Top 20 U.S. Universities with the Most Competitive Admissions
Among the prestigious American universities, Harvard University has the most challenging admission rate, with an acceptance rate of just 5.2% and SAT scores ranging from 1430 to 1600 (according to Niche.com).
This ranking is based on acceptance rates and SAT/ACT scores from the U.S. Department of Education in 2017. Acceptance rates account for 60% and SAT/ACT scores account for 40% of the ranking criteria.
Here are the rankings of the most “challenging” universities to get into in the United States:
20. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, California)
Acceptance rate: 9%
SAT: 1320-1490
19. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)
Acceptance rate: 13%
SAT: 1305-1530
18. Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland)
Acceptance rate: 13%
SAT: 1400-15670
17. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
Acceptance rate: 15%
SAT: 1410-1570
16. Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)
Acceptance rate: 11%
SAT: 1400-1560
15. Pomona College (Claremont, California)
Acceptance rate: 9%
SAT: 1340-1540
14. Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, California)
Acceptance rate: 13%
SAT: 1420-1580
13. Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire)
Acceptance rate: 11%
SAT: 1350-1560
12. Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)
Acceptance rate: 11%
SAT: 1380-1570
11. University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Acceptance rate: 9%
SAT: 1380-1570
10. Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island)
Acceptance rate: 9%
SAT: 1370-1570
9. Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee)
Acceptance rate: 11%
SAT: 1420-1590
8. Columbia University (New York, New York)
Acceptance rate: 7%
SAT: 1410-1590
7. University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
Acceptance rate: 8%
SAT: 1450-1600
6. Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey)
Acceptance rate: 7%
SAT: 1400-1590
5. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California)
Acceptance rate: 8%
SAT: 1510-1600
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Acceptance rate: 8%
SAT: 1460-1590
3. Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)
Acceptance rate: 6%
SAT: 1420-1600
2. Stanford University (Stanford, California)
Acceptance rate: 5%
SAT: 1380-1580
1. Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Acceptance rate: 5%
SAT: 1430-1600
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-20-hardest-colleges-to-get-into-in-america/ss-AAx7XZR?ocid=spartandhp#image=1
