Hardest Colleges to Get Into

The most selective colleges in the country, ranked by acceptance rate. This ranking highlights schools like Stanford University, Harvard University and Yale University, each shown with acceptance rate, tuition, and SAT data.

1. 1. Stanford University — Stanford, CA · 3.6% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $65,910 tuition · 92% grad rate
2. 2. Harvard University — Cambridge, MA · 3.7% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $61,676 tuition · 98% grad rate
3. 3. Yale University — New Haven, CT · 3.9% acceptance · SAT 1,534 · $67,250 tuition · 96% grad rate
4. 4. Columbia University in the City of New York — New York, NY · 4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $71,845 tuition · 96% grad rate
5. 5. University of Chicago — Chicago, IL · 4.5% acceptance · SAT 1,554 · $70,662 tuition · 96% grad rate
6. 6. Princeton University — Princeton, NJ · 4.6% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $62,688 tuition · 98% grad rate
7. 7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, MA · 4.6% acceptance · SAT 1,560 · $62,396 tuition · 96% grad rate
8. 8. Northeastern University — Boston, MA · 5.2% acceptance · SAT 1,497 · $66,162 tuition · 91% grad rate
9. 9. University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, PA · 5.4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $68,686 tuition · 97% grad rate
10. 10. Brown University — Providence, RI · 5.4% acceptance · SAT 1,546 · $71,412 tuition · 96% grad rate
11. 11. Dartmouth College — Hanover, NH · 5.4% acceptance · SAT 1,534 · $68,268 tuition · 96% grad rate
12. 12. Duke University — Durham, NC · 5.7% acceptance · SAT 1,548 · $68,758 tuition · 97% grad rate
13. 13. Vanderbilt University — Nashville, TN · 5.9% acceptance · SAT 1,549 · $67,498 tuition · 94% grad rate
14. 14. Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, MD · 6.4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $65,230 tuition · 94% grad rate
15. 15. Colby College — Waterville, ME · 7.1% acceptance · SAT 1,501 · $69,600 tuition · 89% grad rate
16. 16. Northwestern University — Evanston, IL · 7.7% acceptance · SAT 1,533 · $68,322 tuition · 95% grad rate
17. 17. Rice University — Houston, TX · 8% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $64,144 tuition · 95% grad rate
18. 18. Williams College — Williamstown, MA · 8.3% acceptance · SAT 1,533 · $68,560 tuition · 94% grad rate
19. 19. Cornell University — Ithaca, NY · 8.8% acceptance · SAT 1,535 · $69,314 tuition · 95% grad rate
20. 20. Barnard College — New York, NY · 8.8% acceptance · SAT 1,520 · $69,888 tuition · 93% grad rate
21. 21. University of California-Los Angeles — Los Angeles, CA · 9% acceptance · $49,403 tuition · 93% grad rate
22. 22. New York University — New York, NY · 9.2% acceptance · SAT 1,520 · $62,796 tuition · 88% grad rate
23. 23. United States Naval Academy — Annapolis, MD · 9.3% acceptance · SAT 1,307 · 93% grad rate
24. 24. University of Southern California — Los Angeles, CA · 9.8% acceptance · SAT 1,495 · $72,097 tuition · 92% grad rate
25. 25. Stanbridge University — Irvine, CA · 10% acceptance · 62% grad rate

Hardest Colleges to Get Into on PickACampus