10 Hardest Colleges to Get Into in 2023

Bill Townsend
9/20/2023 | 5 Min Read

hardest

Table of Contents

Ever wondered what colleges in the United States are the most difficult to get into? We were curious too, so we put together a list of some of the best colleges in the United States with the lowest acceptance rates and the strictest requirements.

We'll tell you a little more about the admissions process for each school and give you some details about what you'll need to include on your college application. Before we wrap up, we'll share a few tips and tricks to make your application more competitive when applying at a selective school.

Princeton University, New Jersey

Location: Princeton, NJ

Acceptance rate: 6%

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,774

Average tuition: $48,502

Six-year graduation rate: 98%

Princeton's small student body and above average student SAT scores and ACT scores reflect its selective nature and competitive admissions process. When you apply to Princeton University, you'll need two teacher recommendations who have taught you in high-level courses, along with a counselor recommendation and multiple school reports.

Harvard University, Massachusetts

Location: Cambridge, MA

Acceptance rate: 5%

Undergraduate enrollment: 8,527

Average tuition: $54,002

Six-year graduation rate: 98%

With above average SAT scores and ACT scores, you'll need to be near perfect on your college admissions test in order to earn admission to Harvard University. You also must submit two teacher reports, a school report with a counselor letter, and answers to all Harvard College Questions with your application.

Yale University, Connecticut

Location: New Haven, CT

Acceptance rate: 7%

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,703

Average tuition: $57,700

Six-year graduation rate: 96%

Students at Yale University usually have higher SAT scores and ACT scores as compared to non-Ivy League schools. Like other Ivy League schools, students must include multiple teacher recommendations and a counselor recommendation with their application.

Furthermore, the admissions office is transparent with the two questions they ask as they evaluate student applications:

Who is likely to make the most of Yale's resources?
Who will contribute the most significantly to the Yale community?

They would also say that three in four students who apply to Yale are qualified to do what their academic program will require, while the other 25% of students gain admission because of the "little things" that ultimately tip the scale in their favor.

Stanford University, California

Location: Stanford, CA

Acceptance rate: 5%

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,366

Average tuition: $56,169

Six-year graduation rate: 95%

Stanford University looks for academic excellence, personal attributes, and intellectual vitality in each application. The admissions department considers several different factors when making decisions about what students to admit. They want to learn about each potential student as a person, and they want to be sure that you bring a level of commitment and dedication to the table that you'll need in order to succeed in one of their programs.

Brown University, Rhode Island

Location: Providence, RI

Acceptance rate: 8%

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,792

Average tuition: $60,696

Six-year graduation rate: 95%

Like other schools on this list, Brown University is typically looking for students who have taken classes across a broad range of disciplines and who appear prepared for the academic challenges that lie ahead. When you submit your application, you'll need to provide multiple letters of recommendation, including a letter from a past math or science teacher if you're applying for a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree program.

Columbia University, New York

Location: New York City, NY

Acceptance rate: 7%

Undergraduate enrollment: 8,148

Average tuition: $61,671

Six-year graduation rate: 96%

Columbia University is looking for students who will best contribute to their academic community - both during their time in school and throughout their entire lives. They encourage applicants to express their passions and interests in their background in addition to describing their academic achievements. Since intellect, curiosity, and dynamism are key values at Columbia, they look for the expression of these values in student applications.

University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Acceptance rate: 9%

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,155

Average tuition: $60,042

Six-year graduation rate: 96%

If you want to get into the University of Pennsylvania, make sure you describe your strengths, challenges, and interests in detail as you reflect on why you would make a strong contribution to the learning community at Penn. Nine in 10 students are invited to participate in a live interview, but if you're not selected for an interview, it won't be held against you during your application review.

California Institute of Technology

Location: Pasadena, CA

Acceptance rate: 7%

Undergraduate enrollment: 901

Average tuition: $56,862

Six-year graduation rate: 92%

With a small student body, you'll need to be near perfect on your college admissions test to get into the California Institute of Technology. You'll also need two letters of evaluation from past teachers: one from a math or science teacher and another from a humanities or social studies teacher. If you want to make your CalTech application stand out, you can also include a past research paper, visual art project, or description of a previous internship.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, MA

Acceptance rate: 7%

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,361

Average tuition: $53,450

Six-year graduation rate: 96%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology looks for students who value hands-on problem solving and who are creative enough to generate big new ideas. You'll need to submit your SAT and/or ACT test scores with your application, along with two letters of recommendation and a Secondary School Report (SSR).

Duke University, North Carolina

Location: Durham, NC

Acceptance rate: 8%

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,717

Average tuition: $57,633

Six-year graduation rate: 96%

Duke University takes a holistic approach when reviewing student applications. Duke's admission department considers both personal and academic accomplishments, and they imagine how the unique perspective and background of each applicant could contribute to the development of Duke's unique learning community. All applications must include three letters of recommendation.

Honorable mentions

These schools didn't make it onto the list above, but we couldn't leave them out of this article. Here are a few more of the most selective colleges to look into if you're interested in further research.

Tips for getting into schools with low acceptance rates

Earning admission to the above schools will be challenging, but it isn't impossible. If you're looking for ways to make your application more competitive, here are some tips that will help you stand out.

Maintain good grades. Since admissions departments will be looking at your GPA when they review your application, you want it to be as high as possible.
Participate in extracurricular activities. If a college has to choose between you and another student and you both have similar test scores and GPAs, your extracurricular involvement might be the factor that helps set you apart.
Study hard for standardized tests. Take time to prepare for your test by reviewing past tests and identifying what areas you could improve in before test day. Consider working with a specialized ACT or SAT tutor who knows the test well and can help you make strategic improvements. Don't forget that test-optional schools can still look at your ACT or SAT score to evaluate what kind of student you are. They may also use your test scores to determine what financial aid and scholarships you can qualify for.

College Rover helps compare top schools so you can find the best fit for you

Each of the schools in this article has developed a reputation for academic excellence. Finishing a degree at any of these institutions can set you on a path toward future success in your career or graduate studies. If you're willing to work hard in high school and put time into creating a strong application, you'll position yourself well to earn consideration for admission.

For more information about the best colleges in the country, head over to College Rover. Our website holds a wealth of information that you can use to research different liberal arts colleges, degrees, and programs. We hope this information helps you narrow down your choices for higher education and make the choice that's right for your future. Check it out today!

College Rover gets the majority of its data directly from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The DOE publishing schedule "lags" the most current data which some colleges post on their official websites. This may cause there to be a difference in the data you see on College Rover and an individual college website. College Rover's website is updated as the DOE data becomes available and is configured for the College Rover website.