On Monday, TheDC began releasing its Ranking of America’s 50 Best Colleges, starting with 50 – 41. We also laid out the methodology behind our list and the reasons why our college ranking is uniquely definitive.
Now take a look at the colleges ranked 40-31:
40) University of South Dakota
Location: Vermillion, SD
Undergraduate population: 7,098
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota); Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas)
Other Famous Alums: Former NBC “Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw; Entertainment news anchor and drunken voicemail enthusiast Pat O’Brien
39) Emory University
Location: Druid Hills, GA
Undergraduate population: 6,980
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Sen. George LeMieux (R-Florida); Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida)
Other Famous Alums: 3-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion Norman “Trip” Payne; Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; Fashion designer Kenneth Cole
38) Shippensburg University
Location: Shippensburg, PA
Undergraduate population: 6,942
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire); Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pennsylvania)
Other Famous Alums: Author Dean Koontz; Former Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Tommy Franks
37) Florida A&M University
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Undergraduate population: 10,244
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (3): Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Florida); Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Florida); Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia)
Other Famous Alums: Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson; Fox News sports anchor Pam Oliver; “Flavor of Love 3” contestant and “I Love Money 2” winner Angela Pitts
36) Vanderbilt University
Location: Nashville, TN
Undergraduate population: 6,794
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee); Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee)
Other Famous Alums: Founder of Bain & Company Bill Bain; U.S. Airways CEO Doug Parker
35) University of Mississippi
Location: Oxford, MS
Undergraduate population: 13,204
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (4): Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi); Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi); Rep. John Fleming (R-Louisiana); Travis Childers (D-Mississippi)
Other Famous Alums: Fox News host Shepard Smith; Mississippi Republican Gov. Haley Barbour; NFL offensive tackle Michael Oher (also subject of the book and movie “The Blind Side”)
34) American University
Location: Washington, D.C.
Undergraduate population: 6,311
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Illinois); Rep. James McGovern (D-Massachusetts)
Other Famous Alums: “Judge Judy” Sheindlin; Television personality Star Jones; “Meet the Press” moderator David Gregory
33) Southern Methodist University
Location: University Park, TX
Undergraduate population: 6,228
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (2): Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas); Sam Johnson (R-Texas)
Other Famous Alums: “Barney & Friends” creator Sheryl Leach; WWE wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan; Film and television producer Aaron Spelling
32) University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Undergraduate population: 17,981
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (6): Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina); Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-North Carolina); Rep. Brad Miller (D-North Carolina); Rep. David Price (D-North Carolina); Rep. Melvin Watt (D-North Carolina); Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tennessee)
Other Famous Alums: ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott; Comedian Lewis Black; Former U.S. President James K. Polk
31) University of California, Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate population: 26,536
Congressional Undergraduate Alumni (9): Rep. Howard Berman (D-California); Rep. John Campbell (R-California); Rep. Judy Chu (D-California); Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-California); Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California); Rep. Laura Richardson (D-California); Rep. Brad Sherman (D-California); Rep. Diane Watson (D-California); Henry Waxman (D-California)
Other Famous Alums: “24” creator Joel Surnow; Actor Jaleel White (aka “Steve Urkel”); Current TV journalist and former Kim Jong-Il captive Laura Ling