Once again, the Best Colleges rankings for 2011 are out for the U.S. News and World Report (excludes liberal arts schools). There has indeed been some criticism of the rankings; some say factors such as acceptance rate, endowment and reputation do not portray an adequate picture of the academic quality of a school. Some schools have protested the rankings, refusing to submit information. Other rankings have come out that use a different set of criteria.

But regardless of the criticism, prospective students often consider the rankings when determining which school to attend. Therefore, universities have paid a keen attention over the years, changing the profession of academia.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 universities in the United States.

Harvard Square
Harvard Square as seen from Holyoke chensiyuan
Naussau Hall
Nassau Hall at Princeton University. Wikipedia
Yale Peabody Museum
The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. Yale University
Low Memorial Library
Low Memorial Library at Columbia University Creative Commons
Kerckhoff Laboratory of the Biological Sciences
Kerckhoff Laboratory of the Biological Sciences at CalTech. CalTech
Building 10 and Great Dome
MIT's Building 10 and Great Dome overlooking Killian Court. Creative Commons
Hoover Tower
A view of Hoover Tower from the Main Quad. BrokenSphere
Snell-Hitchcock
Snell-Hitchcock, an undergraduate dormitory constructed around the turn of the 20th century, is located on the Main Quadrangles. Creative Commons
Penn Quad
Penn Quad in the fall, facing Ware College House. Wikipedia
Duke Chapel
Duke Chapel, a frequent icon for the university, can seat nearly 1,600 people and contains a 5,200-pipe organ. Creative Commons