The 100 Happiest Colleges

As decision time looms for high school seniors, The Daily Beast ranks America’s colleges using the criterion—besides academics—that students most value: quality of life. VIEW OUR GALLERY.

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/safest-colleges---claremont-mckenna_lt31zz — Claremont, CA

Campus dining: A+
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $10,518
Freshman retention rate: 96%
Total clubs/organizations: 110
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/dangerous-colleges---harvard_flhlxp — Cambridge, MA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: A+
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $10,813
Freshman retention rate: 97.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 400
Sunny days: 58%
Joe Raedle / Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---pamona_qqtje4 — Claremont, CA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $11,100
Freshman retention rate: 98.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 150
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---rice-university_d2tvfa — Houston, TX

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: A-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $11,108
Freshman retention rate: 96.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 218
Sunny days: 59%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---harvey-mudd-college_kemotf — Claremont, CA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $21018
Freshman retention rate: 94.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 90
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---scripps-college_c1rr7l — Claremont, CA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $13,207
Freshman retention rate: 91.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 61
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/campus-food---stanford-university_qwtxc3 — Stanford, CA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $15,724
Freshman retention rate: 98%
Total clubs/organizations: 590
Sunny days: 66%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-collges---california-institute-of-technology_uaab5c — Pasadena, CA

Campus dining: C
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $9,871
Freshman retention rate: 97.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 100
Sunny days: 73%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---yale_qx1dcn — New Haven, CT

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $12,297
Freshman retention rate: 98.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 500
Sunny days: 56%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/campus-food---bowdoin_ks2fol — Brunswick, ME

Campus dining: A+
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $17,560
Freshman retention rate: 97.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 109
Sunny days: 57%
Courtesy of Bowdoin College

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---massachusetts-institute-of-technology_vxdqje — Cambridge, MA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $14,148
Freshman retention rate: 98%
Total clubs/organizations: n/a
Sunny days: 58%
STEPHAN SAVOIA

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---occidental-college_njxil0 — Los Angeles, CA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $20,381
Freshman retention rate: 92%
Total clubs/organizations: 105
Sunny days: 73%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---ucla_l4p8su — Los Angeles, CA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: C+
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $16,733
Freshman retention rate: 97%
Total clubs/organizations: 870
Sunny days: 73%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---haverford-college_gxhhoo — Haverford, PA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $17,125
Freshman retention rate: 96.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 144
Sunny days: 56%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---wellesley-college_ianadl — Wellesley, MA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $12,639
Freshman retention rate: 94.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 150
Sunny days: 58%
Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-california-irvine_f1ndb1 — Irvine, CA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $14,323
Freshman retention rate: 93.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 394
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/hottest-schools---colorado-college_ubh5gv — Colorado Springs, CO

Campus dining: B-
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $16,041
Freshman retention rate: 94%
Total clubs/organizations: 135
Sunny days: 76%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/dangerous-colleges---brown_celnee — Providence, RI

Campus dining: B-
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: A-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $19,390
Freshman retention rate: 97.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 350
Sunny days: 58%
Newscom

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---davidson-college_z38r9y — Davidson, NC

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $25,025
Freshman retention rate: 95.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 165
Sunny days: 62%
Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/campus-food---boston-college_prhq5k — Chestnut Hill, MA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: A
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $19,358
Freshman retention rate: 96%
Total clubs/organizations: 223
Sunny days: 58%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---bryn-mawr-college_k0ntw6 — Bryn Mawr, PA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: A+
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $20,019
Freshman retention rate: 93.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 100
Sunny days: 56%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---pitzer-college_ljgsvo — Claremont, CA

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $21,044
Freshman retention rate: 90.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 68
Sunny days: 73%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---university-of-texas-austin_a1gxgt — Austin, TX

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $17,000
Freshman retention rate: 92.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 900
Sunny days: 60%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---amherst-college_ezakn0 — Amherst, MA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: C+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $12,603
Freshman retention rate: 97.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 104
Sunny days: 56%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---washington-university-st-louis_zkojoh — St. Louis, MO

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): n/a
Freshman retention rate: 96.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 200
Sunny days: 57%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-california-davis_vb4mdr — Davis, CA

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $15,155
Freshman retention rate: 90.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 452
Sunny days: 78%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---princeton_jpjaip — Princeton, NJ

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $5,859
Freshman retention rate: 98%
Total clubs/organizations: 250
Sunny days: 56%
Joseph Sohm

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-california-santa-barbara_jb9kng — Santa Barbara, CA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $17,107
Freshman retention rate: 90.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 607
Sunny days: 73%
Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-nc-chapel-hill_rqhiy3 — Chapel Hill, NC

Campus dining: C+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $14,936
Freshman retention rate: 97%
Total clubs/organizations: 636
Sunny days: 58%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---dartmouth-college_eoyvcu — Hanover, NH

Campus dining: A+
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: C
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $20,126
Freshman retention rate: 98%
Total clubs/organizations: 330
Sunny days: 54
Cheryl Senter, Bloomberg News / Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/hottest-schools---university-of-southern-california_gaty83 — Los Angeles, CA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: A
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $27,692
Freshman retention rate: 96%
Total clubs/organizations: 636
Sunny days: 73%
Reed Saxon / AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---macalester-college_cdjbkd — St. Paul, MN

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: C+
Nightlife: A-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $17,304
Freshman retention rate: 93%
Total clubs/organizations: 91
Sunny days: 58%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/smartest-college-towns---berkeley_fsqvuk — Berkeley, CA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $14,291
Freshman retention rate: 96.5%
Total clubs/organizations: N/A
Sunny days: 66%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/hot-schools---university-of-georgia_wje6ek — Athens, GA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: B+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $14,343
Freshman retention rate: 93.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 600
Sunny days: 60%
Mary Knox Merrill, The Christian Science Monitor / Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---college-of-the-holy-cross_nw0h6y — Worcester, MA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: C+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): N/A
Freshman retention rate: 95.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 104
Sunny days: 58%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---barnard_oxgzkf — New York, NY

Campus dining: C+
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: A+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $15,695
Freshman retention rate: 95%
Total clubs/organizations: 100
Sunny days: 58%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---bucknell-university_y9bze5 — Lewisburg, PA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: C+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $18,500
Freshman retention rate: 95%
Total clubs/organizations: 150
Sunny days: 58

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---middlebury_fnr31i — Middlebury, VT

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: A-
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $19,981
Freshman retention rate: 95%
Total clubs/organizations: 120
Sunny days: 49
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-california-san-diego_m4giwi — La Jolla, CA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: C+
Nightlife: A
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $16,317
Freshman retention rate: 94.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 405
Sunny days: 73%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---university-of-chicago_rcy5yf — Chicago, IL

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: A
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $27,562
Freshman retention rate: 97.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 400
Sunny days: 54

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---grinnell-college_womyp0 — Grinnell, IA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: C
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $19,526
Freshman retention rate: 93%
Total clubs/organizations: 250
Sunny days: 59
CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/stress-schools---duke-university_olap7l — Durham, NC

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $24,205
Freshman retention rate: 96.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 400
Sunny days: 58%
Jim R. Bounds, Bloomberg News / Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---furman-university_r5inyv — Greenville, SC

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $24,325
Freshman retention rate: 92.2%
Total clubs/organizations: 137
Sunny days: 60%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---carleton-college_ntwufv — Northfield, MN

Campus dining: B-
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: C+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $20,083
Freshman retention rate: 96.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 196
Sunny days: 58%
Getty Images

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---university-of-virginia_twyrob — Richmond, VA

Campus dining: B-
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $20,915
Freshman retention rate: 90.8%
Total clubs/organizations: 246
Sunny days: 63%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---st-olaf-college_mxb2rg — Northfield, MN

Campus dining: A
Campus housing: B+
Nightlife: B-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $25,273
Freshman retention rate: 92.5%
Total clubs/organizations: 168
Sunny days: 58%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---williams-college_dnto6i — Williamstown, MA

Campus dining: B+
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: C
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $9,214
Freshman retention rate: 97%
Total clubs/organizations: 117
Sunny days: 53%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/safe-colleges---university-of-virginia_n7qkfk — Charlottesville, VA

Campus dining: B
Campus housing: B-
Nightlife: B
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $19,016
Freshman retention rate: 97%
Total clubs/organizations: 530
Sunny days: 59%

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---mount-holyoke_zrtgz5 — South Hadley, MA

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: A
Nightlife: C+
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): $23,841
Freshman retention rate: 93%
Total clubs/organizations: 150
Sunny days: 56%
NANCY PALMIERI

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges---asu-tempe_wilc1w — Tempe, AZ

Campus dining: A-
Campus housing: B
Nightlife: A-
Graduate indebtedness (avg.): N/A
Freshman retention rate: 79%
Total clubs/organizations: 654
Sunny days: 85%
AP Photo

galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges/happiest-colleges-51-100_uzszr9 — #51, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
#52, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
#53, Columbia University, New York, NY
#54, Tufts University, Medford, MA
#55, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
#56, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
#57, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
#58, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
#59, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
#60, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
#61, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
#62, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NY
#63, University of Arizona,Tucson, AZ
#64, Colby College, Waterville, ME
#65, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
#66, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
#67, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
#68, University of Central Florida , Orlando, FL
#69, New York University, New York, NY
#70, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
#71, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
#72, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
#73, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
#74, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA
#75, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
#76, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
#77, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
#78, Rutgers, New Brunswick, NJ
#79, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH
#80, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
#81, Smith College, Northampton, MA
#82, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
#83, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
#84, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
#85, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
#86, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
#87, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
#88, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
#89, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
#90, Reed College, Portland, OR
#91, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
#92, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
#93, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
#94, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
#95, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
#96, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
#97, Connecticut College, New London, CT
#98, Union College, Schenectady, NY
#99, U
Getty Images

TRENDING NOW