How this analysis works
Methodology
This page defines how schools are ranked and how universities are tiered — including the judgment calls behind it, made explicit rather than buried in a script.
1. What this analyzes
Each school publishes a list of the universities its graduates attend. Every university on every list is assigned an outcomes Tier (1–5). Each school is scored on breadth: every distinct university it publishes counts once, regardless of how many students went there — so a school can't inflate its share just by sending a big cohort to one selective school. The rank is the share of a school's distinct destinations that land in Tier 1 (the eight Ivies, M.I.T., Caltech, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge).
Important limitation: schools that publish longer or more complete destination lists may record a lower top-tier percentage because their reports include more destinations across every tier. A shorter or selectively published list may therefore appear stronger. Results should be interpreted alongside each school's reporting period and level of data completeness.
2. Reporting-period adjustment
A school reporting N years of destinations gets N independent chances to land at least one rare Tier 1/2 placement — so raw Tier 1/2 counts are inflated by reporting-window length, not just selectivity.
Our adjustment: before computing shares, each school's raw Tier 1 and Tier 2 counts are divided by its number of reporting years (linear, ÷N). Tier 3–5 counts are left raw, since those destinations are higher-volume and don't benefit from the same "any single hit counts" dynamic.
- This is a deliberately aggressive choice. It can rank a one-year school with a smaller raw Tier 1 count above a multi-year school with a larger one.
This is the only ranking this site computes — every school on the rankings page is scored the same way.
3. The 5-tier scale
Tiers reflect blended global outcomes/selectivity. Tier 1 is the most selective. Tiers 1 and 2 are defined by published external rankings, not personal opinion: U.S. News Best National Universities (US) and The Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK).
| Tier | Definition | Representative universities |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 8 Ivies + MIT + Caltech + Stanford + Oxford + Cambridge | Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge… |
| Tier 2 | US News top 27 (excl. Tier 1) + Sunday Times UK top 10 (excl. Oxbridge) + elite international | Duke, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, Berkeley, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Bath, Tsinghua, NUS… |
| Tier 3 | Very strong, outside the Tier 2 rankings | NYU, Georgia Tech, UCSD, King's College London, Edinburgh, HKU, Amherst, Williams… |
| Tier 4 | Strong / solid | Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, UK redbricks, UBC, HKUST, CUHK… |
| Tier 5 | Other / less selective / niche | Community colleges, Cal States, regional universities, art & design schools… |
Tier 1 Full list — 15 universities
| Brown University |
| California Institute of Technology |
| Columbia University |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Cornell University |
| Dartmouth College |
| Harvard University |
| List JTS (Columbia University) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Princeton University |
| Stanford University |
| University of Cambridge |
| University of Oxford |
| University of Pennsylvania |
| Yale University |
Tier 2 Full list — 39 universities
| Carnegie Mellon University |
| Duke University |
| Durham University |
| ETH Zurich |
| Emory University |
| Emory University-Oxford |
| Georgetown University |
| Imperial College London |
| Johns Hopkins University |
| London School of Economics and Political Science |
| Loughborough University |
| National University of Singapore |
| Northwestern University |
| Rice University |
| Tsinghua University |
| UNC Chapel Hill |
| University College London |
| University Michigan |
| University of Bath |
| University of California Los Angeles |
| University of California, Berkeley |
| University of California, Los Angeles |
| University of California-Berkeley |
| University of California-Los Angeles |
| University of Chicago |
| University of Michigan |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| University of Notre Dame |
| University of Southern California |
| University of St Andrews |
| University of St. Andrews |
| University of Virginia |
| University of Warwick |
| Vanderbilt University |
| Washington University St. Louis |
| Washington University in St Louis |
| École polytechnique (Palaiseau) |
Tier 3 Full list — 63 universities
| Amherst College |
| Australian National University |
| Barnard College |
| Bocconi University |
| Bowdoin College |
| Bryn Mawr College |
| Carleton College |
| Claremont McKenna College |
| Colgate University |
| Cooper Union |
| Delft University of Technology |
| Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Grinnell College |
| Hamilton College |
| Harvey Mudd College |
| King's College London |
| Leiden University |
| McGill University |
| Middlebury College |
| Nanyang Technological University |
| New York University |
| Pitzer College |
| Pomona College |
| Purdue University |
| Purdue University, West Lafayette |
| Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Reed College |
| Sciences Po |
| Seoul National University |
| Smith College |
| Swarthmore College |
| Technical University of Munich |
| The Australian National University |
| The University of Edinburgh |
| The University of Hong Kong |
| The University of Texas at Austin |
| Trinity College Dublin |
| Tufts University |
| US Military Academy (West Point) |
| United States Military Academy |
| United States Military Academy at West Point |
| Universita Bocconi |
| University of Bristol |
| University of California San Diego |
| University of California, San Diego |
| University of California-San Diego |
| University of Edinburgh |
| University of Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois (UC) |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| University of Manchester |
| University of Melbourne |
| University of Sydney |
| University of Texas at Austin |
| University of Toronto |
| University of Waterloo |
| Utrecht University |
| Vassar College |
| Wake Forest University |
| Wellesley College |
| Williams College |
| World Bachelor in Business (USC/Bocconi/HKUST) |
Tier 4 Full list — 192 universities
| Architectural Association School of Architecture |
| Babson College |
| Bard College |
| Bates College |
| Bentley University |
| Berklee College of Music |
| Boston College |
| Boston University |
| Brandeis University |
| Bucknell University |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
| California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo |
| Cardiff University |
| Carleton University |
| Case Western Reserve University |
| Case Western University |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| City University of Hong Kong |
| City, University of London |
| Clark University |
| Clemson University |
| Colby College |
| College of the Holy Cross |
| Colorado College |
| Connecticut College |
| Dalhousie University |
| Davidson College |
| Denison University |
| Dickinson College |
| Drexel University |
| EDHEC Business School |
| Education University of Hong Kong |
| Emerson College |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| Esade Ramon Lull University |
| Fashion Institute of Technology |
| Fordham University |
| Franklin & Marshall College |
| Free University of Berlin |
| George Washington University |
| Gettysburg College |
| Haverford College |
| Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| Howard University |
| IE University |
| IE University - Madrid |
| IE University Madrid |
| IE University-Madrid |
| Indiana University |
| Indiana University-Bloomington |
| Keio University |
| Kenyon College |
| Lafayette College |
| Lehigh University |
| Loyola Marymount University |
| Lund University |
| Maastricht University |
| Macalester College |
| Manchester School of Architecture |
| McMaster University |
| Michigan State University |
| Minerva University |
| Monash University |
| Morehouse College |
| Mount Holyoke College |
| Muhlenberg College |
| Newcastle University |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh |
| Northeastern University |
| Oberlin College |
| Occidental College |
| Ohio State University |
| Otis College of Art and Design |
| Parsons School of Design |
| Penn State University |
| Pennsylvania State University |
| Pennsylvania State University, University Park |
| Pepperdine University |
| Pratt Institute |
| Queen Mary University of London |
| Queen's University |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Rhode Island School of Design |
| Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Rose Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| Royal Veterinary College |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick |
| SOAS University of London |
| Santa Clara University |
| Sarah Lawrence College |
| Savannah College of Art and Design |
| Savannah College of Arts & Design |
| School of Visual Arts |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Sciences Po-Hong Kong University |
| Scripps College |
| Simon Fraser University |
| Singapore Institute of Technology |
| Singapore Management University |
| Skidmore College |
| Southern Methodist University |
| Spellman College |
| Spelman College |
| St George's University of London |
| St Olaf College |
| St. Lawrence University |
| Stevens Institute of Technology |
| Stony Brook University |
| Sungkyunkwan University |
| Syracuse University |
| Texas A & M University |
| Texas Christian University |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| The College of New Jersey |
| The George Washington University |
| The Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
| The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| The New School, Parsons |
| The New School, Parsons School for Design |
| The Ohio State University |
| The Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Main Campus |
| The University of British Columbia |
| Tilburg University |
| Trinity College |
| Trinity University |
| Tulane University |
| United States Naval Academy |
| University College Dublin |
| University of Aberdeen |
| University of Adelaide |
| University of Alberta |
| University of Amsterdam |
| University of British Columbia |
| University of California, Davis |
| University of California, Irvine |
| University of California, Santa Barbara |
| University of California, Santa Cruz |
| University of Colorado Boulder |
| University of Colorado at Boulder |
| University of Connecticut |
| University of Delaware |
| University of Exeter |
| University of Florida |
| University of Georgia |
| University of Glasgow |
| University of Guelph |
| University of Iowa |
| University of Leeds |
| University of Leicester |
| University of Liverpool |
| University of Maryland |
| University of Maryland-College Park |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| University of Miami |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities |
| University of New South Wales |
| University of Newcastle |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
| University of Nottingham |
| University of Oregon |
| University of Pittsburgh |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus |
| University of Queensland |
| University of Reading |
| University of Rochester |
| University of San Diego |
| University of Sheffield |
| University of Southampton |
| University of Surrey |
| University of Vermont |
| University of Washington |
| University of Washington-Seattle |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus |
| University of Western Australia |
| University of Wisconsin |
| University of Wisconsin – Madison |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| University of York |
| Villanova University |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Virginia Tech |
| Waseda University |
| Wesleyan University |
| Western University |
| Wheaton College |
| Whitman College |
| William & Mary |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| York University |
Tier 5 Full list — 231 universities
| Academy of the Arts San Francisco |
| American University |
| American University in Dubai |
| Arizona State University |
| Art Center College of Design |
| ArtCenter College of Design |
| Aston University |
| Auburn University |
| BIMM University |
| Bar-Ilan University |
| Binghamton University |
| Biola University |
| Blair Academy (PG Year) |
| Boise State University |
| Brigham Young University |
| Brunel University London |
| Bryant University |
| CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College |
| Cal Maritime |
| Caldwell University |
| California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt |
| California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
| California State University, Bakersfield |
| California State University, Chico |
| California State University, Dominguez Hills |
| California State University, Fresno |
| California State University, Fullerton |
| California State University, Long Beach |
| California State University, Northridge |
| California State University, San Marcos |
| California State University-Northridge |
| Calvin University |
| Capilano University |
| Carson Newman University |
| Central Connecticut State University |
| Chapman University |
| Christopher Newport University |
| College of Charleston |
| Colorado Mesa University |
| Colorado State University, Fort Collins |
| County College of Morris |
| Cuesta Community College |
| DePaul University |
| Dean College |
| Dominican University New York |
| Drew University |
| Durham University International Study Centre |
| East Stroudsburg University |
| East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne |
| Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne |
| Ecole de l'image Gobelins |
| El Camino Community College |
| Elon University |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach) |
| Emily Carr University of Art and Design |
| Essex County College |
| Fairfield University |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus |
| Florida State University |
| Fordham University |
| Fullerton College |
| Glendale Community College |
| Goethe Universitat Frankfurt |
| Golden West College |
| Grand Canyon University |
| Hampton University |
| Hawai'i Community College |
| High Point University |
| Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts |
| Hong Kong Baptist University |
| Hong Kong Metropolitan University |
| Honolulu Community College |
| Hult International Business School |
| Huntington University |
| Huron at Western University |
| Ithaca College |
| James Madison University |
| Kean University |
| Kingston University |
| Leeds Arts University |
| Leeds Beckett University |
| Leiden University College The Hague |
| Les Roches - Spain Campus |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-Mahwah |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-Union |
| London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art |
| London Film Academy |
| Long Beach City College |
| Long Island University - Brooklyn |
| Louisiana State University |
| Loyola University Chicago |
| Lynn University |
| Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Marist University |
| Meredith College |
| Merrimack College |
| Miami University |
| Miami University-Oxford |
| Middle Georgia State University |
| Middlesex College |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead |
| Montana State University |
| Montclair State University |
| Moravian University |
| NJIT |
| NSCAD University |
| Nazareth University |
| New England Conservatory |
| New Jersey City University |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology |
| New York Film Academy- New York City |
| Northern Michigan University |
| Norwich University |
| Norwich University of the Arts |
| Nova Southeastern University |
| OCAD University |
| Orange Coast College |
| Oregon State University |
| Oxford Brookes University |
| P C Age-Jersey City |
| Pace University |
| Pasadena City College |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology |
| Point Loma Nazarene University |
| Point Park University |
| Pratt Institute- Brooklyn |
| Queen Mary University of London (Malta) |
| Queenstown Resort College |
| Quinnipiac University |
| Ramapo College |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey |
| Regis University |
| Rider University |
| Ritsumeikan University |
| Rowan University |
| Rutgers University-Camden |
| Rutgers University-Newark |
| SUNY Buffalo |
| SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill |
| Sacred Heart University |
| Saint Elizabeth University |
| Saint Joseph's University |
| Saint Louis University |
| Saint Louis University - Madrid Campus |
| Salve Regina University |
| San Diego Miramar Community College |
| San Diego State University |
| San Francisco State University |
| Santa Barbara City College |
| Santa Monica City College |
| Santa Monica College |
| Sault University |
| Seattle Pacific University |
| Seton Hall University |
| Sheridan College |
| Siena College |
| Sling Pilot Academy |
| Southern California Regional Occupational Center |
| St. George's University |
| Stockton University |
| Sweet Briar College |
| Temple College |
| Temple University |
| Texas A&M Corpus Christi |
| Texas Tech University |
| The American University of Paris |
| The New School |
| The Oberlin Conservatory of Music |
| The Pennsylvania State University- Penn State Altoona |
| The Pennsylvania State University- Penn State Harrisburg |
| The Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington |
| The University of Alabama |
| The University of Tampa |
| The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Tiffin University |
| Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Trent University |
| Union College of Union County NJ |
| University at Albany, SUNY |
| University at Buffalo |
| University of Aizu |
| University of Alabama |
| University of Arizona |
| University of Bremen |
| University of Brighton |
| University of California, Merced |
| University of California, Riverside |
| University of Central Florida |
| University of Central Lancashire |
| University of Cincinnati |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
| University of Connecticut-Stamford |
| University of Dayton |
| University of Denver |
| University of Essex |
| University of Hawai'i at Manoa |
| University of Kentucky |
| University of La Verne |
| University of Mississippi |
| University of Missouri Columbia |
| University of Nevada, Reno |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| University of North Carolina, Asheville |
| University of Oklahoma |
| University of Pisa |
| University of Redlands |
| University of Richmond |
| University of San Francisco |
| University of Scranton |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia |
| University of South Florida-Main Campus |
| University of The Pacific |
| University of Utah |
| University of Victoria |
| University of Washington, Bothell |
| University of Windsor |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| University of the Arts London |
| University of the West of England |
| Warren County Community College |
| Washington State University |
| West Essex County College |
| Western Michigan University |
| Western Washington University |
| Willamette University |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey |
| École de l'image Gobelins |
Consequences worth knowing
- Bath and Loughborough sit in Tier 2 purely because the Sunday Times ranks them top-10 (teaching quality & student satisfaction), placing them far higher than global research rankings would.
- Conversely, King's College London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol are Tier 3 — not in the Sunday Times top 10, despite strong global reputations. A direct, intended consequence of using that guide.
- Rankings change annually. Tier 2 membership is tied to a specific edition (U.S. News 2025 / Sunday Times 2025).
4. Data-handling rules
Reporting-year adjustment
Tier 1/2 counts are divided by the number of years the published list covers (÷5 for a 5-year list, ÷1 for single-year) before shares are computed. See the years-penalty above.
Offers vs. matriculations
Where a source distinguishes them, only matriculations/enrolments are used — never offers.
Offers-only schools are excluded
A school whose published list is offers with no way to isolate matriculations doesn't qualify for the ranking at all. Offers can inflate — a student may hold several and enroll at one. Not shown greyed out; simply not included.
Names-only schools are still ranked
Breadth never needed per-student counts, so schools publishing university names without headcounts (GSIS, SIS) are fully rankable here.
Oxbridge colleges
Individual Oxford & Cambridge colleges are summed to the university level when a source lists them separately.
Source of truth
Every figure traces to a school's own official published report. See each school's page for its exact source document.