National ranking · College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Top 100 Most Selective Colleges

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, using data retrieved March–July 2026, these rank as the hardest of 6,243 US colleges to get into by acceptance rate - reported institutional admissions figures matched to average SAT score data from the federal IPEDS survey, across all 50 states.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

3.6%
Lowest acceptance rate: 100
Colleges ranked: 1,553
#1 average SAT

The list in one line

Every one of the 100 most selective US colleges admits no more than 33.7% of applicants. Stanford University is the hardest to get into, admitting just 3.6%.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

3.6%
#1 hardest - Stanford University: 33.7%
#100 - the cutoff to make this list: 1,553
#1, average SAT score: 100
colleges ranked, all 50 states

Ranked by reported admission rate (lowest first); only schools reporting a rate above 0% are included. See the methodology for year and cohort details.

Stanford University

3.6
Harvard University

3.7
Yale University

3.9
Columbia University in t…

4
University of Chicago

4.5
Massachusetts Institute …

4.6
Princeton University

4.6
Northeastern University

5.2
Brown University

5.4
Dartmouth College

5.4
University of Pennsylvania

5.4
Duke University

5.7
Vanderbilt University

5.9
Johns Hopkins University

6.4
Pomona College

7.1

What this shows Single-digit acceptance rates cluster almost entirely at well-resourced research universities and service academies - a low rate reflects application volume as much as academic rigor.

Here is where the #100 cutoff (33.7% acceptance rate) lands among all US colleges:

The bar to make this top-100 list

Admission rate, College Scorecard

34% Among the most affordable more affordable than 7% of 1,906 US colleges

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Selectivity by ownership sector

Sector mix of the hardest-to-enter colleges, averages use only institutions on this page. Compare against the full national sector earnings picture in our ownership research.

Sector	On this list	Avg acceptance	Avg enrollment	Avg earnings	Avg grad rate
Private Nonprofit	79	15%	5,126	$82,550	88%
Public	20	20%	20,215	$76,372	85%
Private For-Profit	1	10%	2,643	$62,144	72%

Selectivity by state

How many of the national top-100 selective colleges sit in each state, drill into a state list for regional comparison.

State	On this list	Avg acceptance	Avg enrollment	State ranking
California (CA)	12	17%	17,643	View CA list
Massachusetts (MA)	12	12%	6,627	View MA list
New York (NY)	10	14%	7,309	View NY list
Pennsylvania (PA)	10	21%	4,362	View PA list
Connecticut (CT)	5	21%	3,690	View CT list
Florida (FL)	4	22%	22,084	View FL list
North Carolina (NC)	4	14%	8,637	View NC list
Virginia (VA)	4	20%	5,890	View VA list
Georgia (GA)	3	17%	9,832	View GA list
Maine (ME)	3	9%	2,013	View ME list
Texas (TX)	3	20%	16,712	View TX list
Colorado (CO)	2	16%	3,064	View CO list
Illinois (IL)	2	6%	8,385	View IL list
Maryland (MD)	2	8%	5,084	View MD list
Michigan (MI)	2	18%	17,875	View MI list
Minnesota (MN)	2	24%	2,109	View MN list
Missouri (MO)	2	12%	4,651	View MO list
Ohio (OH)	2	24%	2,056	View OH list
Puerto Rico (PR)	2	30%	1,738	View PR list
Rhode Island (RI)	2	12%	4,655	View RI list
District of Columbia (DC)	1	13%	7,569	View DC list
Iowa (IA)	1	15%	1,729	View IA list
Indiana (IN)	1	11%	8,818	View IN list
Kentucky (KY)	1	19%	1,513	View KY list
Louisiana (LA)	1	14%	7,767	View LA list
Mississippi (MS)	1	29%	2,518	View MS list
New Hampshire (NH)	1	5%	4,541	View NH list
New Jersey (NJ)	1	5%	5,709	View NJ list
Oregon (OR)	1	25%	1,320	View OR list
South Carolina (SC)	1	23%	2,705	View SC list
Tennessee (TN)	1	6%	7,208	View TN list
Vermont (VT)	1	11%	2,738	View VT list

Full ranking table

Filter by state, ownership sector, or minimum enrollment to compare selective colleges in one region, then open profiles for aid, earnings, and program outcomes.

#	School Name	State	Acceptance Rate	SAT Avg	ACT Avg	Net Price	10-yr Earnings	Grad Rate	Enrollment
1	Stanford University	CA	3.6%	1,553	35	$13,807	$124,080	92.4%	7,554
2	Harvard University	MA	3.6%	1,553	35	$19,066	$101,817	97.5%	7,601
3	Yale University	CT	3.9%	1,534	34	$23,777	$100,533	96.0%	6,758
4	Columbia University in the City of New York	NY	4.0%	1,553	35	$21,590	$102,491	95.5%	8,973
5	University of Chicago	IL	4.5%	1,554	34	$14,860	$91,885	95.4%	7,569
6	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	4.5%	1,560	-	$20,111	$143,372	96.2%	4,535
7	Princeton University	NJ	4.6%	1,553	34	$6,128	$110,066	97.4%	5,709
8	Northeastern University	MA	5.2%	1,497	34	$30,915	$92,538	90.5%	17,326
9	Brown University	RI	5.4%	1,546	34	$25,184	$93,487	95.7%	7,226
10	Dartmouth College	NH	5.4%	1,534	34	$29,519	$97,434	95.8%	4,541
11	University of Pennsylvania	PA	5.4%	1,553	34	$28,699	$111,371	96.7%	10,650
12	Duke University	NC	5.7%	1,548	34	$29,612	$97,800	96.3%	6,442
13	Vanderbilt University	TN	5.9%	1,549	35	$15,846	$91,565	93.1%	7,208
14	Johns Hopkins University	MD	6.4%	1,553	-	$18,809	$87,555	94.2%	5,693
15	Pomona College	CA	7.1%	1,534	34	$19,285	$77,779	93.2%	1,666
16	Colby College	ME	7.1%	1,501	33	$17,180	$80,490	89.5%	2,407
17	Bowdoin College	ME	7.1%	1,520	-	$14,398	$82,735	95.4%	1,873
18	Swarthmore College	PA	7.5%	1,534	34	$23,149	$80,257	93.2%	1,613
19	Northwestern University	IL	7.7%	1,533	35	$29,167	$89,363	95.5%	9,201
20	Rice University	TX	8.0%	1,553	35	$13,370	$89,718	95.2%	4,776
21	Williams College	MA	8.3%	1,533	-	$17,716	$88,665	95.1%	2,076
22	Cornell University	NY	8.8%	1,535	34	$28,690	$104,043	95.3%	15,995
23	Barnard College	NY	8.8%	1,520	33	$28,800	$80,516	93.0%	3,264
24	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	9.0%	-	-	$12,548	$82,511	92.6%	33,475
25	Amherst College	MA	9.0%	1,533	33	$23,367	$77,644	93.7%	1,911
26	New York University	NY	9.2%	1,520	34	$37,050	$82,509	88.0%	28,663
27	United States Naval Academy	MD	9.3%	1,307	29	-	-	92.4%	4,474
28	Claremont McKenna College	CA	9.6%	1,527	34	$28,849	$104,736	93.3%	1,388
29	University of Southern California	CA	9.8%	1,495	34	$32,740	$92,498	91.9%	20,443
30	Stanbridge University	CA	10.0%	-	-	$45,372	$62,144	72.4%	2,643
31	Emory University	GA	10.7%	1,520	33	$22,585	$80,137	91.4%	7,298
32	Middlebury College	VT	10.8%	1,508	33	$31,483	$76,310	92.0%	2,738
33	University of California-Berkeley	CA	11.0%	-	-	$13,481	$92,446	92.9%	33,068
34	Boston University	MA	11.1%	1,480	33	$24,402	$83,238	89.3%	18,248
35	University of Notre Dame	IN	11.3%	1,520	34	$26,780	$99,980	96.0%	8,818
36	Tufts University	MA	11.5%	1,513	34	$39,998	$83,214	93.4%	7,061
37	Carnegie Mellon University	PA	11.7%	1,546	34	$31,944	$114,862	93.3%	7,304
38	College of the Ozarks	MO	12.0%	1,118	23	$6,100	$41,592	62.4%	1,444
39	Washington University in St Louis	MO	12.1%	1,530	34	$21,786	$86,182	94.3%	7,857
40	Haverford College	PA	12.4%	1,513	34	$25,314	$79,966	89.5%	1,430
41	United States Military Academy	NY	12.4%	1,355	31	-	-	86.2%	4,408
42	Georgetown University	DC	12.9%	1,487	34	$40,815	$103,494	94.5%	7,569
43	Bates College	ME	13.3%	1,468	-	$29,351	$69,498	90.1%	1,760
44	Davidson College	NC	13.4%	1,469	-	$17,379	$81,400	91.5%	1,867
45	Hamilton College	NY	13.6%	1,506	34	$28,985	$78,411	90.9%	2,030
46	Colgate University	NY	13.9%	1,508	33	$28,786	$85,139	90.9%	3,180
47	Washington and Lee University	VA	14.0%	1,498	34	$23,781	$94,810	94.4%	1,881
48	Tulane University of Louisiana	LA	14.0%	1,448	32	$39,949	$63,268	87.5%	7,767
49	Wellesley College	MA	14.1%	1,520	33	$25,496	$84,803	91.4%	2,300
50	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	GA	14.1%	1,480	32	$12,116	$102,772	93.2%	18,785
51	United States Air Force Academy	CO	14.1%	1,350	32	-	-	87.8%	4,114
52	Grinnell College	IA	14.5%	1,486	32	$17,648	$62,830	87.8%	1,729
53	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	15.3%	1,439	25	$11,655	$72,200	91.6%	20,752
54	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	15.6%	1,465	-	$13,138	$83,648	93.2%	34,177
55	Boston College	MA	16.4%	1,507	34	$41,704	$103,937	90.9%	10,085
56	Wesleyan University	CT	16.5%	1,501	33	$30,177	$73,897	92.1%	3,067
57	University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	16.8%	1,480	34	$21,565	$86,863	95.5%	17,597
58	Babson College	MA	17.1%	1,457	32	$40,514	$123,938	92.7%	2,728
59	Denison University	OH	17.4%	1,410	30	$40,007	$67,753	79.5%	2,380
60	College of the Holy Cross	MA	17.6%	1,353	30	$38,782	$90,543	88.4%	3,106
61	Colorado College	CO	18.5%	1,365	-	$33,375	$65,222	86.8%	2,014
62	Vassar College	NY	18.6%	1,494	33	$39,343	$71,366	90.1%	2,444
63	Rhode Island School of Design	RI	18.7%	1,473	31	$50,507	$68,140	88.6%	2,084
64	University of Miami	FL	18.9%	1,415	32	$37,244	$75,328	84.0%	12,913
65	Berea College	KY	19.3%	1,249	26	$6,106	$43,150	60.1%	1,513
66	Carleton College	MN	20.4%	1,517	33	$25,407	$75,525	90.4%	2,086
67	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	FL	20.6%	1,107	20	$13,739	$44,349	52.6%	7,582
68	Hillsdale College	MI	20.7%	1,415	32	-	-	87.2%	1,573
69	Smith College	MA	21.0%	1,500	33	$27,579	$64,027	89.4%	2,544
70	Skidmore College	NY	21.1%	1,405	31	$32,297	$69,363	82.1%	2,694
71	Wake Forest University	NC	21.7%	1,475	-	$28,719	$78,158	90.0%	5,485
72	University of Richmond	VA	22.2%	1,497	-	$31,309	$76,178	86.5%	2,980
73	United States Coast Guard Academy	CT	22.4%	1,339	27	-	-	90.3%	1,108
74	Citadel Military College of South Carolina	SC	22.7%	1,208	-	$20,723	$72,085	73.9%	2,705
75	University of Florida	FL	24.2%	1,403	31	$6,541	$71,588	91.3%	35,629
76	Florida State University	FL	24.2%	1,361	28	$11,297	$61,675	84.3%	32,212
77	American Musical and Dramatic Academy	NY	24.5%	-	-	$41,416	$26,975	71.8%	1,438
78	Reed College	OR	24.6%	1,437	-	$33,013	$62,927	73.8%	1,320
79	Spelman College	GA	24.9%	1,220	-	$38,967	$59,993	77.3%	3,414
80	Pitzer College	CA	25.2%	-	-	$34,191	$69,512	83.3%	1,227
81	Trinity University	TX	25.9%	1,416	31	$23,464	$71,668	83.0%	2,505
82	Lehigh University	PA	25.9%	1,440	32	$36,931	$105,584	88.5%	5,898
83	Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo	PR	26.5%	-	-	$9,230	$23,132	35.1%	1,072
84	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	26.6%	1,395	30	$19,857	$75,121	88.3%	42,855
85	University of California-San Diego	CA	26.7%	-	-	$12,470	$84,943	86.8%	34,948
86	Villanova University	PA	27.0%	1,460	33	$43,756	$100,423	92.1%	6,938
87	Franklin and Marshall College	PA	28.2%	1,392	-	$36,425	$76,124	84.9%	1,799
88	Macalester College	MN	28.5%	1,440	31	$32,149	$63,878	88.6%	2,131
89	University of Virginia's College at Wise	VA	28.5%	1,050	22	$9,210	$45,325	48.3%	1,101
90	University of California-Irvine	CA	28.6%	-	-	$14,251	$80,735	86.4%	30,197
91	Bucknell University	PA	28.9%	1,410	31	$40,766	$93,807	86.3%	3,876
92	Mississippi Christian University	MS	29.1%	1,090	24	$27,712	$47,485	61.2%	2,518
93	Trinity College	CT	29.3%	1,415	31	$34,832	$90,779	83.3%	2,146
94	Bryn Mawr College	PA	29.4%	1,396	-	$31,759	$75,217	83.6%	1,359
95	Kenyon College	OH	31.0%	1,429	33	$38,512	$71,830	84.4%	1,732
96	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	31.3%	-	-	$16,665	$90,768	85.7%	21,996
97	Lafayette College	PA	31.4%	1,424	32	$34,433	$91,410	87.8%	2,757
98	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	33.0%	-	-	$16,109	$74,915	84.3%	23,113
99	Fairfield University	CT	33.3%	1,335	29	$48,095	$88,794	84.1%	5,373
100	Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce	PR	33.7%	-	-	$9,026	$26,721	42.4%	2,404

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by admission rate (lowest first). Only schools that report admission rates greater than 0% are included. SAT averages are shown where available. All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our methodology for how admission rates and SAT figures are sourced from the federal IPEDS survey.

Caveats and limitations

A low acceptance rate reflects application volume as much as academic rigor - a school that markets aggressively and draws many applicants can post a low rate without a comparably demanding academic bar. This ranking measures how hard a school is to get into, not the quality of education once admitted.

SAT averages are increasingly incomplete because many schools have gone test-optional, so applicants who do not submit scores are missing from this figure - a school's true academic profile may differ from what the SAT average alone suggests.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute admissions advice. A low acceptance rate does not by itself indicate teaching quality or the right fit for any individual applicant.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.