College Lists
The Hardest Colleges to Get Into
29 of the 162 colleges we track admit 10% of applicants or fewer. California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Harvard University have the lowest rates. Rates are from the federal College Scorecard, with corrections from school filings.
| School | Acceptance rate | SAT middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology | 2.6% | |
| Stanford University | 3.6% | 1510–1580 |
| Harvard University | 3.6% | 1510–1580 |
| Yale University | 3.9% | 1470–1570 |
| Columbia University | 4% | 1510–1580 |
| University of Chicago | 4.5% | 1510–1580 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.5% | 1520–1580 |
| Princeton University | 4.6% | 1510–1580 |
| Northeastern University | 5.2% | 1440–1540 |
| Brown University | 5.4% | 1510–1580 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 5.4% | 1510–1570 |
| Dartmouth College | 5.4% | 1500–1570 |
| Duke University | 5.7% | 1500–1570 |
| Vanderbilt University | 5.9% | 1500–1570 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 6.4% | 1520–1570 |
| Pomona College | 7.1% | 1490–1560 |
| Colby College | 7.1% | 1460–1550 |
| Bowdoin College | 7.1% | 1470–1550 |
| Swarthmore College | 7.5% | 1490–1560 |
| Northwestern University | 7.7% | 1510–1570 |
| New York University | 7.7% | 1480–1560 |
| Rice University | 8% | 1510–1570 |
| Williams College | 8.3% | 1490–1570 |
| Cornell University | 8.8% | 1500–1570 |
| Barnard College | 8.8% | 1470–1560 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 9% | |
| Amherst College | 9% | 1490–1580 |
| Claremont McKenna College | 9.6% | 1470–1560 |
| University of Southern California | 9.8% | 1450–1550 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the hardest college to get into?
By published acceptance rate, California Institute of Technology is the most selective of the 162 colleges we track at 2.6%, followed by Stanford University (3.6%), Harvard University (3.6%), Yale University (3.9%), Columbia University (4%).
Is the acceptance rate the same for every applicant?
No. The published rate blends early and regular rounds, and at many schools the early rate is several times the regular one. Public universities also admit residents and nonresidents at different rates. Our school profiles break the number apart where the school reports it.
Acceptance rates and SAT ranges: College Scorecard API — U.S. Department of Education (api.data.gov) and Editorial overrides layer (overrides.json) — Common Data Set & institutional sources. Test policies and deadlines: each school's admissions site, verified for the 2026-27 cycle.
