Top US Private University Websites 2022

Monsido and Cascade CMS analyzed the websites of the Top 50 US Private Universities and Colleges.

See who ranked the highest for Content Quality Assurance, Web Accessibility, SEO, Response Time, and Performance.

Illustration of a happy university graduate standing next to a stack of books and a university building with a Monsido flag.

Top 5 Private University Websites Overall

A big congratulations to the 5 overall top ranking winners! The Overall category highlights the best performing Private Universities and Colleges for Content Quality Assurance, Web Accessibility, SEO, Response Time and Performance. Congratulations to the following Universities and Colleges for their high rankings overall.

*Overall Ranking is based on the average (weighted) ranking across all categories.
Overall Ranking* University or College Name
1st University of Notre Dame
2nd Harvard University
3rd University of Richmond
4th Washington University in St. Louis
5th University of Pennsylvania
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Get Your Copy Now!

We’ve given you a sneak preview of the top scoring University and College websites, but download the full report to find out:

  • The top performers in each category, including Web Accessibility, Content Quality Assurance, Response Time, SEO, Performance and Uptime
  • The industry average for all tested categories
  • Qualitative insights on university and college websites fielded by Hannon Hill, makers of Cascade CMS, amongst digital professionals in the higher education space

All 50 US Private Universities That We Tested

We tested the Top 50 US Private Universities and Colleges. See your name in the list below but not as a winner above? Let us discuss your results!

  • Amherst College
  • Barnard College
  • Bates College
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Bowdoin College
  • Brown University
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Carleton College
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Claremont McKenna College
  • Colgate University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Dartmouth College
  • Davidson College
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
  • Georgetown University
  • Grinnell College
  • Hamilton College
  • Harvard University
  • Harvey Mudd College
  • Haverford College
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Middlebury College
  • New York University
  • Northeastern University
  • Northwestern University
  • Pomona College
  • Princeton University
  • Rice University
  • Stanford University
  • Swarthmore College
  • Tufts University
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Miami
  • University of Notre Dame
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Richmond
  • University of Southern California
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Wake Forest University
  • Washington and Lee University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Wellesley College
  • Wesleyan University
  • Williams College
  • Yale University

See How Your University Scored

Find out if your university was one of the top performers in the report, or get a free scan from Monsido and find out how you benchmark against them.

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How the rankings work

  • Scanned a sample of 500 pages from the main publicly facing websites of the Top 50 US Private Universities and Colleges using Monsido’s Web Governance software during a two week period in January-February 2022.
  • Ranked the Top 50 US Private Universities and Colleges based on their scores in Web Accessibility, Content Quality Assurance, Response Time, SEO, Performance and Uptime.
  • Calculated the Overall champions based on the average (weighted) ranking in all categories, prioritizing Content Quality Assurance, then Web Accessibility, Response Time, SEO and Performance.

Improve Your Accessibility Rankings

Benefits of improving accessibility:

Increased Audience

By building an accessible website, you open yourself up to a much larger audience as 1/5 of the world’s population is living with a disability that could prevent them from using your site.

Improved SEO

Many web accessibility standards overlap with good SEO practices like ensuring descriptive alt and title attributes, checking for correct HTML, and offering a site map to users.

Enhanced User Experience and Quality Assurance

Accessibility means creating a website which provides a good experience for everyone, so when you ensure a good experience for users with disabilities, you can rest assured that your overall website experience and quality will improve.

Strengthen Brand Image and Reputation

Committing to accessibility is not just good for your users, but shows you take your social responsibility seriously and can benefit your brand. So make sure to promote your accessibility efforts.

Monsido Accessibility Handbook