The Ivies are making headlines again, but not in a good way. Between shifting admissions policies, flip-flopping on the role of standardized tests (Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Yale—we’re looking at you!) noted grade inflation, rising tuition costs, and bungled responses to campus protests, it’s been a contentious season for these eight elite institutions. The response to on-campus pro-Palestinian protests has varied widely, from support and dialogue to administrative crackdowns, depending on the specific circumstances and institutional culture. This turmoil came to a head at Columbia University, which has cancelled its main graduation ceremony after weeks of protests at the Ivy League college’s campus, ending in police action and student arrests.
At the same time, Ivy League campuses continue to be scrutinized for fairness and diversity, with debates over affirmative action, legacy admissions, and socioeconomic diversity. Just last week, two university presidents, Ben Sasse of the University of Florida, and Michael Roth of Wesleyan University, wrote dueling Op-Eds in the New York Times (Roth) and Wall Street Journal (Sasse) in response to the declining faith in higher ed.
As public trust in the Ivy monopoly is tested, there has been a mounting energy around high quality state schools and private institutions that produce “hard working high achievers.” A recent article in Forbes highlights ongoing tensions and debates within Ivy League campuses and introduces the New Ivies—“the 10 public universities and 10 ascendant private ones turning out the smart, driven graduates craved by employers of all types.”
INTRODUCING THE NEW IVIES
The Public Ivies:
- Binghamton University (New York)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia)
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Maryland-College Park
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- University of Texas-Austin
- University of Virginia
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (Wisconsin)
Note: Military academies were not included in their analysis and the University of California universities were excluded as well because they don’t consider test scores.
The Private Ivies:
- Boston College (Massachusetts)
- Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania)
- Emory University (Georgia)
- Georgetown University (District of Columbia)
- Johns Hopkins University (Maryland)
- Northwestern University (Illinois)
- Rice University (Texas)
- University of Notre Dame (Indiana)
- University of Southern California
- Vanderbilt University (Tennessee)
Note: Forbes’ analysis excluded schools with fewer than 4,000 students, the “Ancient Eight,” and four Ivy-plus schools: Stanford, MIT, Duke, and the University of Chicago.
Who else should make this list? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoyed this post, follow us on Instagram @toptieradmissions for more tips and subscribe to our blog for expert insights & college admissions news!
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21 replies on “Introducing the New Ivies”
Florida State, UCLA, UC Berkeley
FSU should be among the New Ivies.
Baylor University!
University of Washington is ranked higher than all the schools on this list. Look at World Rankings, Shanghai Rankings, etc.
Baylor University is considered a Carnegie classified “R1” top-tier research institution. It is recognized for its high research activity, including studies in astrophysics, space physics, and health. They have top-ranked programs in law, business, and the sciences.
NC state is one of the great engineering schools in the nation.
NC State has a very long way to go to earn recognition among the new ivies and among the great engineering schools nationally
What about Amherst. Where are they ranked?
Amherst is a very highly regarded school that offers a top-tier education. However, they are a Liberal Arts College. While they are commonly considered by those applying to the Ivy League, they fall into a different classification.
On the topic of grade inflation, with an enforced median policy in place I think Dartmouth students would disagree with this generalization on Ivy League schools.
I would make a separate category for engineering schools like Georgia Tech. University of Georgia has surpassed GT in many programs other than engineering and pushing their way onto this list, students are starting to select Georgia over these other fine Universities, for a variety of reasons.
As a former Columbia University student, it pains me to say that Boston University seems to be a rising star among private universities in the past 8 years. I have seen more BU students showcasing their work at premier research conferences than any other university, including Columbia, for quite some time.
Why was College of William and Mary removed?
Hi Audrey,
We are simply reporting on this Forbes article as it’s their list. Thank you!
UIUC Public ivy?
UIUC belongs.
How can you leave Washington University out?
Also, to be taken seriously, UCLA and Berkeley have to be on the list since they’re the top 2 Public Universities in America.
Hi Stephen,
We’re simply reporting on a recent Forbes article that we linked out to in this post. Additionally, see this note regarding the UCs, included under the list of New Public Ivies: “Military academies were not included in their analysis and the University of California universities were excluded as well because they don’t consider test scores.” Thank you.
Berkeley is certainly #1, but #2 is up for grabs: UMichigan, UVA, UNC, GA-Tech, UWashington, and UCSD could all realistically chain that spot. Also, I notice Penn State has been criminally disrespected lately.
Still haven’t seen one good explanation for Washington University being left out.
“Washington University” is a private university in St. Louis. The school you are referring to is “the University of Washington – Seattle.” And you are correct! There’s no way that school isn’t at least a borderline top 5 public university. Honestly, there isn’t a better research institution in the country.