Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private Ivy League research university in New York City, founded in 1754.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, stablished in 1861.

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1876.

The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, founded in 1847.

Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists.

William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas.