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AdmissionsOS

The Most Selective Colleges

The hardest colleges to get into, by acceptance rate.

How this list is ranked

Ranked by acceptance rate, lowest first. The lower the rate, the more selective.

Ranked by Acceptance rate
Schools on this list 100
Source Federal data, same records as every school page

Admit rate in the table is the ranking number. Net price and SAT are for context.

Rank School Admit Net price SAT
1 Alliant International University-San Diego San Diego, CA 0.0% - - See record
2 Belanger School of Nursing Schenectady, NY 0.0% $13,185 - See record
3 School of Professional Horticulture New York Botanical Garden Bronx, NY 0.0% - - See record
4 Atlantic Acting School New York, NY 1.8% - - See record
5 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 2.6% $16,075 - See record
6 Minerva University San Francisco, CA 3.0% - - See record
7 Stanford University Stanford, CA 3.6% $13,807 1510-1580 See record
8 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 3.6% $19,066 1510-1580 See record
9 Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School District Charlton, MA 3.7% $34,539 - See record
10 Yale University New Haven, CT 3.9% $23,777 1470-1570 See record
11 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 4.0% $21,590 1510-1580 See record
12 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 4.5% $14,860 1510-1580 See record
13 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.5% $20,111 1520-1580 See record
14 Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, PA 4.6% - - See record
15 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.6% $6,128 1510-1580 See record
16 Northeastern University Boston, MA 5.2% $30,915 1440-1540 See record
17 Brown University Providence, RI 5.4% $25,184 1510-1580 See record
18 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 5.4% $28,699 1510-1570 See record
19 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 5.4% $29,519 1500-1570 See record
20 Florida Academy of Nursing Miramar, FL 5.5% $10,054 - See record
21 Duke University Durham, NC 5.7% $29,612 1500-1570 See record
22 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 5.9% $15,846 1500-1570 See record
23 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 6.4% $18,809 1520-1570 See record
24 Colby College Waterville, ME 7.1% $17,180 1460-1550 See record
25 Pomona College Claremont, CA 7.1% $19,285 1490-1560 See record
26 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 7.1% $14,398 1470-1550 See record
27 Washington University of Science and Technology Alexandria, VA 7.3% - - See record
28 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA 7.5% $23,149 1490-1560 See record
29 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 7.7% $29,167 1510-1570 See record
30 Rice University Houston, TX 8.0% $13,370 1510-1570 See record
31 Circle in the Square Theatre School New York, NY 8.0% $28,089 - See record
32 Williams College Williamstown, MA 8.3% $17,716 1490-1570 See record
33 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 8.8% $28,690 1500-1570 See record
34 Barnard College New York, NY 8.8% $28,800 1470-1560 See record
35 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 9.0% $12,548 - See record
36 Amherst College Amherst, MA 9.0% $23,367 1490-1580 See record
37 The Juilliard School New York, NY 9.2% $43,571 - See record
38 New York University New York, NY 9.2% $37,050 1480-1560 See record
39 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 9.3% - 1210-1410 See record
40 Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA 9.6% $28,849 1470-1560 See record
41 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 9.8% $32,740 1450-1550 See record
42 Stanbridge University Irvine, CA 10.0% $45,372 - See record
43 Emory University Atlanta, GA 10.7% $22,585 1470-1550 See record
44 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT 10.8% $31,483 1445-1550 See record
45 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 11.0% $13,481 - See record
46 Boston University Boston, MA 11.1% $24,402 1420-1530 See record
47 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 11.3% $26,780 1455-1560 See record
48 Tufts University Medford, MA 11.5% $39,998 1470-1560 See record
49 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 11.7% $31,944 1500-1570 See record
50 College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO 12.0% $6,100 1050-1220 See record
51 Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO 12.1% $21,786 1500-1570 See record
52 Haverford College Haverford, PA 12.4% $25,314 1460-1550 See record
53 United States Military Academy West Point, NY 12.4% - 1200-1430 See record
54 Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 12.7% $35,924 1500-1570 See record
55 Riverside College of Health Careers Newport News, VA 12.9% $20,744 - See record
56 Georgetown University Washington, DC 12.9% $40,815 1390-1550 See record
57 Emory University-Oxford College Oxford, GA 13.1% $37,920 1470-1550 See record
58 Bates College Lewiston, ME 13.3% $29,351 1420-1530 See record
59 Davidson College Davidson, NC 13.4% $17,379 1400-1530 See record
60 Hamilton College Clinton, NY 13.6% $28,985 1450-1550 See record
61 Colgate University Hamilton, NY 13.9% $28,786 1430-1540 See record
62 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 14.0% $23,781 1430-1540 See record
63 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA 14.0% $39,949 1400-1520 See record
64 Webb Institute Glen Cove, NY 14.0% $73,043 1430-1530 See record
65 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA 14.1% $25,496 1460-1560 See record
66 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA 14.1% $12,116 1370-1540 See record
67 United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO 14.1% - 1230-1440 See record
68 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 14.5% $17,648 1410-1540 See record
69 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 15.3% $11,655 1390-1530 See record
70 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 15.6% $13,138 1360-1530 See record
71 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 16.4% $41,704 1440-1540 See record
72 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 16.5% $30,177 1415-1540 See record
73 Northeastern University Oakland Oakland, CA 16.7% $25,181 1420-1520 See record
74 University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 16.8% $21,565 1410-1540 See record
75 Helene Fuld College of Nursing New York, NY 17.0% $47,181 - See record
76 Babson College Wellesley, MA 17.1% $40,514 1390-1530 See record
77 Denison University Granville, OH 17.4% $40,007 1320-1490 See record
78 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 17.6% $38,782 1240-1410 See record
79 Ukiah Adult School Ukiah, CA 18.2% $14,343 - See record
80 Central Penn College Summerdale, PA 18.5% $18,953 - See record
81 California Miramar University San Diego, CA 18.5% $12,480 - See record
82 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO 18.5% $33,375 1230-1460 See record
83 Center for Allied Health Education Brooklyn, NY 18.5% $48,150 - See record
84 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY 18.6% $39,343 1450-1550 See record
85 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI 18.7% $50,507 1396-1530 See record
86 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 18.9% $37,244 1320-1480 See record
87 Berea College Berea, KY 19.3% $6,106 1156-1335 See record
88 Holy Name Medical Center-Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing Englewood Cliffs, NJ 20% - - See record
89 Carleton College Northfield, MN 20% $25,407 1450-1560 See record
90 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL 21% $13,739 1030-1180 See record
91 The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY 21% $13,269 1295-1501 See record
92 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI 21% - 1320-1490 See record
93 Smith College Northampton, MA 21% $27,579 1420-1540 See record
94 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY 21% $32,297 1340-1480 See record
95 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 22% $28,719 1410-1520 See record
96 Dallas Christian College Dallas, TX 22% $22,960 788-1088 See record
97 Williamson College of the Trades Media, PA 22% $1,545 - See record
98 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA 22% $31,309 1410-1530 See record
99 United States Coast Guard Academy New London, CT 22% - 1240-1400 See record
100 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC 23% $20,723 1085-1285 See record