Sep 14, 2016 10:37 PM EDT By Jane Reed, UniversityHerald Reporter

Thinking of going to a university soon or the next year? This list might help.

The United States News & World Report recently revealed the top schools in the country. It greatly influences many prospective students on which college or university to go to, according to the American Educational Research Association.

There are more than 1,600 four year colleges and universities in the United States. And according to CNBC, there are 15 indicators of academic quality.

And these 15 indicators are the same things that students and parents are looking for when choosing the next level and higher education. These 15 indicators include student selectivity, academic excellence, financial resources, and more. But the biggest chunk of scoring these schools come from graduation and retention rates.

But it does not score just any school. The school must be considered a national university to be included in the list. And to be considered a national university, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching considers the range of undergraduate majors being offered. And in addition to that, the school must also have master's and doctoral degrees available.

Some continue to remain in the top twenty. Maintaining their excellent marks in academics and student rates. Making them the top choices for many prospective students and parents.

However many, there are only a handful of schools that can score high on all 15 indicators. The top 5, (actually 6 because some are tied) universities in the country are:

1. Princeton University - It gets the top spot for the sixth year in a row.

2. Harvard University comes second with less than 7,000 undergraduates.

3. Yale University ties with University of Chicago. The former's annual tuition rate is around $49,480 while the latter at $52,491.

4. Stanford University ties with Columbia University. The former's annual tuition rate is around $47,940 while the latter at $55,056.

Were these universities on the list of schools you'd like to enroll in?

Interested to know last year's rankings? Check this video below:

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