When you hear the USA, you may initially think of its famous cities, actors, sports teams, and musicians. However, the US is home to some of the best universities in the world.

We’ve put this blog together to give you a little more information about the top-5 universities in the USA and what makes them so great.

So, if you’re interested in studying in the US, make sure to read on.

Harvard University

Arguably one of the most famous universities in the world, Harvard University is the oldest university in the United States, having been established in 1636. Widely regarded in terms of its influence, reputation, and academic pedigree, Harvard University is home to the largest academic library system in the world, with 18 million volumes, 180,000 serial titles, and over 400 million manuscript items.

The university offers a wide range of undergraduate courses, ranging from Anthropology and Mathematics to Law, Art, Astrophysics Folklore and Mythology.

Harvard University alumni include eight US presidents, several foreign heads of state, 62 living billionaires and 359 Rhodes Scholars.

California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

The California Institute of Technology is a world-leading science and engineering research and education institution. Caltech is known for its high research output and high-quality facilities, including its jet propulsion laboratory, seismological laboratory, and international observatory network.

With its leading facilities and teaching staff, CalTech staff and alumni have been awarded 39 Nobel Prizes, one Fields Medal, 6 Turing Awards, and 71 United States National Medal of Science and Technology Awards.

Notable alumni include Charlie Munger and Donald Knuth.

Stanford University

Founded in 1885 by Californian Senator, Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, Stanford University is located in the heart of Northern California’s ‘Silicon Valley’ – home to the likes of Google, Yahoo, HP, and other leading tech companies that were founded and are led by Stanford alumni and faculty.

Stanford’s founded the university to “promote the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization”. The couple’s only child had died of typhoid, and their decision to build a university on their farm was intended as a memorial. From the start, the university was non-sectarian, co-educational, and affordable, teaching both the traditional liberal arts and the technology and engineering that was shaping the new America at the time.

Fast forward more than a century, and Stanford counts 19 Nobel laureates within its community and is regularly ranked among the top three universities in the world. Nicknamed “The Farm” from the days when horses roamed there, Stanford’s campus is now a thriving community of more than 11,000 creative and accomplished people from around the world.

Stanford has one of the largest university campuses in the US, with 18 interdisciplinary research institutes and seven schools: the Graduate School of Business; School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences; Graduate School of Education; School of Engineering; School of Humanities and Sciences; Law School; and School of Medicine.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the best universities in the US for science and technology. The independent, coeducational, privately endowed university is organized into 5 schools, including architecture and planning, engineering, humanities and arts, management and science.

Over the years, MIT researchers have been at the forefront of developments in artificial intelligence, climate adaptation, HIV, cancer, and poverty alleviation. While in the past, MIT research has fuelled scientific breakthroughs such as the development of radar, the invention of magnetic core memory and the concept of the expanding universe; science and technology are not the only strings to MIT’s bow. Approximately 20 percent of MIT undergraduates join a sports team, and with 33 varsity sports, MIT boasts one of the broadest intercollegiate athletic programs in the world.

At its edges, the campus merges with various Cambridge neighborhoods, including Kendall Square, which is one of the most innovative square miles on the planet. The close association of industry and research has helped MIT alumni go on to launch more than 30,000 active companies, creating 4.6 million jobs and generating roughly $1.9 trillion in annual revenue. No wonder then that a nation of MIT graduates would be equivalent to the 10th-largest economy in the world.

Famous MIT alumni include Buzz Aldrin, Charles Koch, and Katharine McCormick,

Princeton University

Consistently ranked amongst the world’s top-10 universities, Princeton is renowned as being one of the world’s foremost research universities with connections to more than 40 Nobel laureates, 17 winners of the National Medal of Science, and five recipients of the National Humanities Medal.

Acclaimed for its commitment to teaching, this Ivy League institution offers residential

accommodation to all of its undergraduates across all four years of study, with 98 percent of undergraduates living on campus.

Famous for its campus’ park-like beauty, as well as some of its landmark buildings, designed by some of America’s most well-known architects. For instance, its Lewis Library was designed by Frank Gehry and contains many of the university’s science collections. Its McCarter Theatre Centre has won a Tony Award for the best regional theatre in the country.

Princeton has also educated two US presidents, James Madison and Woodrow Wilson, who was also the university’s president prior to entering the White House. Other distinguished graduates include Michelle Obama, actors Jimmy Stewart and Brooke Shields, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad.