How these universities are ranked
63 of these universities hold a QS World position, from #5 (Harvard University) to #575 (University of South Carolina); they are listed first, in that order. The rest are ordered by research impact. Harvard University has the largest research record in this group, with 146,463,495 citations and an h-index of 2,807. 32 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".
Public, private and where they are
The split is 850 public to 10 private institutions. By location, New York (6), Massachusetts (5) and Connecticut (2) account for the most of those we can place. The oldest is Harvard University, founded in 1636. Ohio State University-Main Campus is the largest, with 45,638 students.
Levels, lengths and start dates
By level: 1,717 bachelor's, 158 master's, 114 diploma and 66 phd / doctorate. Within the subject, the largest areas are Science (2,413), Chemistry (34), Mathematics (19) and Geology (15). The usual length is 4 years and 2 years. 98% are full-time and 35 can be studied online. Start dates lean to Fall (100% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (96% of courses with a stated intake). Humboldt State University offers the widest choice, with 30 of these courses.
What it costs
We hold indicative fees for 34 of these universities. University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez is the least expensive at USD 5,274 a year and Columbia University the most at USD 66,000; the middle of the range is about USD 22,870. Check each university's own fee page before you budget — figures change every year.