Top Non-Ivy League Universities

Every student has a dream of attending one of the eight elite Ivy League Universities which consist of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn and Cornell University. As the seats are filled quickly in these Ivy League schools, many students turn to other non-Ivy League Universities which possess the same quality and standards of an Ivy League Education. Here are the most prestigious non-Ivy League Universities that you should consider! 

Stanford University

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 4.65%
International Student Rate – 24.6%

Located in California, Stanford University is one of the notable universities in the US as well as the world. It is unofficially referred to as the “West Coast Ivy League”. The only reason that Stanford isn’t in the Ivy League is because of its location. The world-famous university offers educational programs for various prominent subjects like Medicine, Engineering, Law, Humanities and Business with four professional schools that primarily target the graduate programs in Business, Law and Medicine. The notable alumni of this prestigious non-Ivy League university include the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai and co-founder of WhatsApp, Brian Acton. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 7%
International Student Rate – 13%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the highly ranked STEM Universities, was established in the year 1861. With its core emphasis on innovation and academic development, MIT also ties with Columbia University for the third spot on the list of National Universities in the USA. Though MIT is a non-Ivy League university, it attributes some of the world’s highly rated research facilities with the latest technologies. 

Caltech – Pasadena

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 8%
International Student Rate – 45%

California Institute of Technology, more popularly known as Caltech is one of the best non-Ivy League universities in the USA for STEM courses. It also manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JBL) which is a federally funded R&D centre. 

Johns Hopkins University

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 8.7%
International Student Rate – 24%

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 and is the first research University in the USA. The university is known for its unique integration of research and academics. It also funds research programs more than any other institution in the USA. The university has a list of notable alumni like Mike Bloomberg, Woodrow Wilson, John Astin, etc.

Northwestern University

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 8%
International Student Rate – 22%

Northwestern University is a notable non-Ivy League university with its other campuses in Chicago and Doha. The sole aim of the University is to provide world-class education along with nurturing innovation. It is widely known for its Journalism program called Medill, which boasts alumni such as George R. R. Martin, author of the critically acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series. 

Rice University

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 8.7%
International Student Rate – 24%

Established in 1912, Rice University is among the best non-ivy league universities. It is #7 in the USA for resources by The Wall Street Journal. The university is renowned for applied science in the fields of signal processing, artificial heart research, space science, structural chemical analysis, and nanotechnology. In 2010, it was ranked #1 in the world in materials science research by Times Higher Education (THE).

Duke University

Category – Private Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 9%
International Student Rate – 21.6%

Duke University is a private university which was established in 1838. Students of Duke have a plethora of options when it comes to education. It is also mistaken for an Ivy League Institution when in fact it is a non-League University which is highly ranked in various fields such as Business, Law and Nursing. The university also offers financial aid and meritorious scholarships to assist deserving students. Since Duke University aims to give its students an engaging classroom experience, the faculty-student ratio is 6:1. 

University of Michigan

Category – Public Research University 
Rate of Acceptance – 26%
International Student Rate – 23.9%

The University of Michigan is one of the notable universities in the USA which was established in 1817. It is well known for its world-class academic research centers as well as its insanely popular football team. Michigan also boasts of one of the biggest alumni networks in the world. 

University of California

Category – Public University 
Rate of Acceptance – 18.3%
International Student Rate – 9.14%

The University of California Berkeley, more commonly known as UC Berkeley, is a premier research non-Ivy League university which is one of the major campuses of the University of California. The University boasts of its two famous research institutes which are the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and Space Sciences Laboratory. Other than various prominent research programs (especially in STEM), the university also offers undergraduate programs. UC Berkeley also has an active social movement which makes the institution very unique. 

Vanderbilt University

Category – Private University 
Rate of Acceptance – 9.6%
International Student Rate – 17.2%

The Vanderbilt University which was established in 1873 is one of the top private non-Ivy League Institutions worldwide. It was named after the rail and shipping magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt. The University is ranked as one of the best in terms of Medicine, Nursing and Education. It also has an in-house medical centre and an external campus which is widely known as the Peabody Campus. 

These are some of the prestigious universities that are non-Ivy League which you must consider if you want to study abroad. Planning to pursue your higher studies in the USA? Get in touch with our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you throughout the process of finding the best course and university as well as sorting out the admission process and scholarships. Sign up for a free session with us today!