"U.S. News & World Report's" 2019 rankings "America's Best Colleges" placed Clarkson University in tier one, the top tier of national universities, with a ranking in the top 125 institutions in the nation, and a listing on the "Great Schools, Great Prices" list, which takes into account a school's academic quality, as indicated by its 2019 "U.S. News" Best Colleges ranking, and the 2018–2019 net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.