and scholarship, and over 300 clubs and organizations, rounding out Washington University's commitment to help each student identify and pursue his or her passion. Our students pursue their passions every day. Visit campus and ask them about their experiences.

Campus Box 1089, 1 Brookings Drive

St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

Phone: (314) 935-5000

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$46,467

Students

7,336 enrolled

49% male / 51% female

Admissions

Jan. 15 application deadline

15.6% accepted

Johns Hopkins University in USA

Johns Hopkins University is a private institution that was founded in 1876. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,251 and the campus size is 140 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Johns Hopkins University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 12. Its tuition and fees are $47,060 (2014-15).

Johns Hopkins University has four main campuses in and around Baltimore. The Homewood Campus, located next to the eclectic neighborhood of Charles Village, is the primary campus for undergraduates, and three other campuses house various graduate schools. Hopkins also has three additional campuses for its School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C.; Bologna, Italy; and Nanjing, China. The Hopkins Blue Jays compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference, but they are perhaps best known for their consistently dominant men’s lacrosse team, which competes in NCAA Division I competitions. Freshmen and sophomores are required to live in on-campus residences. There is a sizeable Greek community with a membership of more than 1,000 students.

Johns Hopkins University is divided into nine schools, five of which serve undergraduate and graduate students. Hopkins’ graduate programs include the top ranked Bloomberg School of Public Health and the highly ranked School of Education, Whiting School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, SAIS and the well-regarded Peabody Institute for music and dance. Johns Hopkins Hospital is the top-ranked overall hospital in the nation, with the majority of its specialties ranked in the top five. Former U.S. president Woodrow Wilson, former president of the NAACP Kweisi Mfume and businessman and the 108th Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg all received degrees from Hopkins.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Johns Hopkins students are passionate about intellectual exploration; they are eager for life in a community of similarly passionate, equally ambitious scholars and teachers. This community is based at Homewood, a serene, tree-lined 140 acre campus next to the eclectic north Baltimore neighborhood of Charles Village. Here, students partner with their mentors to push the boundaries of knowledge. Johns Hopkins exposes these independent thinkers to new tools of analysis and new perspectives on the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences and engineering. At the same time, they engage with fellow students outside the classroom in intellectual, cultural, service and recreational pursuits that greatly enrich their education. When our students graduate, they join a global alumni body of men and women who use knowledge and experience acquired at Johns Hopkins to change the world.

3400 N. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21218

Phone: (410) 516-8000

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$47,060

Students

6,251 enrolled

48% male / 52% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

17.1% accepted

Northwestern University in USA

Northwestern University is a private institution that was founded in 1851. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 8,688, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 231 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. Northwestern University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 13. Its tuition and fees are $47,251 (2014-15).

What began as farmland and swampland in the 1850s became the Northwestern campus and the city of Evanston, Ill. Northwestern University is a Division I school in the Big Ten athletic conference. Northwestern's women's lacrosse team has won multiple NCAA national championships. The school has hundreds of campus organizations fulfill students' varied interests. Freshmen are guaranteed on-campus housing if requested in their applications. The school's 11 residential colleges offer thematic living quarters for social and academic programming. Northwestern's main campuses are located along Lake Michigan in Evanston and Chicago. In 2008, Northwestern opened a third branch in Doha, Qatar.

Of Northwestern’s dozen schools, nine offer undergraduate programs and 10 offer graduate and professional programs. Northwestern’s highly-ranked graduate schools include the Kellogg School of Management, the School of Education and Social Policy, the School of Law, the Feinberg School of Medicine, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and theInterdepartmental Biological Sciences Program. Northwestern’s Medill School is known for its strong journalism graduate program. Northwestern’s Dance Marathon, created in 1975, is one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the country and has raised more than $14 million for Chicago-area charities. Notable alumni include the 55th mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel; retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; actor, writer and director Zach Braff; comedian Stephen Colbert; and Tony Award-winning actress Heather Headley.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Northwestern University offers unusual flexibility combined with a wide choice of academic concentrations. In addition to over seventy established majors, students can choose or design non-traditional combinations. A broad range of field experiences, internships, and programs combining work and study are part of the education for a large percentage of the students. Because Chicago is only thirty minutes away, students have the cultural advantage of the music, theatre, museums, sports, and entertainment of a world-class city to enrich their undergraduate experience.

633 Clark Street

Evanston, IL 60208

Phone: (847) 491-3741

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$47,251

Students

8,688 enrolled

49% male / 51% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

14.0% accepted