Here are the 50 smartest colleges in America

• There are plenty of college rankings and ways to find out the best colleges in the US.
• These colleges enroll the smartest students in the country, according to SAT and ACT scores. 
• California Institute of Technology took the top spot, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Which schools have the brightest young minds in the nation?

To find out, we asked Jonathan Wai, Assistant Professor and Endowed Chair at the University of Arkansas. He created a ranking exclusively for Business Insider of the smartest US colleges and universities based on the schools' average standardized test scores.

While these tests are often criticized, research shows that both the SAT and ACT are good measures of general cognitive ability, since they rely on a person's ability to reason. Therefore, these scores give a reasonable snapshot of a school’s overall smarts.

This ranking included all the schools that report average SAT and ACT scores to the government. ACT scores were converted to the SAT scale for the purposes of this analysis.

See more detail on methods and limitations here. 

Once again, the Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology took the top spot on the list, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University rounded out the top five schools. 

Keep scrolling to see the 50 smartest colleges in America.

Abby Jackson contributed to a previous version of this story.

50. Jewish Theological Seminary – List College — Average SAT: 1363

• Location: New York City
• Student population: 200
• Tuition: $56,046
• Best known for: List College offers undergraduate dual-degree programs between the Jewish Theological Seminary and either Columbia University or Barnard College. Students earn two bachelor’s degrees from their studies — one in the liberal arts and sciences, and one in Jewish Studies.

50. Colby College — Average SAT: 1363

• Location: Waterville, Maine
• Student population: 1,857
• Tuition: $50,960
• Best known for: The 12th best liberal arts in the country according to U.S. News & World Report.

49. University of Virginia — Average SAT: 1364

• Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
• Student population: 16,655
• Tuition: In-state: $16,144; Out-of-state: $46,634
• Best known for: A top public research university founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson.

48. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Average SAT: 1368

• Location: Troy, New York
• Student population: 6,366
• Tuition: $52,550
• Best known for: Highly-ranked engineering program.

47. Wellesley College — Average SAT: 1369

• Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
• Student population: 2,508
• Tuition: $53,408
• Best known for: Being an all-women's college and one of the Seven Sisters Colleges, which also include Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe (now part of Harvard), Smith, Vassar.

46. Colgate University — Average SAT: 1374

• Location: Hamilton, New York
• Student population: 2,873
• Tuition: $55,530
• Best known for: Notable alumni include journalist Bob Woodruff. 

44. Emory University — Average SAT: 1380

• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Student population: 6,937
• Tuition: $51,306
• Best known for: Emory Healthcare is the largest healthcare system in Georgia.

44. Boston College — Average SAT: 1380

• Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
• Student population: 18,080
• Tuition: $52,082
• Best known for: Jesuit Catholic research university.

42. Middlebury College — Average SAT: 1383

• Location: Middlebury, Vermont
• Student population: 2,561
• Tuition: $49,648
• Best known for: Sixth-best liberal arts college in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

42. Reed College — Average SAT: 1383

• Location: Portland, Oregon
• Student population: 1,447
• Tuition: $56,030
• Best known for: An alternative approach to learning. Students don't receive grades. 

41. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor — Average SAT: 1384

• Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Student population: 29,821
• Tuition and fees: In-state: $15,433; out-of-state freshman: $48,814
• Best known for: Developing the polio vaccine, top-rated programs in public policy, business, law, and medicine. Notable alumni include Google co-founder Larry Page and President Gerald Ford.

40. University of Southern California — Average SAT: 1391

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Student population: 19,170
• Tuition: $53,448
• Best known for: School of Cinematic Arts, from which directors Judd Apatow and George Lucas graduated.

39. Washington and Lee University — Average SAT: 1395

• Location: Lexington, Virginia
• Student population: 1,827
• Tuition: $49,170
• Best known for: Was named after George Washington, who provided a large endowment gift to the school.

38. University of California, Berkeley — Average SAT score: 1397

• Location: Berkeley, California
• Student population: 30,574
• Tuition and fees: In-state: $14,184; out-of-state: $43,176.
• Best known for: It's the most selective school in the University of California system.

37. Case Western Reserve University — Average SAT: 1398

• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Student population: 5,150
• Tuition: $48,604
• Best known for: Science, engineering, and research. 

36. Carleton College — Average SAT: 1400

• Location: Northfield, Minnesota
• Student population: 2,078
• Tuition: $54,438
• Best known for: 10-week trimester system. 

35. Grinnell College — Average SAT: 1402

• Location: Grinnell, Iowa
• Student population: 1,699
• Tuition: $51,924
• Best known for: It is the top-rated liberal arts college for socioeconomic diversity.

34. Georgia Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1403

• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Student population: 15,572
• Tuition: In-state: $12,424; Out-of-state: $33,020
• Best known for: Awards more engineering degrees to women than any other school in the US.

33. Vassar College — Average SAT: 1405

• Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
• Student population: 2,450 
• Tuition: $56,130
• Best known for: Previously an all-women's college, Vassar went co-ed in 1969. Notable alums include Meryl Streep and Anthony Bourdain.

32. Claremont McKenna College — Average SAT: 1408

• Location: Claremont, California
• Student population: 1,334
• Tuition and fees: $54,160
• Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Pomona, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University, and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.

31. Georgetown University — Average SAT: 1416

• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Student population: 7,562
• Tuition: $53,520
• Best known for: Strong schools of business, law, and medicine. Notable alumni include President Bill Clinton and Bradley Cooper.

30. Tufts University — Average SAT: 1424

• Location: Medford, Massachusetts
• Student population: 5,541
• Tuition: $55,172
• Best known for: Being a tier one research university, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

29. Cornell University — Average SAT score: 1428

• Location: Ithaca, New York
• Student population: ‎14,907
• Tuition and fees: $54,818
• Best known for: Being a part of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

28. Swarthmore College — Average SAT: 1431

• Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
• Student population: 1,641
• Tuition: $52,190
• Best known for: Being part of the Tri-College Consortium. Students can take classes at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College.

27. Haverford College — Average SAT: 1433

• Location: Haverford, Pennsylvania
• Student population: 1,268
• Tuition: $54,100
• Best known for: Students can also take classes at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania.

25. Northeastern University — Average SAT: 1435

• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Student population: 17,506
• Tuition: $50,450
• Best known for: Many students complete what the school calls co-ops, periods of full-time employment related to academic study.

25. Pomona College — Average SAT: 1435

• Location: Claremont, California
• Student population: 1,671
• Tuition: $52,412
• Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools

24. Dartmouth College — Average SAT: 1437

• Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
• Student population: 4,410
• Tuition: $55,035
• Best known for: A member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss.

22. Webb Institute — Average SAT: 1442

• Location: Glen Cove, New York
• Student population: 98
• Tuition: Free for US citizens and permanent residents, $48,350 for international students.
• Best known for: All students double major in naval architecture and marine engineering.

22. Williams College — Average SAT: 1442

• Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts
• Student population: 2,186
• Tuition: $55,140
• Best known for: Ranked the best liberal arts college by the US News & World Report.

21. Carnegie Mellon University — Average SAT: 1448

• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Student population: 6,804
• Tuition: $54,244
• Best known for: Strong programs in science and technology.

20. Duke University — Average SAT: 1450

• Location: Durham, North Carolina
• Student population: 6,449
• Tuition and fees: $55,960
• Best known for: Its strong medical and business programs. Notable alumni include US Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul.

19. Amherst College — Average SAT: 1451

• Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
• Student population: 1,849
• Tuition: $70,260 (includes room and board)
• Best known for: One of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. Amherst has an open curriculum in which students do not need to fulfill any core requirements. 

18. Johns Hopkins University — Average SAT: 1453

• Location: Baltimore, Maryland
• Student population: 5,407
• Tuition: $53,740
• Best known for: Its highly-rated hospital and leading creative writing program.

17. University of Notre Dame — Average SAT: 1455

• Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
• Student population: 8,530
• Tuition and fees: $53,391
• Best known for: Notable alumni include U. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Hall of Fame football player Joe Montana.

15. Brown University — Average SAT: 1457

• Location: Providence, Rhode Island
• Student population: 6,670
• Tuition: $53,419
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Unlike most universities, Brown has no core program requirements for students.

15. University of Pennsylvania — Average SAT: 1457

• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Student population: 10,496
• Tuition and fees: $49,220
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. UPenn was founded by Ben Franklin and is highly acclaimed for its Wharton School of Business.

14. Northwestern University — Average SAT: 1460

• Location: Evanston, Illinois
• Student population: 8,278
• Tuition: $54,120
• Best known for: Highly-ranked business and journalism programs. Notable alumni include retired US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Steven and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

13. Washington University in St. Louis — Average SAT: 1469

• Location: St. Louis, Missouri
• Student population: 6,849
• Tuition:  $53,399
• Best known for: Being a tier one research university according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

12. Columbia University — Average SAT: 1473

• Location: New York, New York
• Student population: 6,000
• Tuition and fees: $56,608
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include President Barack Obama.

11. Stanford University — Average SAT: 1479

• Location: Stanford, California
• Student population: 7,062
• Tuition: $50,703
• Best known for: Notable alumni include Rachel Maddow and Peter Thiel.

10. Rice University — Average SAT: 1482

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Student population: 3,970
• Tuition: $46,600
• Best known for: Its strong programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

9. Harvey Mudd College — Average SAT score: 1484

• Location: Claremont, California
• Student population: 844
• Tuition: $56,331
• Best known for: Being part of the The Claremont Colleges, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Students can take classes at any of the schools.

8. Princeton University — Average SAT: 1490

• Location: Princeton, New Jersey
• Student population: 5,251
• Tuition: $49,330
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include President Woodrow Wilson and Michelle Obama.

7. Harvard University — Average SAT: 1497

• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Student population: 6,700
• Tuition: $48,949
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.

5. Vanderbilt University — Average SAT: 1498

• Location: Nashville, Tennessee
• Student population: 6,805
• Tuition: $48,600
• Best known for: Rigorous academics and the Peabody College of Education and the Blair School of Music.

5. Yale University — Average SAT: 1498

• Location: New Haven, Connecticut
• Student population: 5,453
• Tuition: $53,430
• Best known for: Being a member of the Ivy League. Notable alumni include President George W. Bush and Secretary of State John Kerry.

3. University of Chicago — Average SAT: 1506

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Student population: 6,286
• Tuition: $55,425
• Best known for: Notable alumni include former US Attorney General John Ashcroft and economist Milton Friedman.

3. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering — Average SAT: 1506

• Location: Needham, Massachusetts
• Student population: 378
• Tuition: $50,400
• Best known for: Students choose from only three available majors: engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering. Olin enrolls less than 100 students per class.

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1507

• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Student population: 4,547
• Tuition: $51,832
• Best known for: Its science and technology research programs.

1. California Institute of Technology — Average SAT: 1544

• Location: Pasadena, California
• Student population: 961
• Tuition: $50,487
• Best known for: One of the best schools for science and engineering.

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