The Best College in Every State

Attending an in-state school can help students save loads in tuition expenses. That’s probably why the majority of students – around 57 percent – choose to attend schools within a 100-mile radius of their childhood home. Three-quarters of college students within the United States attend in-state schools. So, which school is the right choice within each state? While there’s no general answer as to which school is right for a specific individual, it can be helpful to assess college rankings in order to decipher your options. Check out FORBES’ list of the best colleges located within each U.S. state, based upon FORBES America’s Top Colleges 2015 rankings, to see the top school within your state. Please note: this particular list includes both public and private colleges.

State: Alabama
Best College, according to FORBES: Auburn University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 218
Learn more about Auburn University.

State: Alaska
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 414
Learn more about University of Alaska - Fair Banks.

State: Arizona
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Arizona
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 200
Learn more about University of Arizona.

State: Arkansas
Best College, according to FORBES: Hendrix College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 137
Learn more about Hendrix College.

State: California
Best College, according to FORBES: Pomona College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 1
Learn more about Pomona College.

State: Colorado
Best College, according to FORBES: United States Air Force Academy
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 38
Learn more about Colorado: United States Air Force Academy.

State: Connecticut
Best College, according to FORBES: Yale University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 5
Learn more about Yale University.

State: Delaware
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Delaware
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 142
Learn more about University of Delaware.

State: Washington D.C.
Best College, according to FORBES: Georgetown University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 23
Learn more about Georgetown University.

State: Florida
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Florida
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 83
Learn more about University of Florida.

State: Georgia
Best College, according to FORBES: Emory University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 79
Learn more about Emory University.

State: Hawaii
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Hawaii, Manoa
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 430
Learn more about University of Hawaii, Manoa.

State: Idaho
Best College, according to FORBES: College of Idaho
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 195
Learn more about College of Idaho.

State: Illinois
Best College, according to FORBES: Northwestern University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 16
Learn more about Northwestern University.

State: Indiana
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Notre Dame
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 13
Learn more about University of Notre Dame.

State: Iowa
Best College, according to FORBES: Grinnell College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 65
Learn more about Grinnell College.

State: Kansas
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Kansas
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 268
Learn more about University of Kansas.

State: Kentucky
Best College, according to FORBES: Centre College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 89
Learn more about Centre College.

State: Louisiana
Best College, according to FORBES: Tulane University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 134
Learn more about Tulane University.

State: Maine
Best College, according to FORBES: Bowdoin College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 21
Learn more about Bowdoin College.

State: Maryland
Best College, according to FORBES: United States Naval Academy
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 27
Learn more about United States Naval Academy.

State: Massachusetts
Best College, according to FORBES: Williams College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 2
Learn more about Williams College.

State: Michigan
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 41
Learn more about University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

State: Minnesota
Best College, according to FORBES: Carleton College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 30
Learn more about Carleton College.

State: Mississippi
Best College, according to FORBES: Millsaps College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 274
Learn more about Millsaps College.

State: Missouri
Best College, according to FORBES: Washington University in St. Louis
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 63
Learn more about Washington University in St. Louis.

State: Montana
Best College, according to FORBES: Carroll College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 307
Learn more about Carroll College.

State: Nebraska
Best College, according to FORBES: Creighton University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 178
Learn more about Creighton University.

State: Nevada
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Nevada, Reno
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 437
Learn more about University of Nevada, Reno.

State: New Hampshire
Best College, according to FORBES: Dartmouth College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 14
Learn more about Dartmouth College.

State: New Jersey
Best College, according to FORBES: Princeton University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 4
Learn more about Princeton University.

State: New Mexico
Best College, according to FORBES: Saint John’s College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 302
Learn more about Saint John’s College.

State: New York
Best College, according to FORBES: United States Military Academy
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 11
Learn more about United States Military Academy.

State: North Carolina
Best College, according to FORBES: Duke University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 22
Learn more about Duke University.

State: North Dakota
Best College, according to FORBES: University of North Dakota
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 444
Learn more about University of North Dakota.

State: Ohio
Best College, according to FORBES: Oberlin College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 46
Learn more about Oberlin College.

State: Oklahoma
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Tulsa
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 173
Learn more about University of Tulsa.

State: Oregon
Best College, according to FORBES: Reed College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 52
Learn more about Reed College.

State: Pennsylvania
Best College, according to FORBES: Swarthmore College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 7
Learn more about Swarthmore College.

State: Rhode Island
Best College, according to FORBES: Brown University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 8
Learn more about Brown University.

State: South Carolina
Best College, according to FORBES: Wofford College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 97
Learn more about Wofford College.

State: South Dakota
Best College, according to FORBES: University of South Dakota
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 411
Learn more about University of South Dakota.

State: Tennessee
Best College, according to FORBES: Vanderbilt University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 47
Learn more about Vanderbilt University.

State: Texas
Best College, according to FORBES: Rice University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 32
Learn more about Rice University.

State: Utah
Best College, according to FORBES: Brigham Young University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 104
Learn more about Brigham Young University.

State: Vermont
Best College, according to FORBES: Middlebury College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 34
Learn more about Middlebury College.

State: Virginia
Best College, according to FORBES: Washington and Lee University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 29
Learn more about Washington and Lee University.

State: Washington
Best College, according to FORBES: Whitman College
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 50
Learn more about Whitman College.

State: West Virginia
Best College, according to FORBES: West Virginia University
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 421
Learn more about West Virginia University.

State: Wisconsin
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Wisconsin, Madison
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 69
Learn more about University of Wisconsin, Madison.

State: Wyoming
Best College, according to FORBES: University of Wyoming
Forbes’ Top College 2015 Ranking: 235
Learn more about University of Wyoming.