1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

• ranked first in both the world and in the US for the 6th year in a row
• located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and are highly selective
• only 8% of undergraduate applicants are accepted 

2. Stanford University

• private university located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose
• one of the largest university campuses in the US
• acceptance rate of 5%

3. Harvard University

• the oldest university in the country, dating back to 1636 (private university)
• located in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• acceptance rate of 5.6%

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

• science and engineering research and education institution
• located in Pasadena, California
• acceptance rate of 8.8%

5. University of Chicago

• private research university, holds top-ten positions in various national and international rankings
• based in the center of Chicago
• acceptance rate of 8.4%

Pictures Courtesy of: Google.com