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Ranked: the 35 Hardest Colleges to Get Into in America

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For some schools across the US, a low single-digit acceptance rate has become shorthand for prestige.

With increasingly accomplished high school students competing for limited spots at some of the nation’s top universities, a 4.0 GPA may no longer be enough to stand out in a crowded applicant pool. At some elite colleges, admissions have only become more competitive in recent decades.

Harvard, for example, received 18,190 applications in 1996, as reported by the school’s student newspaper. Only 10.9% of applicants were admitted, which, at the time, was the school’s lowest acceptance rate on record.

For the Class of 2029, Harvard received 47,893 applications. The college admitted 2,003 students — a similar number of spots for prospective students as it had 30 years ago — for an acceptance rate of 4.2%.

Some of the hardest colleges to get into in the US are big-name schools with tens of thousands of students, while others are specialized, curated science or arts programs with only a couple of hundred students.

Business Insider looked at the most recent available data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator and identified the most selective schools in the country that admitted 10% or less of their applicants. These were then ranked from lowest to highest acceptance rate for the 2024-2025 school year.

For schools with the same acceptance rate, ties were broken by the number of applicants, with schools that received more applications ranking higher.

While the ranking includes some smaller, lesser-known colleges where selectivity is driven by small class sizes and tightly curated curricula, some schools with applicant pools or total student populations of under 100 were excluded from the list as their acceptance rates are not entirely comparable to those of more traditional four-year colleges and universities.

See the hardest schools to get into in America.

35. Stanbridge University

Aerial view of Irvine, California

Stanbridge University is a small private university in Irvine, California.

Matt Gush/Shutterstock

Location: Irvine, California

Acceptance rate: 10%

Student population: 2,928

Student-to-faculty ratio: 15 to 1

34. Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA - August 13 2022: Fountain in front of an academic building at Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna College has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8-to-1.

Jim_Brown_Photography/Shutterstock

Location: Claremont, California

Acceptance rate: 10%

Student population: 1,393

Student-to-faculty ratio: 8 to 1

33. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California US - April 16, 2024: campus of The University of Southern California USC, a private research university in Los Angeles, on a sunny day

The University of Southern California accepts only 10% of applicants.

bluestork/Shutterstock

Location: Los Angeles

Acceptance rate: 10%

Student population: 46,566

Student-to-faculty ratio: 9 to 1

32. The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School is known for its selective performing arts program.

Johnnie Rik/Shutterstock

Location: New York City

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 1,073

Student-to-faculty ratio: 4 to 1

31. Barnard College

NEW YORK, NY -21 MAR 2022- View of campus of Barnard College of Columbia University, a private womens liberal arts college in Manhattan, New York City.

Barnard College accepted only 9% of applicants in the 2024-25 school year.

EQRoy/Shutterstock

Location: New York City

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 3,487

Student-to-faculty ratio: 10 to 1

30. Amherst College

Amherst College Johnson Chapel tower on a sunny day.

Amherst College is a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts.

HantongWu/Shutterstock

Location: Amherst, Massachusetts

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 1,914

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

29. United States Naval Academy

Annapolis, Maryland, USA town skyline at Chesapeake Bay with the United States Naval Academy Chapel dome.

The United States Naval Academy is among the most selective schools in the country.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 4,474

Student-to-faculty ratio: 8 to 1

28. Cornell University

Ithaca New York - June 26, 2021: The Uris Library and McGraw Tower on campus of Cornell University. Cornell University is a private, statutory, Ivy League and land-grant research university in Ithaca

Cornell University has a student population of 26,793.

Jay Yuan/Shutterstock

Location: Ithaca, New York

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 26,793

Student-to-faculty ratio: 9 to 1

27. New York University

NEW YORK CITY - SEPTEMBER 13, 2013: Street view of New York University NYU in Greenwich Village Manhattan.

New York University received over 100,000 applications for the 2024-2025 school year.

Little Vignettes Photo/Shutterstock

Location: New York City

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 56,832

Student-to-faculty ratio: 8 to 1

26. University of California—Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA: January 13, 2017: A view of Royce Hall on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. Royce Hall was completed in 1929.

The University of California—Los Angeles is among the most selective schools in the US.

Michael Gordon/Shutterstock

Location: Los Angeles

Acceptance rate: 9%

Student population: 47,335

Student-to-faculty ratio: 20 to 1

25. Williams College

Williamstown, MA. USA - October 8, 2021: Aerial view of the Thompson Memorial Chapel on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, MA.

Williams College has a student population of only 2,164.

pics721/Shutterstock

Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts

Acceptance rate: 8%

Student population: 2,164

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

24. Rice University

Houston, Texas — December 20, 2016: Rice University Private research university building architecture.

Rice University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6-to-1.

Andrea Quintero Olivas/Shutterstock

Location: Houston

Acceptance rate: 8%

Student population: 8,961

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

23. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL, USA - September 18, 2025: Northwestern Medicine Field at Northwestern University is the schools soccer, lacrosse, and temporary football field while Ryan Field is built.

Northwestern University accepts only 8% of applicants.

Joseph Hendrickson/Shutterstock

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Acceptance rate: 8%

Student population: 23,856

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

22. Washington University of Science and Technology

The skyline of Alexandria, Virginia, USA and surrounding areas as seen from the top of the George Washington Masonic Temple.

Washington University of Science and Technology has only 1,096 students.

Gary Riegel/Shutterstock

Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Acceptance rate: 7%

Student population: 1,096

Student-to-faculty ratio: 14 to 1

21. Pomona College

Claremont, California USA - March 30, 2017: The historic Carnegie Library at Pomona College houses Social Science offices and classrooms.

Pomona College has under 2,000 students and accepts only 7% of applicants.

Sandra Foyt/Shutterstock

Location: Claremont, California

Acceptance rate: 7%

Student population: 1,700

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7 to 1

20. Swarthmore College

Clothier Memorial Hall on the campus of Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Swarthmore College has a student population of 1,623.

Bo Shen/Shutterstock

Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Acceptance rate: 7%

Student population: 1,623

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7 to 1

19. Bowdoin College

Hubbard Hall building on Bowdoin College campus.

Bowdoin College is a small liberal arts college with fewer than 2,000 students.

Andrew Dale/Shutterstock

Location: Brunswick, Maine

Acceptance rate: 7%

Student population: 1,881

Student-to-faculty ratio: 9 to 1

18. Colby College

Waterville, Maine, USA - 07 04 2022: campus of Colby College in Maine, USA

Colby College accepts only 7% of applicants.

Feng Cheng/Shutterstock

Location: Waterville, Maine

Acceptance rate: 7%

Student population: 2,412

Student-to-faculty ratio: 9 to 1

17. Vanderbilt University

Campus of Vanderbilt Unversity in Nashville, Tennessee.

Vanderbilt University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8-to-1.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Location: Nashville

Acceptance rate: 6%

Student population: 13,575

Student-to-faculty ratio: 8 to 1

16. Johns Hopkins University

Aerial view of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Georgian and Federal styles, characterized by red brick, white marble trim, and symmetrical layouts

Johns Hopkins University has over 30,000 students.

tokar/Shutterstock

Location: Baltimore

Acceptance rate: 6%

Student population: 30,210

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

15. Duke University

DURHAM, NC, USA - JUNE 18: William R. Perkins Library and Bostock Library on June 18, 2017 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Duke University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5-to-1.

Bryan Pollard/Shutterstock

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Acceptance rate: 6%

Student population: 17,499

Student-to-faculty ratio: 5 to 1

14. Curtis Institute of Music

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA downtown city skyline

Curtis Institute of Music (not pictured) is a small arts conservatory in Philadelphia.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Location: Philadelphia

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 161

Student-to-faculty ratio: 2 to 1

13. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA - April 27, 2026: Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus center, Rogers Building, with mathematical sculpture by Jaume Plensa

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts about 5% of applicants.

Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 11,886

Student-to-faculty ratio: 3 to 1

12. Dartmouth College

The Baker-Berry Library on the campus of Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College has just under 7,000 students.

Jay Yuan/Shutterstock

Location: Hanover, New Hampshire

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 6,938

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7 to 1

11. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ, USA - June 30, 2020: Ivy-covered East Pyne Hall at Princeton University.

Princeton University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5-to-1.

gdragan/Shutterstock

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 9,137

Student-to-faculty ratio: 5 to 1

10. Brown University

PROVIDENCE, RI/USA - SEPTEMBER 30, 2019: Unidentfied individuals, and Sayles Hall on the campus of Brown University.

Brown University accepts only about 5% of applicants.

Ken Wolter/Shutterstock

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 11,956

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

9. University of Pennsylvania

Very old building in the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is in the top 10 hardest US schools to get into.

f11photo/Shutterstock

Location: Philadelphia

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 29,109

Student-to-faculty ratio: 8 to 1

8. Northeastern University

BOSTON, MA - JUN 16: Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, as seen on Jun 16, 2018. It is a private research university established in 1898.

Northeastern University in Boston accepts only about 5% of applicants.

Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock

Location: Boston

Acceptance rate: 5%

Student population: 32,553

Student-to-faculty ratio: 16 to 1

7. University of Chicago

Chicago, USA - August 2022: An ivy covered gothic style building typical of the architecture of the older section of the University of Chicago on its main quadrangles.

The University of Chicago is one of the most selective schools in the US.

Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock

Location: Chicago

Acceptance rate: 4%

Student population: 18,566

Student-to-faculty ratio: 5 to 1

6. Harvard University

Three huge "Veritas" Banners hang from the facade of Widener Memorial Library at Harvard University.

Harvard University accepts only around 4% of applicants.

Steve Rosenbach/Getty Images

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Acceptance rate: 4%

Student population: 30,259

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7 to 1

5. Stanford University

People walk on the campus of Stanford University.

Stanford University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6-to-1.

MattGush/Getty Images

Location: Stanford, California

Acceptance rate: 4%

Student population: 18,625

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

4. Yale University

Yale University campus historic

Yale University is in the top 5 most selective schools in the US.

f11photo/Shutterstock

Location: New Haven, Connecticut

Acceptance rate: 4%

Student population: 15,564

Student-to-faculty ratio: 5 to 1

3. Columbia University

Students on the Columbia University campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York

Columbia University is the third-most selective school in the US.

hapabapa/Getty Images

Location: New York City

Acceptance rate: 4%

Student population: 35,173

Student-to-faculty ratio: 6 to 1

2. Minerva University

San Francisco, California, USA city skyline.

Minerva University (not pictured) is a small private school in San Francisco.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Location: San Francisco

Acceptance rate: 3%

Student population: 669

Student-to-faculty ratio: 14 to 1

1. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California, United States - 01-31-2020: A view of the fountain in front of the Beckman Institute building at California Institute of Technology.

The California Institute of Technology is the hardest US school to get into.

The Image Party/Shutterstock

Location: Pasadena, California

Acceptance rate: 3%

Student population: 2,430

Student-to-faculty ratio: 3 to 1



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