Arizona State
Location • Tempe, Ariz.
Founded • 1885
Enrollment • 70,440
Best Sport • Baseball, golf
What It's Known For • It's the largest public research university in the country.
Famous Alumni • Media executive Frank Blethen, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, actor Nick Nolte.
U.S. News Ranking • 143
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 86.6%
Association of American Universities? • No
Arizona
Location • Tucson, Ariz.
Founded • 1885
Enrollment • 38,767
Best Sports • Softball, men's basketball
What It's Known For • It's one of the nation's top research centers for astronomy and space exploration.
Famous Alumni • Author Barbara Kingsolver, actor Greg Kinnear, astronaut Don Pettit.
U.S. News Ranking • 120
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 78%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
California
Location • Berkeley, Calif.
Founded • 1868
Enrollment • 35,843
Best Sport • Water polo and rowing
What It's Known For • It ranks among the world's top universities, and co-manages three national laboratories.
Famous Alumni • Author Terry McMillan, actor Gregory Peck, entrepreneur Steve Wozniak, sports agent Leigh Steinberg.
U.S. News Ranking • 22
Freshman Applicants Accepted • NA
Association of American Universities? • Yes
Stanford
Location • Palo Alto, Calif.
Founded • 1891
Enrollment • 15,319
Best Sports • Swimming, tennis
What It's Known For • It's among the world's most prestigious schools, with a massive $14 billion endowment.
Famous Alumni • President Herbert Hoover, journalist Ted Koppel, author Scott Turow, entrepreneur Jerry Yang.
U.S. News Ranking • 5
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 7.3%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
UCLA
Location • Los Angeles
Founded • 1919
Enrollment • 38,476
Best Sports • Basketball, tennis, volleyball
What It's Known For • It's widely praised for its professional schools in health science and vast health-care system.
Famous Alumni • Musician Jim Morrison, film director Francis Ford Coppola, attorney Marcia Clark, media mogul Michael Ovitz.
U.S. News Ranking • 25
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 32.9%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
USC
Location • Los Angeles
Founded • 1880
Enrollment • 36,896
Best Sport • Football, track and field, tennis
What It's Known For • It has the oldest and largest film school in the nation and prestigious biomedical research programs.
Famous Alumni • Architect Frank Gehry, astronaut Neil Armstrong, actor Will Ferrell, singer Macy Gray.
U.S. News Ranking • 23
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 24.3%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
Oregon
Location • Eugene, Ore.
Founded • 1876
Enrollment • 23,389
Best Sport • Track and field, football
What It's Known For • It features one of the nation's best education research programs, and notable sports business and entrepreneurship programs.
Famous Alumni • Businessman Phil Knight, journalist Ann Curry, author Ken Kesey.
U.S. News Ranking • 111
Freshman Applicants Accepted: • 78.8%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
Oregon State
Location • Corvallis, Ore.
Founded • 1868
Enrollment • 23,761
Best Sports • Wrestling, baseball
What It's Known For • It's one of only a few universities that are part of land, sun, space and sea-grant research programs.
Famous Alumni • Scientist Linus Pauling, researcher Ann Kiessling, businessman Bernie Newcomb, inventor Douglas Englebart.
U.S. News Ranking • 139
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 81.1%
Association of American Universities? • No
Washington
Location • Seattle
Founded • 1861
Enrollment • 29,302
Best Sport • Football, rowing
What It's Known For • It has one of the nation's finest medical schools and one of the largest research budgets in the country.
Famous Alumni • Author Beverly Cleary, actor Rainn Wilson, musician Kenny G, The Nordstrom Family.
U.S. News Ranking • 41
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 56.8%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
Washington State
Location • Pullman, Wash.
Founded • 1890
Enrollment • 26,101
Best Sports • Track and field, men's basketball
What It's Known For • It ranks among the nation's best in food, animal and plant science research.
Famous Alumni • Entrepreneur Paul Allen, journalist Edward Murrow, cartoonist Gary Larsen.
U.S. News Ranking • 111
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 69.3%
Association of American Universities? • No
Colorado
Location • Boulder, Colo.
Founded • 1876
Enrollment • 30,196
Best Sports • Skiing, cross country
What It's Known For • It's a national leader in environmental engineering and sustainability efforts, and has a strong aerospace engineering program.
Famous Alumni • Justice Byron White, musician Glenn Miller, satirists Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
U.S. News Ranking • 86
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 83%
Association of American Universities? • Yes
Utah
Location • Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded • 1850
Enrollment • 30,819
Best Sports • Football, skiing, women's gymnastics
What It's Known For • It has a highly regarded medical school, as well as strong programs in computer science and engineering.
Famous Alumni • Politician Jon Huntsman Jr., authors Wallace Stegner and Terry Tempest Williams, businessman J. Willard Marriott.
U.S. News Ranking • 129
Freshman Applicants Accepted • 82.7%
Association of American Universities? • No
Sources: The Princeton Review, U.S. News, Association of American Universities, Tribune research
