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Study in the US: North East

Staff Writer

Updated Aug 07, 2024

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Introduction
Tucked away in the top right hand corner of the US, the North East is by far the smallest region in the US by area. But when it comes to higher education, the North East punches well above its weight.
Top universities in the US North East

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Tucked away in the top right hand corner of the US, the North East is by far the smallest region in the US by area. But when it comes to higher education, the North East punches well above its weight.

In the criteria used by the US Census Bureau, the North East region refers to nine states, split into two groups.

The first group, known as New England, includes Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The second, Mid-Atlantic, group, comprises New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

As well as being home to an impressive number of the world’s leading universities, this region is also rich in both natural and cultural delights.

Connecticut is known for its stunningly beautiful autumnal colours, Maine for its dramatic coastline, and New Hampshire for plentiful and varied natural beauty that has attracted many artists.

Meanwhile cities such as Boston, Philadelphia and, of course, New York, are among the most exciting and culturally active urban locations in the world.

Top universities in the US North East

A traditional academic nerve centre, the North East is home to all eight of the renowned Ivy League colleges: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

This reputation for academic excellence is reflected in the QS World University Rankings 2011/12. In the top ten, the North East is represented by Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University.

Also making the top 20 are Princeton University and Cornell University.

These top institutions are fairly evenly spread across the region. MIT is, obviously, in Massachusetts, as is Harvard.

Yale is in Connecticut, Princeton is in New Jersey, and Columbia and Cornell are both in New York State.

Thanks to this winning combination of world-leading universities, high quality of life, large and diverse student communities and excellent reputations with employers, the North East is home to some of the world’s top student cities.

In the 2012 QS Best Student Cities ranking, three top-50 cities are in the North East: Boston (3), New York (18) and Philadelphia (42).

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