<p>barrons,</p>
<p>The OP was asking about FUTURE prestigious Universities. Duke and some of the others mentioned are already there…:o</p>
<p>Maybe some of the State Flagship schools will be moving up? 
</p>
<p>US News has an “Up & Coming” list. There are some State U’s on that. With the exception of a few State Universities, most are not currently considered to be “elite” or “prestigious”.
Maybe some day…</p>