The hardest colleges to get into in the US

As we speed closer to the 2024-25 academic cycle, the American college admissions process continues to be insanely competitive. In this gallery, we have gathered the top 30 hardest colleges to get into in the US, according to Niche's 2024 list. Niche, which runs a ranking and review website, used several criteria, including acceptance rates, standardized test scores, and other factors to come up with their ranking. As you'd expect, the nation's Ivy League schools made the list!

Click on to discover the 30 toughest colleges to get into and the competitive acceptance rates that make them so prestigious.

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30. Claremont McKenna College -

Located in Claremont, California, this private liberal arts college has an 11% acceptance rate. Its curriculum focuses on international relations, public affairs, government, economics, and finance.

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29. University of California, Los Angeles -

UCLA is a highly rated public university located in Los Angeles, with an acceptance rate of 11%. Popular majors include economics, sociology, and political science and government.

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28. United States Military Academy West Point -

The acceptance rate at the United States Military Academy at West Point, in New York, is 11%. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, engineering, and history.

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27. Grinnell College -

With an acceptance rate of 11%, this Iowa-based college is considered one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. It also ranks high on Niche's list of the best small colleges in the country.

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26. Harvey Mudd College -

Harvey Mudd College, in Claremont, California, has a 10% acceptance rate. Popular majors include engineering, computer science, and computational and applied mathematics.

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25. Tulane University -

Located in New Orleans, Tulane has an acceptance rate of 10%. Niche ranked it in the top three party schools in the nation for 2024.

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24. Rice University -

Located in the heart of Houston, Texas, Rice University has a 9% acceptance rate. They offer over 50 majors across seven schools of study.

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23. Colby College -

Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, has a 9% acceptance rate. It's known for being one of the country's leading liberal arts colleges.

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22. Williams College -

Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has a 9% acceptance rate. Popular majors include economics, mathematics, and biology.

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21. Bowdoin College -

Located in Brunswick, Maine, Bowdoin College has a 9% acceptance rate. Niche has named it the fourth-best college for liberal arts nationwide.

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20. Amherst College -

Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, has a 9% acceptance rate. Popular majors include mathematics, economics, and research and experimental psychology.

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19. Cornell University -

Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, has a 9% acceptance rate according to the most recent data available.

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18. United States Naval Academy -

The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has an acceptance rate of only 8%. Popular majors include economics, engineering, and political science and government.

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17. Swarthmore College -

Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has an 8% acceptance rate. The small institution is known for its economics, biology, and information science programs.

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16. Johns Hopkins University -

Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, Maryland, has an 8% acceptance rate. It ranks number one by Niche as the best college for public health.

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15. Vanderbilt University -

Nashville's Vanderbilt University has a 7% acceptance rate. It's ranked by Niche as the number one college in the country to study education.

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14. Northwestern University -

Located in Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University has a 7% acceptance rate. Popular majors include economics, digital communication and media, and psychology.

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13. Pomona College -

Pomona College in Claremont, California, has a 7% acceptance rate. It has been named by Niche as the second-best liberal arts college in the country for 2024.

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12. University of Chicago -

The University of Chicago has an acceptance rate of just 6%. Programs range from economics and cinema studies to astrophysics and sociology.

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11. Dartmouth College -

Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, has a 6% acceptance rate. Some popular majors in this Ivy League include economics, political science and government, and computer science.

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10. Duke University -

Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has a 6% acceptance rate. It's known for its high-quality athletics programs and its public policy education.

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9. University of Pennsylvania -

Located in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania has a 6% acceptance rate. It was ranked by Niche as the best college for business for 2024.

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8. Brown University -

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has a 6% acceptance rate. The Ivy League college is widely known for its global studies program.

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7. Yale University -

Known for its prominent law school, Yale University has a 5% acceptance rate. Other popular majors include economics, history, and political science and government.

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6. Princeton University -

Located in New Jersey, Princeton University has an acceptance rate of only 4%. Popular majors include computer science, public policy analysis, and economics.

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5. Columbia University -

New York City's Columbia University has a 4% acceptance rate. The Ivy League school is widely known for its Graduate School of Journalism, considered one of the best journalism graduate schools in the US.

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4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology -

MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a 4% acceptance rate. Popular majors include computer science, mechanical engineering, and mathematics.

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High on the list is Harvard University, with an acceptance rate of only 4%. Situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, popular majors include social science research methods, economics, and computer science.

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2. Stanford University -

Located in Stanford, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stanford's acceptance rate is only 4%. Popular majors include computer science, biology, and engineering.

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1. California Institute of Technology -

A world-renowned science and engineering institute, Caltech is known for developing some of the most esteemed engineers in the country. Located in Pasadena, California, it has only a 4% acceptance rate.

Sources: (Niche)

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The hardest colleges to get into in the US -

Click on to discover the 30 toughest colleges to get into and the competitive acceptance rates that make them so prestigious.

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30. Claremont McKenna College -

Located in Claremont, California, this private liberal arts college has an 11% acceptance rate. Its curriculum focuses on international relations, public affairs, government, economics, and finance.

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29. University of California, Los Angeles -

UCLA is a highly rated public university located in Los Angeles, with an acceptance rate of 11%. Popular majors include economics, sociology, and political science and government.

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28. United States Military Academy West Point -

The acceptance rate at the United States Military Academy at West Point, in New York, is 11%. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, engineering, and history.

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27. Grinnell College -

With an acceptance rate of 11%, this Iowa-based college is considered one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. It also ranks high on Niche's list of the best small colleges in the country.

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26. Harvey Mudd College -

Harvey Mudd College, in Claremont, California, has a 10% acceptance rate. Popular majors include engineering, computer science, and computational and applied mathematics.

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25. Tulane University -

Located in New Orleans, Tulane has an acceptance rate of 10%. Niche ranked it in the top three party schools in the nation for 2024.

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24. Rice University -

Located in the heart of Houston, Texas, Rice University has a 9% acceptance rate. They offer over 50 majors across seven schools of study.

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23. Colby College -

Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, has a 9% acceptance rate. It's known for being one of the country's leading liberal arts colleges.

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22. Williams College -

Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has a 9% acceptance rate. Popular majors include economics, mathematics, and biology.

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21. Bowdoin College -

Located in Brunswick, Maine, Bowdoin College has a 9% acceptance rate. Niche has named it the fourth-best college for liberal arts nationwide.

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20. Amherst College -

Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, has a 9% acceptance rate. Popular majors include mathematics, economics, and research and experimental psychology.

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19. Cornell University -

Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, has a 9% acceptance rate according to the most recent data available.

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18. United States Naval Academy -

The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has an acceptance rate of only 8%. Popular majors include economics, engineering, and political science and government.

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17. Swarthmore College -

Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has an 8% acceptance rate. The small institution is known for its economics, biology, and information science programs.

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16. Johns Hopkins University -

Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, Maryland, has an 8% acceptance rate. It ranks number one by Niche as the best college for public health.

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15. Vanderbilt University -

Nashville's Vanderbilt University has a 7% acceptance rate. It's ranked by Niche as the number one college in the country to study education.

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14. Northwestern University -

Located in Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University has a 7% acceptance rate. Popular majors include economics, digital communication and media, and psychology.

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13. Pomona College -

Pomona College in Claremont, California, has a 7% acceptance rate. It has been named by Niche as the second-best liberal arts college in the country for 2024.

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12. University of Chicago -

The University of Chicago has an acceptance rate of just 6%. Programs range from economics and cinema studies to astrophysics and sociology.

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11. Dartmouth College -

Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, has a 6% acceptance rate. Some popular majors in this Ivy League include economics, political science and government, and computer science.

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10. Duke University -

Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has a 6% acceptance rate. It's known for its high-quality athletics programs and its public policy education.

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9. University of Pennsylvania -

Located in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania has a 6% acceptance rate. It was ranked by Niche as the best college for business for 2024.

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8. Brown University -

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has a 6% acceptance rate. The Ivy League college is widely known for its global studies program.

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7. Yale University -

Known for its prominent law school, Yale University has a 5% acceptance rate. Other popular majors include economics, history, and political science and government.

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6. Princeton University -

Located in New Jersey, Princeton University has an acceptance rate of only 4%. Popular majors include computer science, public policy analysis, and economics.

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5. Columbia University -

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4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology -

MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a 4% acceptance rate. Popular majors include computer science, mechanical engineering, and mathematics.

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2. Stanford University -

Located in Stanford, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stanford's acceptance rate is only 4%. Popular majors include computer science, biology, and engineering.

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1. California Institute of Technology -

Sources: (Niche)

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The hardest colleges to get into in the US

Acceptance letters from these top schools are rare

09/12/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Education

In this gallery, we have gathered the top 30 hardest colleges to get into in the US, according to Niche's 2024 list. Niche, which runs a ranking and review website, used several criteria, including acceptance rates, standardized test scores, and other factors to come up with their ranking. As you'd expect, the nation's Ivy League schools made the list!

Click on to discover the 30 toughest colleges to get into and the competitive acceptance rates that make them so prestigious.