Here you'll find the 20 most selective colleges and universities in the U.S. These schools accept a lower percentage of applicants than any others. As you read the list, consider these issues:
- I did not include extremely small places like Deep Springs College and Webb Institute
- I did not include schools with a performance- or portfolio-based admissions process such as Julliard and the Curtis Institute of Music
- Selectivity alone doesn't explain how hard it is to get into a school. Some schools not on this list have students with higher average GPAs and test scores than some schools on the list.
10. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
controltheweb / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 12.5% (2007 data)
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 10,220 (4,172 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private University with Engineering Focus
9. Annapolis (United States Naval Academy)
Rory Finneren / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 11.8% (2007 data)
- Location: Annapolis, Maryland
- Enrollment: 4,441
- School Type: Undergraduate Military Academy
8. Columbia University
Yandi / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 11.6% (2006 data)
- Location: New York, New York
- Enrollment: 22,655 (7,285 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private Comprehensive University (Ivy League)
7. Cooper Union
moacirpdsp / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 10.7% (2007 data)
- Location: New York, New York
- Enrollment: 957 (906 undergraduates)
- School Type: Small College with Engineering and Art Focus
6. College of the Ozarks
KellyK / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 10.4% (2007 data)
- Location: Point Lookout, Missouri
- Enrollment: 1,364
- School Type: Small Liberal Arts and Sciences College
5. Stanford University
Paraflyer / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 10.3% (2007 data)
- Location: Stanford, California
- Enrollment: 19,782 (6,584 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private Comprehensive University
4. Olin College (Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering)
Michael Maloney / Wikimedia Commons
- Acceptance Rate: 10.2% (2007 data)
- Location: Needham, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 299
- School Type: Private Engineering College
3. Princeton University
_Gene_ / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 9.7% (2007 data)
- Location: Princeton, New Jersey
- Enrollment: 7,261 (4,845 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private Comprehensive University (Ivy League)
2. Yale University
interrupt / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 8.9% (2006 data)
- Location: New Haven, Connecticut
- Enrollment: 11,454 (5,311 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private Comprehensive University (Ivy League)
1. Harvard University
David Paul Ohmer / flickr
- Acceptance Rate: 8.8% (2007 data)
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Enrollment: 25,690 (9,859 undergraduates)
- School Type: Private Comprehensive University (Ivy League)
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