15 Most Selective Colleges in the United States | 2020

Aamir Rana 18:26

Many students seek admission to a prestigious college or
university, but the number of vacancies often doesn’t meet the needs of
applicants. Obtaining admission to schools on this list can be particularly
difficult. This makes them the most selective colleges in USA.

If you are insistent about studying in any of these most selective colleges in USA, you must brace up for a hard time at the entry point because there is a most probable that you won’t be taken. Hence, your chances of being denied admission are far higher than your chances of being taken.

So, this is exactly why you need to give serious attention to this writing because it can be your guide in making a choice in any of these schools.

Most selective
colleges in the U.S are ranked by percentage of acceptance rates, from
lowest to highest. These schools accept a lower percentage of applicants than
any other.

In this article, you will explore the most selective colleges
in the United States, why they accept so few applicants, and some advice on what
to do if you really want to enter any of these schools.

Table Of Contents

What Are the Selective Universities?

These universities have the lowest acceptance rates in the
United States. You’re the hardest to reach, period. And every year they become
more selective. But at least you still have a better chance of getting to
Harvard than being struck by lightning.

The list does not include colleges that are essentially free
(though many have a service request). The list does not include schools with a
performance or portfolio-based admission process.

Selectivity alone does not explain how difficult it is to
get to school. Some schools that are not on this list have students with higher
average GPAs and test scores than some schools on the list.

It is tempting to judge the quality of a school-based on its admissions rate. Although in most cases this is a reasonable method of assessing schools, there are some special circumstances that can lead to extremely low acceptance rates at less academically demanding universities.

How do I know a Selective Colleges?

Selective Colleges are schools that only accept a small percentage of applicants. There are
several reasons why certain universities have such low acceptance rates.

Some schools are extremely selective because they look for a
specific specialized applicant and very few students meet the requirements.

This category would include a school like Juilliard, which
is only interested in receiving students who demonstrate virtuosity in music.
Students have to speak to faculty members as one of their application
requirements.

This group also includes military schools such as West Point, where candidates pass physical fitness assessments and must be nominated by their representatives in Congress or Senate to be considered for admission.

Other universities are extremely selective because they are
looking for students with excellent overall qualifications and can only afford
to get the best performers out of the huge pool of applicants they attract.

These schools are an interface between popularity and very
high standards. This includes Ivy League schools and schools like Stanford and
MIT.

These schools are also well known internationally and
therefore attract a large number of applicants. In 2018-19, Harvard only
offered 1,950 students out of a total of 43,330 applicants!

To maintain their reputation, these schools can only select
the most outstanding students for each class. It usually takes more than
excellent grades and test results to get started. You need these qualifications
in addition to other unique academic and extracurricular achievements.

The Most Selective Colleges

The most selective colleges in the United States are
categorized in two types; Non-specialized Selective Schools and specialized
Selective Schools.

Non-Specialized Selective Schools

First, we will list some schools
that have low admission rates because they’re extremely popular and can
only choose the strongest overall applicants. These schools are listed in
descending order, starting with the most selective school.

Keep in mind that even if your SAT/ACT scores and GPA are
technically at the same level as the averages at these schools, you can’t count
on being accepted.

Any school that has an acceptance rate of less than 15% is a
beyond reach school even for the best students, and any school with an
acceptance rate of less than 30% is still very selective.

Stanford University, Stanford,
California

Stanford reveals that selectivity isn’t limited to elite
East Coast schools. In 2015, the school accepted a lower percentage of students
than Harvard, and with the most recent data, it ties the prestigious Ivy League
school.

Acceptance Rate: 4%

Enrolment: 17,184 (7,034 undergraduates)

Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts

All of the Ivy League schools are highly selective, but
Harvard is not just the most selective of the Ivies, but it typically ranks as
the most selective university in the United States. As both U.S. and
international applications surge, the acceptance rate has steadily declined
over the years.

Acceptance Rate: 5%

Enrolment: 29,908 (9,915 undergraduates)

Yale University, New
Haven, Connecticut

Four of the five most selective universities in the country
are Ivy League schools, and Yale falls just shy of beating out Stanford and
Harvard. Like most of the schools on this list, the acceptance rate has been
steadily declining in the 21st century.

Over 25% of applicants receive a perfect score on the SAT
math or SAT critical reading exams.

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Enrolment: 12,458 (5,472 students)

Princeton University,
Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton and Yale give Harvard tough competition for the
most selective of the Ivy League schools. You need the full package to get to
Princeton: “A” grades in demanding courses, impressive
extracurricular activities, bright letters of recommendation and high SAT or
ACT scores. Even with this credential, approval is not a guarantee.

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Enrolment: 8,181 (5,400 students)

Columbia University, New
York, New York

Colombia’s selectivity has increased faster than many other
Ivies, and it is not uncommon for the school to be linked to Princeton. The
urban location in Manhattan’s Upper West Side is a big draw for many students
(for students who don’t love the city, be sure to visit Dartmouth and Cornell).

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Enrolment: 29,372 (8,124 students)

MIT (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) Cambridge, Massachusetts

In some rankings, MIT is the number 1 in the world, so it
should come as no surprise that it is extremely selective. Among the
technology-focused schools, only MIT and Caltech created this list. Applicants
must be particularly strong in math and science, but all parts of the
application must shine.

Acceptance Rate: 7%

Enrolment: 11,376 (4,524 students)

Caltech (California
Institute of Technology), Pasadena, California

Caltech is three thousand miles from MIT and is equally
selective and prestigious. With fewer than a thousand students and an
astonishing 3 to 1 student to faculty ratio, Caltech can offer a transformative
educational experience.

Acceptance Rate: 7%

Enrolment: 2,240 (979 students)

University of Chicago,
Chicago, Illinois

Highly selective universities are by no means limited to the
east and west coast. The University of Chicago’s single-digit acceptance rate
makes it the most selective university in the Midwest. It’s not an Ivy League
school, but admission standards are comparable. Successful applicants have to
shine on all fronts.

Acceptance Rate: 8%

Enrolment: 15,775 (6,001 students)

Brown University, Providence,
Rhode Island

Like all Ivies, Brown has become increasingly selective in
recent years, and successful applicants need an impressive academic record as
well as real extracurricular achievements. The school campus is located next to
one of the country’s most selective art schools: the Rhode Island School of Art
and Design (RISD).

Acceptance Rate: 8%

Enrolment: 9,781 (6,926 students)

Pomona College, Claremont,
California

Pomona College is the most selective college for liberal
arts on this list. The school has started to replace Williams and Amherst in
some national rankings of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, and
their membership of the Claremont Colleges consortium offers numerous benefits
to students.

Acceptance Rate: 8%

Enrolment: 1,563 (all students)

Specialized Selective Schools

Now we introduce the schools that are extremely selective
because they have special programs and are looking for certain types of
applicants.

In highly selective music schools, test results and grades
are far less relevant for a student’s likelihood of acceptance. These schools
view musical talent much more than academic achievements.

Curtis Institute of
Music, Philadelphia

This school is only looking for the best music students and
the admission is “only based on artistic promises”. The Curtis
Institute also offers all students a full scholarship.

Together, these factors result in an acceptance rate that is
below that of the most competitive universities on the first list.

Acceptance Rate: 3%

The Juilliard School, New York

Like the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard is only
looking for a very specific and very talented subset of students. Students have
to audition for faculty members as part of the application process, and
performance standards are exceptionally high.

Acceptance Rate: 5%

U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

To participate in the US Naval Academy, students must apply
to a U.S. representative, senator, or vice president and receive a nomination.

Students must also pass physical fitness assessment and a
medical exam. The academic standard is very high, so there is only a small
group of students who meet all of the required requirements.

Acceptance Rate: 8%

U.S. Military Academy (West Point), New York

West Point has such a low acceptance rate because students
have to pass other patterns in addition to other test results and grades.

Applicants must do a physical fitness assessment, doing as
many push-ups as possible in two minutes (for me, that would be about 0.5),
running a mile as quickly as possible, and doing some other tests of agility
and strength.

You must also apply for a nomination from a Congresswoman, Senator, or Vice President. Only students whose nominations are approved will be given a place in West Point.

Acceptance Rate: 9%

Alice Lloyd College, Pippa
Passes, Kentucky

Alice Lloyd is a boarding school for liberal arts. Despite
the low acceptance rate, academics with less impressive average test results
are not particularly competitive here.

As a compromise for lower educational standards, most
students end up with very little debt.

Acceptance Rate: 10%

What to do if you are aiming for the most selective
colleges?

If you hope to attend one of these selected schools, that’s
great! There is no magic formula for acceptance, but you don’t have to rely on
luck if you play your cards right.

In order to have a solid chance of acceptance at one of the
non-specialized selective colleges, you have to take the most difficult classes
throughout high school and get very good grades.

As you can see from the average GPAs for admission to these
schools, most students are expected to have high school diplomas dominated by
aces.

SAT / ACT test results are also very important; Your score
should be at or above the average of admitted students.

Even at non-specialized schools (but especially at
specialized schools), it is important to perform excellently in an academic or
extracurricular area if you want to stand out from the crowd.

Since you compete with so many applicants and most of them
have academic credentials that are as good as yours, you need to find a way to
demonstrate your worth as a college community member that goes beyond grades and
test results.

The most selective schools value passion, drive, and lateral thinking. If you can develop a specialization that shows that you have these qualities, your chances of acceptance are very high.

Most Selective Colleges in USA – FAQs

What’s the hardest college to get into in the world?

Without a doubt, Harvard, Stanford, and MIT are some of the hardest universities to get into – in terms of both acceptance rate and quality of applicants.

How many selective colleges are there?

But what does it take to get in? About 50-60 U.S. colleges are considered “highly selective.” They have admission rates of 33 percent or less.

Conclusion

If you want to go to a highly selective school, you have to
have a very good academic record in high school. The ranking lists of most
selective colleges in USA can have a strong impact on how people rate the
quality of certain schools. So prepare yourself well before applying to study
in any of these colleges.

References
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