Established in 1209, Cambridge is the second-oldest English university in the world. They remain ranked as the best university in the UK, according to the three major national rankings. There have been 120 Nobel Prize winners to come from Cambridge, along with 14 British Prime Ministers.
Their endowment has increased substantially over the past few years and is currently around $7.5 billion, with an annual research budget of over $300 million. Since Cambridge is nearly as old as Oxford, they’re often regarded as “ancient universities,” and sometimes, “Oxbridge.” Some of the most famous names in history that have been affiliated with Cambridge are Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Lord Byron.
University Of Pittsburgh - $4.2 Billion
The University of Pittsburgh sometimes just referred to as “Pitt,” was established in 1787 as Pittsburgh Academy. Over the years, it caught fire – twice – and moved locations a few times until it settled into its current spot in the Oakland neighborhood. The university was private until it became part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education in 1966.
Now, it’s 132-acre campus is home to nearly 29,000 students. The school is split into 17 graduate and undergraduate sections, including the 42-story Cathedral of Learning. The annual budget that Pitt works with is over $2 billion, including $940 million in research. They are ranked 16th highest in research in the nation.
Oxford University: $8 Billion
Oxford is regarded as the oldest university in the English-speaking world, with teachings beginning there right around 1100. It has grown to become one of society’s most prestigious universities. With an endowment of around $8 billion and an annual budget of over $2 billion.
Oxford caters to more than 23,000 students. Notable alumni include 72 Nobel Prize winners and 28 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom. Former U.S president Bill Clinton also graduated from the English university.
The University Of Minnesota, Twin Cities: $3.7 Billion
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, is a public research university with a split campus that consists of two parts that are three miles apart between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The school, which was established in 1851, is the oldest in the state. The university is known as a Public Ivy, thanks to its stellar academic qualities.
The student body of the University of Minnesota is the sixth-largest in the country, with over 47,000 in attendance last year alone. Between alumni, researchers, and faculty, there have been 26 Nobel Prize winners associated with the school. Music superstar Bob Dylan, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, attended from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. He lived near the campus and would perform in bars around the school. Other notable alumni include former U.S vice presidents, Humphrey and Mondale.
Brown University: $4.2 Billion
This private Ivy League research university was founded in 1764 and was originally known as College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. They are the seventh oldest higher learning facility in the nation and were the first to allow students regardless of which religion they identified with.
They have an endowment of over $4.2 billion, which is quite a bit higher than the previous year. Notable Brown alumni include eight Nobel Prize winners, 54 members of Congress, 23 Pulitzer Prize winners and a U.S Supreme Court justice.