The hardest colleges to get into in the US

Minerva University in San Francisco has an acceptance rate of 1%, making it the most selective college in the U.S. All classes are seminars capped at 19 students, and students travel globally, living in different countries each semester—starting in San Francisco, then moving through Seoul, Taipei, Hyderabad, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Berlin, and returning to San Francisco.

Sources: (Niche)

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30. United States Naval Academy -

The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has an acceptance rate of only 11%. Popular majors include economics, engineering, and political science and government.

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29. Claremont McKenna College -

Located in Claremont, California, this private liberal arts college has a 10% acceptance rate. Its curriculum focuses on international relations, public affairs, government, economics, and finance.

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28. Tufts University -

Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, is an elite private institution with an acceptance rate of 10%. Popular majors include Biology, Economics, and Computer Science.

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27. 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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26. Barnard College -

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25. 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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24. University of California, Los Angeles -

UCLA is a highly rated public university located in Los Angeles, with an acceptance rate of 9%. Popular majors include economics, sociology, and political science and government.

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23. Williams College -

Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has an 8% acceptance rate. Popular majors include economics, mathematics, and biology.

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22. Colby College -

Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, has an 8% acceptance rate. It's known for being one of the country's leading liberal arts colleges.

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21. Cornell University -

Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, has a 7% acceptance rate according to the most recent data available.

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20. Amherst College -

Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, has a 7% acceptance rate. Popular majors include mathematics, economics, and research and experimental psychology.

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19. Johns Hopkins University -

Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, Maryland, has a 7% acceptance rate. It ranks number one by Niche as the best college for public health.

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18. 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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17. 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 2025.

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16. Swarthmore College -

Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has a 7% acceptance rate. The small institution is known for its economics, biology, and information science programs.

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15. Northeastern University -

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14. 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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13. University of Pennsylvania -

Located in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania has a 7% acceptance rate. It was ranked by Niche as the best college for business for 2025.

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12. 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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11. 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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10. Princeton University -

Located in New Jersey, Princeton University has an acceptance rate of only 6%. Popular majors include computer science, public policy analysis, and economics.

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9. University of Chicago -

The University of Chicago has an acceptance rate of just 5%. Programs range from economics and cinema studies to astrophysics and sociology.

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8. Brown University -

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has a 5% 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. 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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5. Columbia University -

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4. 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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3. Harvard University -

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2. California Institute of Technology -

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1. Minerva University -

Sources: (Niche)

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The hardest colleges to get into in the US

Acceptance letters from these top schools are rare

05/05/25 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Education

Several universities across the US are notoriously difficult to get into. Based on Niche’s 2025 rankings, we’ve rounded up the 30 most selective colleges in the country. With low acceptance rates, high test scores, and rigorous admissions standards, it’s no surprise that many Ivy League schools made the list.

Click through to discover which elite institutions have the most competitive admissions—and the numbers that keep them at the top.