A recent report from the American Institute for Economic Research ranked the best areas throughout the country for students to attend college. The rankings are based on various criteria, including internships offered in the area.

The report found New York City; San Jose; Boulder, Colo.; and Ithaca, N.Y. as some of the top destinations for college students.

Researchers considered data on more than 360 metropolitan areas and came up with the top 75 destinations for students. The cities are ranked in four categories, organized by population.

Data considered included the academic environment, including the number of college students per 1,000 residents; quality of life, including cost of living and the number of cultural and entertainment venues per 100,000 residents; and professional opportunities, income per capita, unemployment rate and yearly increase in college-educated people moving into or out of the city.

The top five areas in the major metro category are:

• New York
• San Francisco
• Boston
• Washington
• Seattle

The top five in the midsize metro category are:

• San Jose
• Austin
• Hartford, Conn.
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Denver

The top five in the small metro category are:

• Boulder, Colo.
• Bridgeport, Conn.
• Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Gainesville, Fla.
• Madison, Wis.

The top five in the college town category are:

• Ithaca, N.Y.
• State College, Pa.
• Ames, Iowa
• Champaign- Urbana, Ill.
• Iowa City

"Your college years are shaped by the classes, the professors and the campus, but they're also shaped by the location of the school," Kerry Lynch, senior economist for the American Institute for Economic Research, said.

While students and families may have a sense of their surroundings, the institute recommends they should consider factors such as opportunities for internships, access to cultural activities and what kind of people their neighbors will be.