There are really no surprises here

2011 US News Rankings Released: Best Colleges                Here is the U.S. News & World Report's list of the best national universities. There are really no surprises here.
Top 10 Universities
1. Harvard University
2. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. Columbia University
5. Stanford University (tied)
5. University of Pennsylvania (tied)
7. California Institute of Technology (tied)
7. Massachusetts institute of Technology (tied)
9. Dartmouth College (tied)
9. Duke University (tied)
9. University of Chicago (tied)
Here are some of the other new rankings, offering a bit more variety:
Top 10 Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rates
1. Curtis Institute of Music (5%)
2. Cooper Union (7%)
3. Harvard University (7%)
4. Yale University (8%)
5. Juilliard School (8%)
6. Stanford University (8%)
7. College of the Ozarks (9%)
8. Alice Lloyd College (9%)
9. United States Naval Academy (10%)
10. Columbia University (10%)
Top 10 Colleges that Offer the Best Value
1. Yale University (54.3% receive aid; average discount is 73%)
2. Harvard University (60% receive aid; average discount is 72%)
3. Princeton University (58.7% receive aid; average discount is 69%)
4. MIT (62.2% receive aid; average discount is 68%)
5. Stanford University (49.4% receive aid, average discount is 69%)
6. Columbia University (49.2% receive aid; average discount is 66%)
7. Dartmouth College (53% receive aid; average discount is 66%)
8. California Institute of Technology (54.6% receive aid; average discount is 66%)
9. Duke University (41% receive aid; average discount is 63%)
10. Cornell University (44.7% receive aid; average discount is 61%)
Other rankings include: the schools with the highest diversity ratings and the schools with the highest graduation rates.  
You may also want to check out the rankings methodology section—the articles in this section will shed light upon how U.S. News came to their conclusions. It is also important that you understand that there is no way any "official rankings" can mirror your own priorities and values in a college education. You need to create your own set of criteria and then choose schools based on those criteria. U.S. News rankings (or any other rankings) should never replace that process. These rankings do, however, serve as a tremendous warehouse of data that you can draw on when starting to research and compare programs. It is a fine place to start your research and a terrible place to end it.
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