The Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1876.

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

Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873

Washington University in St. Louis (WashU, or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus (Danforth) mostly split between St. Louis County and Clayton, Missouri

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.

Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts.