Hardest colleges to get into: Here are the top 50 for 2023 (original) (raw)
Updated on: September 15, 2022 / 2:55 PM EDT / CBS News
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What's the hardest college to get into right now?
Here's an in-depth look at Niche's 2023 list of the hardest colleges to get into in America.
Niche, which runs a ranking and review website, used several criteria, including acceptance rates, standardized test scores and other factors. (As a result, some colleges in this list have the same acceptance rate but different overall rankings.)
Not surprisingly, all eight Ivy League schools made the list — but some other colleges on the list are tougher to get into than Ivy League schools, according to Niche's data.
Here is a look at Niche's 50 toughest colleges to get into and the competitive acceptance rates that make them so prestigious.
50. Carleton College
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Ranked as Minnesota's No. 1 best college for 2023, Carleton College has a 21% acceptance rate.
It also has no application fee. ACT and SAT scores are considered but not required.
49. Georgia Institute of Technology
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The acceptance rate at Georgia Institute of Technology is also 21%, but it ranks slightly higher because of test scores and other factors.
The Atlanta-based school, often referred to as Georgia Tech, ranks No. 3 on Niche's list of top public universities in America, and No. 6 on the list of the best colleges for computer science.
48. Wellesley College
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Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, has a 20% acceptance rate.
It is ranked as Niche's No. 2 best women's college in America.
Applicants are not required to take the SATs or ACTs, but those scores are considered.
47. Northeastern University
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Northeastern University, located in the Boston area, has an acceptance rate of 20%.
For 2023, it was ranked by Niche as the No. 6 best college for criminal justice in America. It is also ranked by the company as the seventh best big college in the country.
46. Grinnell College
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A newcomer to the list, Grinnell has a 19% acceptance rate.
The Grinnell, Iowa, based college has no application fee and ranks high on Niche's list of best small colleges in the country. It also earned a high ranking from Niche as one of the best liberal arts colleges in America.
45. Emory University
Emory University
Emory, in Atlanta, has an acceptance rate of 19%.
It is ranked by Niche as No. 3 for best nursing colleges in 2023 and No. 9 for the best college to pursue chemistry. It also ranks among the colleges with the best professors in the country.
44. Hamilton College
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Hamilton College is in Clinton, N.Y., and has a 18% acceptance rate.
Some of the college's most popular majors include economics, mathematics, political science and government.
43. Pitzer College
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The acceptance rate at Pitzer College, in California, is 17%.
A high school GPA is required for consideration, but neither SAT nor ACT scores are required or recommended.
42. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
The Cooper Union for The Advancement of Science and Art via Facebook
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, in New York, has a 18% acceptance rate.
It specializes in art and architecture and was ranked as Niche's No. 9 best college for art in the country this year.
41. University of California, Berkeley
Keegan Houser/University of California - Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley, has a 17% acceptance rate.
It is ranked No. 10 by Niche for the best college for architecture and the best big college in the country.
ACT and SAT scores are considered, but not required.
40. Haverford College
Haverford College
The acceptance rate at Haverford College in Pennsylvania is 18%.
Niche ranked it 14 of 969 for best small colleges in America.
Both SAT and ACT scores are considered but not required.
39. University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame via Facebook
Notre Dame has a 19% acceptance rate.
Niche ranks the Indiana university as the No. 2 Catholic college in the country for 2023.
It earned very high ratings from Niche for academics, value, diversity, campus, athletics and party scene.
38. University of Southern California
University of Southern California via Facebook
The University of Southern California has an 16% acceptance rate.
This year, Niche ranked the Los Angeles school No. 1 in America for film and photography.
It also ranked No. 1 for colleges with the best student life.
37. Georgetown University
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Georgetown University has a 17% acceptance rate.
Niche rates the Washington, D.C., based school highly for academics, diversity, value and its party scene.
36. Harvey Mudd College
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Harvey Mudd College, in Claremont, California, has a 18% acceptance rate.
The college is ranked by Niche as the No. 1 best liberal arts college in America. It is also No. 2 on the lists of best value colleges in America and best small colleges in America.
35. Bates College
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Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, has a 14% acceptance rate.
SAT scores are neither required nor recommended for applicants.
34. United States Air Force Academy
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United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has a 13% acceptance rate.
The school is very selective and focuses on preparing cadets to serve the country in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force.
33. Carnegie Mellon University
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Carnegie Mellon University has a 17% acceptance rate.
For 2023, Niche ranked the Pittsburgh institution No. 1 among the best colleges for information technology studies in America.
32. University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA via Facebook/Matt Harbicht
The acceptance rate at UCLA is 14%.
For 2023, Niche ranks its campus and food options as No. 1 out of all American colleges.
31. Tufts University
Tufts University via Facebook
Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, has a 16% acceptance rate.
Niche gives the school high marks for academics, diversity and value.
30. Colorado College
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Colorado College, a small liberal arts school in Colorado Springs, has an acceptance rate of 14%.
It has no application fee.
29. Barnard College
Barnard College via Facebook
Barnard College, in New York City, has a 14% acceptance rate.
It's the No. 1 women's college in the U.S., according to Niche.
28. Washington University in St. Louis
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Washington University in St. Louis has a 16% acceptance rate.
It's routinely named by Niche as having one of the best college campuses. This year, it's listed as No. 2 on the list of best college campuses.
27. Williams College
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Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has a 15% acceptance rate.
The institution's overall grade from Niche in the value, diversity and academics categories is an A+.
26. Claremont McKenna College
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Claremont McKenna College, in Claremont, California, has a 13% acceptance rate.
The private liberal arts college's curriculum focuses on international relations, public affairs, government, economics and finance.
25. Tulane University
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Located in New Orleans, Tulane has an acceptance rate of 11%.
Niche ranked it as the No. 2 top party school in the nation for 2023.
24. United States Military Academy at West Point
United States Military Academy at West Point via Facebook
The acceptance rate at the United States Military Academy at West Point, in New York, is 9%.
It ranks as America's No. 1 college in America with no application fee for 2023, according to Niche.
23. United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy via Facebook
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has a 9% acceptance rate.
Applicants here also usually apply to the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the United States Coast Guard Academy.
22. Colby College
Colby College/Dustin Satloff
Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, has a 10% acceptance rate.
It has earned a reputation for being one of the country's leading liberal arts colleges.
21. Amherst College
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Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, has a 12% acceptance rate.
It's among the most diverse colleges in the country, according to Niche.
20. Cornell University
Cornell University via Facebook
Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., has an 11% acceptance rate, according to its latest reported data.
It's named by Niche as the No.1 best college for agricultural sciences in the United States.
19. Vanderbilt University
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Nashville's Vanderbilt University has a 12% acceptance rate.
It's ranked by Niche as the No. 1 college in the country to study education.
18. Johns Hopkins University
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Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, Maryland, has an 11% acceptance rate.
It ranks No. 1 by Niche as the best college for public health and is hailed for its STEM programs.
17. Bowdoin College
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Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine, has a 9% acceptance rate.
Niche has named it the fourth best college for liberal arts nationwide.
16. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College via Facebook
Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has a 9% acceptance rate.
The small institution is known for its biology, economics and information science programs.
15. Rice University
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Rice University has a 11% acceptance rate.
Niche has ranked the Houston school the No. 1 college for physical therapy and has labeled it No. 1 in sports management for the upcoming school year.
14. Pomona College
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Pomona College in Claremont, California, has a 9% acceptance rate.
It's named by Niche as the second best liberal arts college in the country for 2023.
13. Dartmouth College
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Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, has a 9% acceptance rate.
The Ivy League institution is known for its rigorous academics.
12. Northwestern University
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Northwestern University has a 9% acceptance rate.
The Evanston, Illinois, university is the No. 1 college in America for communications, according to Niche.
11. University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania via Facebook
The University of Pennsylvania has a 9% acceptance rate.
The Philadelphia school was ranked by Niche as the best college for business for 2023.
10. Brown University
Brown University via Facebook
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has an 8% acceptance rate.
For 2023, the Ivy League college ranks No. 2 in best colleges for English studies and is widely known for its global studies program.
9. Duke University
Duke University via Facebook
Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has an 8% acceptance rate.
Duke is known for its high-quality athletics programs and its public policy education. For 2023, it earned the title of No. 1 college for public policy in the United States from Niche.
8. Columbia University
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New York City's Columbia University has a 7% acceptance rate.
The Ivy League school is widely known for being home to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. It is one of the best journalism graduate schools in the country.
For 2023, Niche ranked Columbia University No. 1 in the list of best colleges for English.
7. University of Chicago
The University of Chicago via Facebook
The University of Chicago has a 7% acceptance rate.
It ranks No. 5 on Niche's list of best colleges in the country for economics.
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a 7% acceptance rate.
For 2023, it ranks as Niche's No. 1 college in the United States for engineering. Mathematics, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering are some of the most popular majors at the institution.
5. Yale University
Yale University via Facebook
Known for its prominent law school, Yale University has a 7% acceptance rate.
For the second consecutive year, Niche has ranked its professors as the best in America. The school's history program is also ranked at No. 1 again.
4. California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology via Facebook
With its reputation for developing some of the most esteemed engineers in the country, Cal Tech, in Pasadena, California, has a 7% acceptance rate.
Niche ranks Cal Tech as the best college for physics nationwide for 2023.
3. Princeton University
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Princeton University has a 6% acceptance rate.
Prominent graduates of the New Jersey university include former first lady Michelle Obama, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and some U.S. Supreme Court justices. The school ranks highly for its chemistry and public policy programs.
2. Stanford University
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Stanford University has a 5% acceptance rate.
The Stanford, California, college was also named by Niche as the No. 2 school for the best academics in 2023.
Additionally, the school ranks high on the list of best value colleges in the country.
1. Harvard University
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Harvard University tops the list with its 5% acceptance rate.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ivy League university has earned a reputation for developing world leaders.
According to Niche, it is the No. 1 college for biology in America and also among the highest rated for psychology and best academics.