Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio.

The University of Chicago (UChicago) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890.

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

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor.

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 1900.

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