How does your alma mater rank? Flickr/saket_vora Schools are constantly being ranked on everything from student happiness, campus beauty, success of alums, and professor prestige. But where should you go if you want to be among the most intelligent students in America?

Exclusively for Business Insider, Jonathan Wai, a Duke University Talent Identification Program researcher, calculated a ranking of America's colleges and universities based purely on smarts, as reflected by the school's average scores on standardized tests.

These tests are often criticized, but research shows that both the SAT and ACT are good measures of general cognitive ability; and the average scores that schools report to U.S. News gives a reasonable snapshot of the brainpower level of that school.

We updated our ranking from last year by including all the schools in the national university, liberal arts college, regional university, and regional college lists that reported SAT or ACT scores in the latest U.S. News ranking.



ACT scores were translated into SAT scores (math + verbal) using this concordance table so that all schools could be compared using one metric. Finally, an average of the 25th and 75th percentile was computed (see a full description of the methodology and limitations here). This resulted in a total of 1,339 schools analyzed, from which we pulled the top 600.

On the following ranking, a (2) next to the school's name indicates that some or all students aren't required to supply scores; a (3) indicates that the school did not supply all students it has scores for, or did not tell U.S. News if it had; a (4) indicates that the data is from a previous year, rather than from the most recent year; and a (9) indicates that the school may not require scores from all applicants and that it may not have submitted data for all students.

Here are the smartest colleges in America:

Smarts Rank School Average SAT 1 California Institute of Technology 1545 2 University of Chicago 1515 3 Princeton University 1505 3 Harvard University 1505 3 Yale University 1505 6 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1500 7 Columbia University 1485 8 Harvey Mudd College 1480 9 Stanford University 1475 10 Northwestern University 1470 11 Dartmouth College 1460 11 Washington University in St. Louis 1460 11 University of Notre Dame 1460 11 Vanderbilt University 1460 11 Rice University 1460 11 Pomona College 1460 17 Duke University 1455 18 University of Pennsylvania 1450 19 Tufts University 1445 20 Amherst College 1440 20 Swarthmore College 1440 22 Brown University (3) 1435 22 Carnegie Mellon University 1435 22 Williams College 1435 22 Bowdoin College (2) 1435 26 Johns Hopkins University 1430 26 Carleton College 1430 28 Cornell University 1420 29 Georgetown University 1410 29 Wellesley College 1410 29 Claremont McKenna College 1410 32 Haverford College 1400 32 Washington and Lee University 1400 32 Wesleyan University 1400 35 Vassar College 1395 36 Northeastern University 1390 37 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1389 38 Georgia Institute of Technology 1385 38 Middlebury College 1385 38 Hamilton College 1385 41 University of Southern California 1380 42 University of California-Berkeley 1375 42 Case Western Reserve University 1375 42 Reed College (9) 1375 42 Bard College at Simon's Rock (2) 1375 46 Scripps College 1367 47 Emory University 1365 47 College of William and Mary 1365 48 Oberlin College 1363 49 Boston College 1360 49 New York University 1360 49 Tulane University (3) 1360 49 Colgate University 1360 49 United States Air Force Academy 1360 55 University of Virginia 1355 55 Cooper Union 1355 57 University of Rochester (2) 1350 57 Brandeis University 1350 57 Macalester College 1350 60 Colby College (2) 1345 60 Bates College (2) 1345 62 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 1340 62 Colorado School of Mines 1340 62 Grinnell College 1340 62 Bryn Mawr College 1340 62 Barnard College 1340 67 Davidson College (3) 1335 67 Smith College (2) 1335 69 Wake Forest University (2) 1325 69 University of Miami 1325 69 Colorado College (2) 1325 69 Mount Holyoke College (2) 1325 69 Connecticut College (2) 1325 74 Whitman College 1321 75 University of California-Los Angeles 1320 75 Kenyon College 1320 75 Wheaton College 1320 78 Lehigh University 1315 78 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2) 1315 78 Franklin and Marshall College (2) 1315 81 University of Maryland-College Park 1310 81 University of Richmond 1310 81 Union College (NY) (2) 1310 84 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 1305 84 College of the Holy Cross (2) 1305 84 Pitzer College (2) 1305 84 Occidental College 1305 84 Hendrix College 1305 84 St. John's College (NM) (2) 1305 84 Villanova University 1305 91 Ohio State University-Columbus 1300 91 Southern Methodist University 1300 91 Stevens Institute of Technology 1300 91 Bucknell University 1300 91 Denison University (2) 1300 91 Rhodes College 1300 91 Hillsdale College 1300 98 George Washington University 1295 99 Binghamton University-SUNY 1294 100 University of California-San Diego 1290 100 Boston University 1290 102 University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign 1285 102 Brigham Young University-Provo 1285 102 University of Tulsa 1285 102 Centre College 1285 102 Gettysburg College (2) 1285 102 St. Olaf College 1285 102 Lawrence University (2) 1285 102 New College of Florida 1285 102 Santa Clara University 1285 111 United States Military Academy (3) 1283 112 United States Naval Academy 1280 112 Bennington College (2) 1280 114 Dickinson College (2) 1278 115 Lafayette College 1275 115 Bard College (2) 1275 115 St. John's College (2) 1275 115 Lewis & Clark College (2) 1275 115 United States Coast Guard Academy (3) 1275 120 University of Pittsburgh 1270 121 SUNY-Geneseo 1269 122 United States Merchant Marine Academy 1267 123 University of Wisconsin-Madison 1265 123 University of Florida 1265 123 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 1265 123 Missouri University of Science & Technology 1265 123 Sewanee-University of the South (2) 1265 128 University of Texas-Austin 1260 128 University of Texas-Dallas 1260 128 Trinity University 1260 131 Fordham University 1255 131 American University (2) 1255 133 University of California-Santa Barbara 1250 133 Stony Brook University-SUNY 1250 133 Sarah Lawrence College (2) 1250 133 Thomas Aquinas College 1250 137 Clemson University 1245 137 Miami University-Oxford 1245 137 University of Denver 1245 137 St. Louis University 1245 137 Illinois Institute of Technology 1245 137 Kalamazoo College 1245 137 College of Wooster 1245 137 Earlham College (2) 1245 137 Illinois Wesleyan University 1245 137 Knox College (2) 1245 137 Butler University 1245 137 Drake University 1245 137 Truman State University 1245 137 Milwaukee School of Engineering 1245 137 Kettering University 1245 137 Taylor University 1245 153 University of Georgia 1240 153 Skidmore College 1240 153 Trinity College 1240 153 Muhlenberg College (2) 1240 157 Yeshiva University 1235 157 Pepperdine University 1235 157 North Carolina State University-Raleigh 1235 157 Furman University (2) 1235 157 College of New Jersey 1235 162 University of Washington 1230 162 University of Connecticut 1230 162 Emerson College 1230 162 CUNY-Baruch College 1230 166 Marquette University 1225 166 Texas Christian University 1225 166 Florida State University 1225 166 Auburn University 1225 166 Trinity International University 1225 166 DePauw University 1225 166 Beloit College (2) 1225 166 Gustavus Adolphus College (2) 1225 166 Wheaton College (2) 1225 166 Transylvania University 1225 166 University of Puget Sound (3) 1225 166 Bentley University (3) 1225 166 Creighton University 1225 166 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (3) 1225 180 Virginia Tech 1220 180 College of the Atlantic (2) 1220 180 Elon University 1220 183 Clark University (2) 1215 183 University of San Diego 1215 183 St. Lawrence University (2) 1215 183 Austin College (3) 1215 183 Rochester Institute of Technology 1215 188 University of California-Davis 1210 188 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick 1210 188 University of Massachusetts-Amherst 1210 188 University of Maryland-Baltimore County 1210 188 Soka University of America 1210 188 Chapman University 1210 188 University of Dallas 1210 195 Grove City College 1207 196 Baylor University 1205 196 University of Colorado-Boulder 1205 196 University of Dayton 1205 196 Loyola University Chicago 1205 196 University of Tennessee 1205 196 University of South Carolina 1205 196 Michigan Technological University 1205 196 Hobart and William Smith Colleges (2) 1205 196 Hope College 1205 196 Berry College 1205 196 Belmont University 1205 196 Cedarville University 1205 208 Purdue University-West Lafayette 1200 209 University of Delaware 1195 209 Willamette University 1195 209 University of North Carolina-Asheville 1195 209 Rollins College (2) 1195 209 Gonzaga University 1195 209 Loyola Marymount University 1195 209 University of Portland 1195 216 Drexel University 1190 216 Clarkson University 1190 216 St. Mary's College of Maryland (3) 1190 216 University of North Carolina-Wilmington 1190 216 Whitworth University (2) 1190 221 University of Vermont 1185 221 University of Alabama 1185 221 University of Oklahoma 1185 221 University of Alabama-Huntsville 1185 221 Luther College 1185 221 Westmont College 1185 221 Cornell College 1185 221 Calvin College (2) 1185 221 Pratt Institute 1185 221 Valparaiso University 1185 221 University of Evansville 1185 221 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 1185 221 Oklahoma City University 1185 221 John Brown University 1185 221 Ohio Northern University 1185 236 Loyola University Maryland (2) 1184 237 Texas A&M University-College Station 1180 237 University of Central Florida 1180 237 Allegheny College 1180 237 Cogswell Polytechnical College 1180 241 Pennsylvania State University-University Park 1175 241 Indiana University-Bloomington 1175 241 University of the Pacific 1175 241 St. Michael's College (2) 1175 241 Ithaca College (2) 1175 241 Marist College (9) 1175 241 Mercer University 1175 248 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1170 248 University of San Francisco 1170 248 University of South Florida 1170 248 Wofford College 1170 248 Ursinus College 1170 248 Fairfield University (2) 1170 248 CUNY-Hunter College 1170 248 Stetson University (2) 1170 248 Covenant College 1170 257 Southwestern University 1168 258 University of California-Irvine 1165 258 University of Iowa 1165 258 Michigan State University (3) 1165 258 University of Missouri 1165 258 University of St. Thomas (3) 1165 258 DePaul University (2) 1165 258 Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge 1165 258 University of Arkansas 1165 258 St. John's University 1165 258 College of St. Benedict 1165 258 Millsaps College 1165 258 St. Mary's College 1165 258 Washington College (2) 1165 258 Coe College 1165 258 Lake Forest College (2) 1165 258 University of Minnesota-Morris (3) 1165 258 Wittenberg University (2) 1165 258 Lyon College 1165 258 Samford University 1165 258 Union University (3) 1165 258 Bradley University 1165 258 Rockhurst University 1165 258 Franciscan University of Steubenville 1165 258 Lawrence Technological University 1165 258 LeTourneau University (2) 1165 258 Augustana College 1165 284 Agnes Scott College (2) 1160 284 Wagner College (2) 1160 284 College of Charleston (3) 1160 284 Christopher Newport University (2) 1160 288 Syracuse University 1155 288 University at Buffalo-SUNY 1155 288 Providence College (2) 1155 288 Salisbury University (9) 1155 288 University of North Florida 1155 288 Seattle University 1155 294 Gordon College (3) 1154 295 George Mason University (2) 1150 295 Florida International University 1150 295 Virginia Military Institute 1150 295 Juniata College (9) 1150 295 Touro College (2) 1150 295 Point Loma Nazarene University 1150 301 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 1145 301 Iowa State University 1145 301 University of Kansas 1145 301 Arizona State University-Tempe (2) 1145 301 University of Cincinnati 1145 301 University of Kentucky 1145 301 Oklahoma State University 1145 301 University of Alabama-Birmingham 1145 301 Maryville University of St. Louis 1145 301 University of Louisville (3) 1145 301 Florida Institute of Technology (3) 1145 301 Albion College 1145 301 Goucher College (2) 1145 301 St. Anselm College (2) 1145 301 Birmingham-Southern College 1145 301 Concordia College-Moorhead 1145 301 Centenary College of Louisiana 1145 301 William Jewell College (2) 1145 301 Simmons College (3) 1145 301 James Madison University 1145 301 Loyola University New Orleans 1145 301 Lipscomb University 1145 301 Harding University 1145 301 Xavier University 1145 301 Drury University 1145 301 Bethel University 1145 301 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 1145 301 Mills College 1145 301 Westminster College 1145 301 Oklahoma Christian University 1145 301 Messiah College 1145 301 Aquinas College 1145 301 Benedictine College (3) 1145 334 University of California-Santa Cruz 1140 334 Hofstra University (2) 1140 334 New Jersey Institute of Technology 1140 334 University of Houston 1140 334 Washington and Jefferson College (2) 1140 334 The King's College 1140 334 Georgia College & State University 1140 334 Seattle Pacific University 1140 342 Wabash College 1139 343 Duquesne University (2) 1135 343 Oglethorpe University 1135 343 Bryant University (2) 1135 343 Appalachian State University 1135 347 University of Massachusetts-Lowell 1130 347 Stonehill College (2) 1130 347 Warren Wilson College 1130 347 University of Redlands 1130 347 North Greenville University 1130 352 Colorado State University 1125 352 University of Wyoming 1125 352 Ohio Wesleyan University (2) 1125 352 Augustana College (9) 1125 352 Ripon College 1125 352 Susquehanna University (2) 1125 352 St. Norbert College 1125 352 Eckerd College 1125 352 Alma College (3) 1125 352 SUNY-New Paltz 1125 352 CUNY-Queens College 1125 352 Bellarmine University 1125 352 William Carey University (3) 1125 352 John Carroll University 1125 352 North Central College 1125 352 Otterbein University (3) 1125 352 University of Michigan-Dearborn 1125 352 Regis University (3) 1125 352 Dordt College 1125 352 Martin Luther College (9) 1125 352 Carroll College 1125 373 Temple University (2) 1120 373 Seton Hall University 1120 373 Adelphi University (9) 1120 373 Biola University 1120 373 Hartwick College (2) 1120 373 University of Scranton 1120 373 New York Institute of Technology 1120 373 St. Edward's University 1120 381 Assumption College (2) 1118 382 University of Oregon 1115 382 The Catholic University of America 1115 382 New School (2) 1115 382 Rowan University 1115 382 Elizabethtown College 1115 382 Champlain College (3) 1115 388 Ohio University 1110 388 Illinois State University (3) 1110 388 University of Illinois-Chicago (3) 1110 388 Texas Tech University 1110 388 Georgia Southern University 1110 388 Berea College 1110 388 Hampden-Sydney College 1110 388 Nebraska Wesleyan University 1110 388 St. Joseph's University (2) 1110 388 Roger Williams University (9) 1110 388 SUNY Oswego (3) 1110 388 University of Mary Washington 1110 388 St. Catherine University 1110 388 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1110 388 University of Minnesota-Duluth 1110 388 St. Mary's College of California 1110 388 Lebanon Valley College (2) 1110 388 Wentworth Institute of Technology 1110 388 Milligan College 1110 388 Montana Tech of the University of Montana 1110 408 Houghton College 1108 409 Calfornia Lutheran University 1107 410 University of New Hampshire 1105 410 University of Utah 1105 410 Kansas State University (2) 1105 410 University of Mississippi (2) 1105 410 Mississippi State University 1105 410 Virginia Commonwealth University 1105 410 University of Rhode Island (3) 1105 410 University of Missouri-Kansas City 1105 410 Montana State University (3) 1105 410 University of North Texas (3) 1105 410 Drew University 1105 410 Presbyterian College (2) 1105 410 McDaniel College (3) 1105 410 Simpson College 1105 410 Carthage College 1105 410 College of Idaho 1105 410 Westminster College 1105 410 Northland College 1105 410 Ouachita Baptist University 1105 410 Wisconsin Lutheran College 1105 410 Salve Regina University (2) 1105 410 West Chester University of Pennsylvania 1105 410 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (2) 1105 410 Spring Hill College 1105 410 Christian Brothers University 1105 410 Mississippi College 1105 410 Freed-Hardeman University 1105 410 Lee University (3) 1105 410 Hamline University 1105 410 Baldwin Wallace University (2) 1105 410 Indiana Wesleyan University 1105 410 Capital University (3) 1105 410 Concordia University (NE) 1105 410 Abilene Christian University 1105 410 Western Washington University 1105 410 University of St. Thomas 1105 410 Asbury University 1105 410 Marietta College (3) 1105 410 Northwestern College 1105 410 University of Northwestern-St. Paul (4) 1105 410 Oklahoma Baptist University 1105 451 University of California-Riverside 1100 451 St. John's University 1100 451 San Diego State University 1100 451 Hanover College 1100 451 Siena College (3) 1100 451 Goshen College 1100 451 Salem College 1100 451 Nazareth College (2) 1100 451 Alfred University 1100 451 SUNY College-Oneonta 1100 451 University of North Georgia 1100 451 Pacific Lutheran University (3) 1100 451 Pacific University 1100 464 University of Arizona (2) 1095 464 University at Albany-SUNY 1095 464 Oregon State University 1095 464 Hollins University 1095 464 Guilford College (2) 1095 464 Quinnipiac University 1095 464 Ramapo College of New Jersey 1095 464 Sacred Heart University (2) 1095 464 Florida Southern College 1095 464 California Maritime Academy (3) 1095 474 University of North Dakota (3) 1090 474 University of South Dakota 1090 474 West Virginia University 1090 474 North Dakota State University (3) 1090 474 University of Montana 1090 474 Louisiana Tech University 1090 474 Trevecca Nazarene University (3) 1090 474 University of Missouri-St. Louis 1090 474 Wichita State University (2) 1090 474 Linfield College 1090 474 Central College 1090 474 Wartburg College (3) 1090 474 Doane College (3) 1090 474 Maryville College 1090 474 Canisius College 1090 474 Emmanuel College (2) 1090 474 Arkansas State University 1090 474 Southern Polytechnic State University (4) 1090 474 Elmhurst College 1090 474 College of St. Scholastica 1090 474 Lewis University 1090 474 Grand Valley State University 1090 474 Carroll University 1090 474 University of Detroit Mercy (3) 1090 474 Aquinas College 1090 474 Baker University 1090 474 Missouri State University 1090 474 University of Wisconsin-Platteville (3) 1090 474 Viterbo University (9) 1090 474 Cornerstone University (3) 1090 474 Loras College 1090 474 Millikin University 1090 474 Hastings College 1090 474 Brigham Young University-Hawaii (9) 1090 508 Arcadia University 1089 509 Howard University (3) 1085 509 Andrews University 1085 509 University of Hawaii-Manoa (3) 1085 509 Azusa Pacific University 1085 509 University of North Carolina-Charlotte 1085 509 Randolph College 1085 509 Roanoke College 1085 509 Ave Maria University (4) 1085 509 Mount St. Mary's University 1085 509 SUNY Institute of Technology-Utica/Rome 1085 509 Webster University 1085 509 University of Illinois-Springfield 1085 509 Newman University (2) 1085 509 Prescott College 1085 509 Trine University (3) 1085 524 St. John Fisher College 1080 524 University of Texas-Arlington 1080 524 Purchase College-SUNY (3) 1080 524 Manhattan College 1080 524 Towson University 1080 524 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 1080 524 The Citadel (3) 1080 524 Kennesaw State University 1080 524 Evergreen State College 1080 533 Cardinal Stritch University (4) 1076 534 Ball State University (2) 1075 534 University of Nevada-Reno 1075 534 Randolph-Macon College 1075 534 Le Moyne College (3) 1075 534 Richard Stockton College of New Jersey 1075 534 CUNY-Brooklyn College 1075 534 Manhattanville College (2) 1075 534 Lesley University (4) 1075 534 Massachusetts Maritime Academy 1075 534 High Point University 1075 544 Sweet Briar College 1074 545 Principia College 1071 546 University of Maine 1070 546 St. Mary's University of Minnesota 1070 546 Utah State University 1070 546 Benedictine University (3) 1070 546 Nova Southeastern University 1070 546 Oakland University 1070 546 University of Louisana-Lafayette 1070 546 University of Memphis 1070 546 University of Nebraska-Omaha 1070 546 University of New Orleans 1070 546 University of South Alabama (2) 1070 546 University of West Florida (3) 1070 546 Xavier University of Louisiana 1070 546 Bethany Lutheran College 1070 546 Chatham University (2) 1070 546 Western New England University 1070 546 Endicott College 1070 546 Murray State University 1070 546 Tennessee Technological University 1070 546 Columbia International University (3) 1070 546 University of Montevallo 1070 546 University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 1070 546 University of Central Arkansas 1070 546 University of St. Francis 1070 546 Olivet Nazarene University 1070 546 Spring Arbor University 1070 546 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 1070 546 Winona State University 1070 546 Mount Vernon Nazarene University 1070 546 College of St. Mary 1070 546 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay 1070 546 Fontbonne University 1070 546 Southwest Baptist University (9) 1070 546 George Fox University 1070 546 St. Martin's University (3) 1070 546 University of Colorado-Colorado Springs 1070 546 Southern Utah University 1070 546 Geneva College 1070 546 University of the Ozarks 1070 546 Carson-Newman University (3) 1070 546 Anderson University 1070 546 Florida College (3) 1070 546 University of Sioux Falls 1070 546 Maranatha Baptist University 1070 546 Master's College and Seminary 1070 591 East Carolina University (3) 1065 591 Georgia State University 1065 591 University of Texas-San Antonio 1065 591 University of Tampa 1065 591 Lincoln Memorial University (3) 1065 591 Southern University-New Orleans (4) 1065 591 Houston Baptist University 1065 591 Dakota Wesleyan University 1065 591 Corban University (3) 1065 600 Green Mountain College (9) 1060 600 Monmouth University 1060 600 DeSales University 1060 600 Philadelphia University 1060 600 Converse College (3) 1060 600 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (3) 1060 600 Dominican University of California (3) 1060 600 Walla Walla University (9) 1060 600 Northwest University (3) 1060