Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best Colleges In America

SCHOOLS RANKED BY STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The WSJ/College Pulse Student Experience ranking looks at the schools where students enjoy waking up to go to class. Student perceptions were measured by an independent survey of verified college students and recent graduates. Seven of the top 20 schools in this category are public.

Scripps College, a private school in California, has the best score in this category at 75.5. It also scored a 68 in community and social life and 83 in diversity. The average net price of attendance is $33,912 with a value added to graduate salaries of $44,706.

See the top 20 schools for student experience in the table below.

WSJ/College Pulse Top 20 For Student Experience
Rank	School	State	Type	Score
1	Scripps College	CA	Private	75.5
2	Harvey Mudd College	CA	Private	75.3
3	Florida International University	FL	Public	74.7
4	Hobart and William Smith Colleges	NY	Private	74.3
5	California Baptist University	CA	Private	73.9
6	Yale University	CT	Private	73.5
7	Pomona College	CA	Private	73.1
8	Oral Roberts University	OK	Private	72.4
9	Princeton University	NJ	Private	71
10	Claremont McKenna College	CA	Private	70.7
11	Babson College	MA	Private	70.6
12	Pitzer College	CA	Private	70.5
13	Amherst College	MA	Private	70.5
14	Alcorn State University	MS	Public	70.3
15	California State University, Fresno	CA	Public	70.2
16	Stanford University	CA	Private	70.2
17	University of Houston, Downtown	TX	Public	70
18	Savannah State University	GA	Public	70
19	Northeastern Illinois University	IL	Public	70
20	Brooklyn College, CUNY	NY	Public	69.8

SCHOOLS RANKED BY STUDENT EXPERIENCE

WSJ/College Pulse Top 20 For Student Experience

Rank

School

State

Type

Score