CT Best Colleges Definitive Rankings: Forbes, Money And More

Students across the country are returning to college this fall semester. And as we all know from our school days, there’s some serious thought that goes into where to spend all that money.

In August, Patch brought you a number of rankings released by national publications that use different methodologies to determine the best colleges in the country and in Connecticut.

The usual names, like Harvard, Yale and Princeton fell among the top five spots on lists from Niche and Forbes. But one list from Money magazine that ranked best value colleges saw a large number of schools from the University of California system featured among the top. Yet another list from Princeton Review named, but did not rank, the 384 best colleges in the country.

The Niche list was released the most recently on Aug. 27. Niche’s rankings of America’s best colleges places Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the top, followed by Stanford, Harvard, Princeton and Yale. The same colleges took the top five spots on the Forbes list, although in a slightly different order.

Money magazine named Princeton the best college for value in the U.S., followed by the University of California-San Diego, University of California-Irvine, University of California-Los Angeles and Stanford University.

Below are the top colleges in Connecticut, according to each of the four lists:

Niche “2019 Best Colleges in America” (Released Aug. 27)

• Yale University
• Wesleyan University
• Trinity College-Connecticut
• University of Connecticut
• Fairfield University
• Connecticut College
• Quinnipiac University
• University Of Connecticut - Stamford
• University Of Connecticut-Avery Point
• Eastern Connecticut State University

Forbes “America’s Top Colleges for 2018” (Released Aug. 21)

• Yale University (No.2)
• Wesleyan University (No.37)
• United States Coast Guard Academy (No.55)
• Trinity College (No.89)
• Connecticut College (No.114)
• University of Connecticut (No.144)
• Fairfield University (No.145)
• Quinnipiac University (No.246)
• Sacred Heart University (No.386)
• University of Hartford (No.488)

Money Magazine ”Best Colleges For Your Money 2018” (Released Aug. 13)

• Yale University: 15
• University of Connecticut: 50
• Wesleyan University: 111
• Fairfield University: 160
• Connecticut College: 245
• Quinnipiac University: 341
• Central Connecticut State University: 472
• Trinity College: 490
• Southern Connecticut State University: 571
• Eastern Connecticut State University: 593

Princeton Review “The Best 384 Colleges, 2019 Edition” (Released Aug. 6)

• Fairfield University, Fairfield
  • Ranked 9th in Best Quality of Life
  • Ranked 13th in Happiest Students
• Sacred Heart University, Fairfield
  • Ranked 12th in Election? What Election?
  • Ranked 17th in Happiest Students
  • Ranked 19th in Most Engaged in Community Service
• Quinnipiac University, Hamden
  • Ranked 3rd in Little Race/Class Interaction
  • Ranked 9th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained
• Trinity College, Hartford
  • Ranked 12th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained
• Wesleyan University, Middletown
  • Ranked 1st in Least Religious Students
  • Ranked 4th in Reefer Madness
  • Ranked 7th in Tree-Hugging Vegetarians
  • Ranked 10th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained
  • Ranked 11th in Nobody Plays Intramural Sports
  • Ranked 14th in Best College Theater
  • Ranked 20th in Most Liberal Students
• Yale University, New Haven
  • Ranked 7th in Great Financial Aid
• Connecticut College, New London
  • Ranked 3rd in Lots of Hard Liquor
• United States Coast Guard Academy, New London
  • Ranked 3rd in Don't Inhale
  • Ranked 7th in Lots of Race/Class Interaction
  • Ranked 8th in Least Happy Students
  • Ranked 9th in College City Gets Low Marks
  • Ranked 12th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools
  • Ranked 17th in Students Study the Most
• University of Connecticut, Storrs
  • Ranked 4th in Professors Get Low Marks
  • Ranked 8th in Students Pack the Stadiums
• University of New Haven, West Haven

Photo: People walk past Atticus Bookstore which overlooks the Yale Campus on Chapel Street April 16, 2008 in New Haven, Connecticut. New Haven, home to Yale University, boasts many cultural offerings that attract visitors to the city. Photo by Christopher Capozziello/Getty Images News/Getty Images