Princeton University

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the fact that the university is roughly equidistant between New York and Philadelphia makes it the ideal place for go-getting commuters to live. Not that many of the institution's 7,000 students commute to Princeton to take advantage of the excellent research facilities - the high rent in the Princeton area encourages almost all students to live in university housing. This is no hardship, though, considering the campus's beautiful architecture.

Founded in 1746, the university was close to the action in 1777's Battle of Princeton, which ultimately proved decisive for George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. Princeton seems to have a magnetic pull for future presidents: Woodrow Wilson, James Madison and John F. Kennedy all studied there at some time. Although lacking medical, law or business schools, it offers highly-respected professional master's degrees and doctoral programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences with a strong emphasis on individual research.