This Is the Best College in America

Deciding where to go to college can be a stressful time for high schoolers. For those who are determined to attend the best of the best, WalletHub tries to ease the burden by sifting through all the pros and cons of more than 1,000 higher-ed institutions. The site looked at 30 metrics in seven main categories: student selectivity (class ranking and SAT/ACT scores); cost and financing; faculty resources (ie, faculty-student ratio and faculty salary); campus safety; campus experience (factors like diversity, NCAA membership, and study-abroad opportunities); educational outcomes (graduation and retention rates); and career outcomes. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology falls into the No. 1 slot. One thing the top 10 all share in the minus column: They all rank toward the bottom in terms of affordability, so if any of these schools are in your sights, get that 529 plan started early.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Princeton
3. California Institute of Technology (No. 1 in "student selectivity" and "faculty resources" categories)
4. Harvard
5. Yale
6. Rice University
7. Northwestern
8. Duke (No. 1 in "education outcomes" category)
9. Stanford
10. Johns Hopkins

See how other schools rank here. (Compare to the Wall Street Journal ranking from last month.)