What makes a college great depends on a variety of factors, none more important than its ability to help students succeed. To that end, in August we ranked the 50 best colleges in America. Crucial to that pursuit, however, is attracting smart students who are already primed for success.

We worked with Jonathan Wai, a Duke University Talent Identification Program research scientist, to generate an exclusive Business Insider ranking of the smartest schools in the US. Here's how we did it:

Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology took top honors, with the University of Chicago, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton rounding out the top five.