Most Selective Colleges

The hardest colleges in America to get into, ranked by admission rate. This page lists all 843 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1Stanford UniversityStanford, California4%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi 2Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts4%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 3Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut4%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi 4Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 5University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 6Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts5%1560$20k$143k96%4,5352 mi 7Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 8Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts5%1497$31k$93k91%17,3262 mi 9Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island5%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi 10University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania5%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi 11Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 12Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 13Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 14Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland6%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi 15Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine7%1501$17k$80k89%2,40735 mi 16Pomona CollegeClaremont, California7%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi 17Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine7%1520$14k$83k95%1,8733 mi 18Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania7%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi 19Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 20Rice UniversityHouston, Texas8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 21Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 22Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 23Barnard CollegeNew York, New York9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi 24Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 25New York UniversityNew York, New York9%1520$37k$83k88%28,6631 mi 26United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, Maryland9%1307——93%4,474< 1 mi 27Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California10%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi 28University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California10%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi 29Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia11%1520$23k$80k91%7,298219 mi 30Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 31Boston UniversityBoston, Massachusetts11%1480$24k$83k89%18,2483 mi 32University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 33Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts11%1513$40k$83k94%7,0615 mi 34Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania12%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi 35College of the OzarksPoint Lookout, Missouri12%1118$6k$42k64%1,444459 mi 36Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri12%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi 37Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania12%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi 38United States Military AcademyWest Point, New York12%1355——87%4,4085 mi 39Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia13%1487$41k$103k95%7,5691 mi 40Bates CollegeLewiston, Maine13%1468$29k$69k90%1,76018 mi 41Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina13%1469$17k$81k91%1,867167 mi 42Hamilton CollegeClinton, New York14%1506$29k$78k91%2,03054 mi 43Colgate UniversityHamilton, New York14%1508$29k$85k91%3,18061 mi 44Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia14%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi 45Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana14%1448$40k$63k86%7,7676 mi 46Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts14%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi 47Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, Georgia14%1480$12k$103k94%18,785222 mi 48United States Air Force AcademyUSAF Academy, Colorado14%1350——88%4,114711 mi 49Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, Iowa15%1486$18k$63k88%1,729254 mi 50University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina15%1439$12k$72k91%20,752115 mi 51University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan16%1465$13k$84k93%34,17730 mi 52Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi 53Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut16%1501$30k$74k93%3,06719 mi 54University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia17%1480$22k$87k96%17,59767 mi 55Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi 56Denison UniversityGranville, Ohio17%1410$40k$68k79%2,38091 mi 57College of the Holy CrossWorcester, Massachusetts18%1353$39k$91k87%3,10636 mi 58Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, Colorado18%1365$33k$65k88%2,014705 mi 59Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, New York19%1494$39k$71k91%2,44426 mi 60Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, Rhode Island19%1473$51k$68k89%2,0841 mi 61University of MiamiCoral Gables, Florida19%1415$37k$75k84%12,9132 mi 62Berea CollegeBerea, Kentucky19%1249$6k$43k58%1,513277 mi 63Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota20%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi 64Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahassee, Florida21%1107$14k$44k53%7,58223 mi 65Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, Michigan21%1415——90%1,57361 mi 66Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts21%1500$28k$64k89%2,54467 mi 67Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, New York21%1405$32k$69k83%2,694124 mi 68Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, North Carolina22%1475$29k$78k89%5,485183 mi 69University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, Virginia22%1497$31k$76k85%2,98022 mi 70United States Coast Guard AcademyNew London, Connecticut22%1339——93%1,1082 mi 71Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina23%1208$21k$72k75%2,705< 1 mi 72University of FloridaGainesville, Florida24%1403$7k$72k91%35,62942 mi 73Florida State UniversityTallahassee, Florida24%1361$11k$62k86%32,21224 mi 74Reed CollegePortland, Oregon25%1437$33k$63k71%1,32054 mi 75Spelman CollegeAtlanta, Georgia25%1220$39k$60k78%3,414222 mi 76Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, Texas26%1416$23k$72k84%2,505120 mi 77Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi 78The University of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas27%1395$20k$75k89%42,855126 mi 79Villanova UniversityVillanova, Pennsylvania27%1460$44k$100k92%6,93812 mi 80Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, Pennsylvania28%1392$36k$76k84%1,79936 mi 81Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, Minnesota29%1440$32k$64k87%2,131134 mi 82University of Virginia's College at WiseWise, Virginia29%1050$9k$45k47%1,101292 mi 83Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania29%1410$41k$94k86%3,876105 mi 84Mississippi Christian UniversityClinton, Mississippi29%1090$28k$47k59%2,518135 mi 85Trinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut29%1415$35k$91k84%2,14631 mi 86Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania29%1396$32k$75k82%1,35911 mi 87Kenyon CollegeGambier, Ohio31%1429$39k$72k82%1,73270 mi 88Lafayette CollegeEaston, Pennsylvania31%1424$34k$91k88%2,75748 mi 89Fairfield UniversityFairfield, Connecticut33%1335$48k$89k84%5,3732 mi 90William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia34%1473$19k$73k89%7,0553 mi 91Oberlin CollegeOberlin, Ohio34%1447$39k$58k81%2,88711 mi 92Southern University and A & M CollegeBaton Rouge, Louisiana35%942$20k$43k27%5,51951 mi 93Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, Massachusetts36%1463$26k$58k84%2,16962 mi 94Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio37%1513$41k$88k87%6,4373 mi 95Connecticut CollegeNew London, Connecticut37%1432$36k$75k82%1,9372 mi 96Fisk UniversityNashville, Tennessee37%1200$32k$45k30%1,035378 mi

US Department of Education College Scorecard. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.