Top 7 Ivy League Colleges for Graduate Degrees

Which are the top 7 Ivy League colleges for graduate degrees?

Graduate School applications are very high. Over half a million U.S. students took the GRE, the exam required for entrance to the majority of graduate programs–in 2016.  Those numbers are according to statistics provided by ETS the company that oversees the GRE testing, which is offered multiple times a month on computers located at testing centers.

Competition for graduate school spots is fierce. Applications coming from a reputable undergraduate school can certainly help. You also need to have a focused area of study, great letters of recommendation, experience in your area and a fantastic personal statement or statement of purpose. But how do you decide where to apply?

We’ve rounded up the Top 7 Ivy League colleges for graduate degrees which you will notice have much overlap from our previous article Top 7 Ivy League Colleges for Finance.

The term “Ivy League” is generally used to refer to the eight schools that make up the Ivy League athletic conference. However, none of these schools can hold a candle to other, much better, athletic conferences – especially in Football and Basketball. These schools are much better known as academic and intellectual powerhouses. If it is in the Ivy League, then the quality of education is in some respects assured.

The Ivy League colleges have guided and catalyzed many great minds over the years. It is quite apparent that this trend is going to continue in to the foreseeable future as well. Regardless of which specific university, being able to study in any of the Ivy League colleges is a matter of great pride. If you are considering an Ivy League college for your post-graduation studies, then this ranking will help to make up your mind.

The salary potential and the worldwide ranking of an Ivy League college is a pretty good indicator of its position among its peers. The CWUR started in 2012 and is the only global ranking of universities, by applying various criteria such as Quality of Education, Alumni Employment, Publications, Patents, Broad Impact, etc. More about their methodology, you can find it here.

We have added a separate layer by also considering salary ranges, as well as the noted quality of life advantages or disadvantages based directly on student anecdotes.  Here now are the top 7 Ivy League colleges for graduate degrees.

 

7. Dartmouth College

CWUR rank 50,
Payscale mid-range salary: $119,000

Notable alumni: Don M. Wilson III, former Chief Risk Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co; James Schiro, Zurich Financial Services.

Dartmouth offers PhD and master’s degrees in a total of 19 graduate programs including at Geisel School of Medicine, the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business.  Certainly this is the most insular and isolated choice of the seven. While still an Ivy, Dartmouth is one of the worst ranked Ivies year after year.

 

6. Cornell University

CWUR rank 12;

Payscale mid-range salary: $109,000

Notable alumni: Sheldon Lee Glashow member of the National Academy of Sciences, Pearl S. Oscar G. Mayer, Jr. Chairman of Oscar Mayer, Jamshid Amuzegar, Prime Minister of Iran.

There are seven graduate divisions at Cornell. There are also two Cornell medical campuses located in cities other than Ithaca, NY where the main campus resides–one in Manhattan and one in Education City, Qatar. Depending on your area of study you could be in nature, surrounded by snowy mountains most of the year, living in a metropolis, or enjoying the Persian Gulf.

 

5. Yale University

CWUR rank 10;

Payscale mid-range salary: $102,000

Notable alumni: Laszlo Bock – Vice President, People Operations, Google; Jane Mendillo – CEO and President, Harvard Management Company.

Yale has routes to master’s and PhDs through its Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and 12 professional schools.  Located in New Haven, CT–Yale offers the amenities of a small city, while being quite near both Boston and New York.

 

4. University of Pennsylvania

CWUR rank 14;

Payscale mid-range salary: $124,000

Notable alumni: Pridiyathorn Devakula, Governor of the Central Bank of Thailand; Robert Wolf, President and CEO, UBS Investment Bank Americas.

UPENN offers programs in 11 graduate divisions including Wharton, the business school–which tends to be the focal point of the school. Located in Philly, they also offer a JD/MBA and several other interdisciplinary options.

 

3. Columbia University

CWUR rank: 6;

Payscale mid-range salary: $109,000

Notable alumni: Nancy McKinstry, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer; Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

At number 3 on our list of Ivy League colleges for graduate degrees, located in Manhattan, this school offers 16 potential graduate programs through its schools such as School of International and Public Affairs, The Medical School, The School of the Arts, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and the Business School.

 

2. Princeton University

CWUR rank 9;

Payscale mid-range salary: $131,000

Notable alumni: James Millikin Bevans – U.S. Air Force Major General, Gordon Johnston, A.B. 1896 – Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War, Orley Ashenfelter – professor of economics, winner of the Frisch Medal.

Princeton does not have any professional schools but does offer master’s and PhD degrees. They welcomed 650 graduate students in 2016. Located in Princeton, NJ this is one of the best schools in the country.

 

1. Harvard University

CWUR rank 1;

Payscale mid-range salary: $123,000

Notable alumni: Jamie Dimon, CEO and Chairman of JPMorgan Chase; Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management.

Located just outside of Boston, MA this school is as well-known as any could be. Harvard has 12 degree-granting programs including Harvard Law, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Divinity School.

Now that you’ve started your research with top 7 Ivy League colleges for graduate degrees, keep the momentum going as you narrow down what programs are right for you.