Princeton University

Chartered in 1746, Princeton University is one of the oldest colleges in the country and ranks No. 4 on this year's list. Nassau Hall, first among the historic buildings that adorn Princeton’s 500-acre campus in Princeton, NJ, served as the nation’s capital building in 1783. Undergraduates may select from 36 academic departments. Nine current faculty members are Nobel Prize recipients. The university’s generous financial aid program provides grants and campus jobs in place of student loans.

Sixty percent of freshmen receive grants from the school averaging more than $34,000. Admitted students can defer their enrollment for a year to participate in community service work abroad through the Bridge Year program. On-campus housing is guaranteed for all four years for undergraduates. Princeton Students can take part in groundbreaking research projects or get involved in one of 300-plus student organizations on campus. Princeton’s 10-library system is home to over 7 million books, 6 million microfilms and a collection of rare books, prints and archives.

The Princeton University Art Museum contains more than 92,000 works. The school’s varsity athletic teams, nicknamed the Tigers, compete in the Ivy League (NCAA Division I). Princeton has produced a large number of luminaries, including U.S. presidents James Madison and Woodrow Wilson, First Lady Michelle Obama, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and HP CEO Meg Whitman. FORBES Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes graduated from Princeton in 1970.

Address: 1 Nassau Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States

Website: www.princeton.edu