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.

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, established in 1868.

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

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

The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a private research university in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney,

The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or, colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, established in 1960.