CollegeLister
For counselors

Hardest colleges to get into: most selective

Core colleges that admit fewer than 20 percent of applicants, lowest admission rate first.

Source: College Scorecard / IPEDS admission rate (admitted share of applicants)

69 colleges · each name links to its page, with sources · data snapshot October 2, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

69 colleges

Enter your ZIP to see distances and filter by miles. It stays in your browser.

CollegeStateAdmission rateDistance
California Institute of TechnologyCA2.6% admitted
Stanford UniversityCA3.6% admitted
Harvard UniversityMA3.7% admitted
Yale UniversityCT3.9% admitted
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY4.0% admitted
University of ChicagoIL4.5% admitted
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA4.6% admitted
Curtis Institute of MusicPA4.6% admitted
Princeton UniversityNJ4.6% admitted
Northeastern UniversityMA5.2% admitted
Brown UniversityRI5.4% admitted
Dartmouth CollegeNH5.4% admitted
University of PennsylvaniaPA5.4% admitted
Duke UniversityNC5.7% admitted
Vanderbilt UniversityTN5.9% admitted
Johns Hopkins UniversityMD6.4% admitted
Colby CollegeME7.1% admitted
Pomona CollegeCA7.1% admitted
Bowdoin CollegeME7.1% admitted
Swarthmore CollegePA7.5% admitted
Northwestern UniversityIL7.7% admitted
Rice UniversityTX8.0% admitted
Williams CollegeMA8.3% admitted
Cornell UniversityNY8.8% admitted
Barnard CollegeNY8.8% admitted
University of California-Los AngelesCA9.0% admitted
Amherst CollegeMA9.0% admitted
The Juilliard SchoolNY9.2% admitted
New York UniversityNY9.2% admitted
United States Naval AcademyMD9.3% admitted
Claremont McKenna CollegeCA9.6% admitted
University of Southern CaliforniaCA9.8% admitted
Emory UniversityGA10.7% admitted
Middlebury CollegeVT10.8% admitted
University of California-BerkeleyCA11.0% admitted
Boston UniversityMA11.1% admitted
University of Notre DameIN11.3% admitted
Tufts UniversityMA11.5% admitted
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA11.7% admitted
College of the OzarksMO12.0% admitted
Washington University in St LouisMO12.1% admitted
Haverford CollegePA12.4% admitted
United States Military AcademyNY12.5% admitted
Harvey Mudd CollegeCA12.7% admitted
Georgetown UniversityDC12.9% admitted
Bates CollegeME13.3% admitted
Davidson CollegeNC13.4% admitted
Hamilton CollegeNY13.6% admitted
Colgate UniversityNY13.9% admitted
Washington and Lee UniversityVA14.0% admitted
Tulane University of LouisianaLA14.0% admitted
Webb InstituteNY14.0% admitted
Wellesley CollegeMA14.1% admitted
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA14.1% admitted
United States Air Force AcademyCO14.1% admitted
Grinnell CollegeIA14.5% admitted
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC15.3% admitted
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI15.6% admitted
Boston CollegeMA16.4% admitted
Wesleyan UniversityCT16.5% admitted
Northeastern University OaklandCA16.7% admitted
University of Virginia-Main CampusVA16.8% admitted
Denison UniversityOH17.4% admitted
College of the Holy CrossMA17.6% admitted
Colorado CollegeCO18.5% admitted
Vassar CollegeNY18.6% admitted
Rhode Island School of DesignRI18.7% admitted
University of MiamiFL18.9% admitted
Berea CollegeKY19.3% admitted

Related lists

Best freshman retention rates: 85% or higherAll academics lists

Coming soon

Filter this list for your student

Match by GPA, budget, AP scores and intended major, and track every deadline. Leave your email and we’ll tell you at launch.