The California Institute of Technology focuses on science and engineering education and has a low student-to-faculty ratio of 3:1. This private institution in Pasadena, California, is actively involved in research projects with grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Johns Hopkins University is a private institution in Baltimore that offers a wide array of academic programs in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, and engineering disciplines. The Hopkins Blue Jays mens lacrosse team is consistently dominant in the NCAA Division I; other sports teams at Hopkins compete at the Division III level.