The Most Popular National Universities

Brigham Young University is the second most popular national university in the United States, according to 2012 rankings released by U.S. News and World Report, bringing its two-year streak at No. 1 to an end.

The rankings are based mostly on the school's yield — the percentage of applicants accepted who end up enrolling at that institution in the fall, as reported by U.S. News. For fall semester 2011, BYU fell short to Harvard University by .8 percent.