California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Ranked 5th in the world, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is the smallest of the 10 top universities in the US, located on a 124-acre campus in the city of Pasadena, California, around 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Pictured above is the Millikan Library, the highest building on campus at nine stories, which is named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Robert Andrews Millikan. As an institute of technology, the campus includes a large number of laboratories and other scientific and technological facilities. Fans of the TV show The Big Bang Theory may know Caltech as the main characters’ university workplace; however the show is not actually filmed on campus.

The US has a strong presence within the QS World University Rankings® 2016-2017 – occupying 154 out of 916 possible places. Here’s a look at the top 10 US universities, and the distinctive buildings each is known for…

Ranked 1st in the world, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is located in the university town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a 168-acre campus. If you’re attracted to the idea of studying with the backdrop of a grand classical building, MIT has you covered with Building 10 (pictured above), complete with the iconic Great Dome. Classical isn’t the only architectural style featured at MIT; other notable buildings include the post-war style Kresge Auditorium, the unique Ray and Maria Stata Center and the undergraduate accommodation of Simmons Hall – nicknamed ‘The Sponge’ for its shape. You won’t be surprised to hear that MIT’s School of Architecture was the first of its kind in the US!

Stanford University is ranked 2nd in the world and is located at the heart of California’s Silicon Valley on a large 8,180-acre campus located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north from San Jose. To the west lie the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, providing stunning views of the Bay Area. The campus itself is home to a picturesque quad, which is the central and oldest part of the university grounds. Other landmarks include the Hoover Tower, the highest building on campus, which attracts about 200 visitors a day, and the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, home to a large collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures.