Half of the Top 10 U.S. Colleges Are in the Same State — and Four Are Public Schools. Here’s Why They Rule

If MONEY's 2018 Best Colleges rankings put you in a West Coast state of mind, there's a reason: This year's list was dominated by the University of California system.

The top-tier network of public colleges landed eight campuses in the top 100 this year — four in the top 10 alone. (A fifth California school, Stanford University, clocked in at No. 5, giving the Golden State fully half of the top 10 spots.