What Are the Best Cities for College Students?

Photo Credit: myoldpostcards

In order to help young adults select the best communities for college students, the American Institute for Economic Research has selected its top 75 cities for college students.

Cities throughout the United States were graded on a variety of criteria focused on a city's overall academic environment, its quality of living and professional opportunities for graduates.  The cities were grouped by their size (major metro areas of over 2.5 million residents; mid-size metros of 1-2.5 million; small cities of 250,000 to 1 million; and college towns of under 250,000) and ranked according to other cities of a similar population.

Here are the top five cities in each of the four categories:

Major Metros:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. New York, NY
3. Washington, DC
4. Boston, MA
5. Seattle, WA

Mid-Size Metros:
1. San Jose, CA
2. Austin, TX
3. Raleigh, NC
4. Hartford, CT
5. Portland, OR

Small Cities:
1. Boulder, CO
2. Ann Arbor, MI
3. Bridgeport, CT
4. Trenton-Ewing, NJ
5. Gainesville, FL

College Towns:
1. Ithaca, NY
2. State College, PA
3. Iowa City, IA
4. Ames, IA
5. Champaign-Urbana, IL

For a complete list of the rankings, visit the College Destinations Index here.