Low Acceptance Rate Colleges
Unsure about whether or not your dream school will admit you? We understand how stressful the college application process is, especially when it comes to low acceptance rate colleges. The best thing to do though is finding out which colleges are especially difficult to get into every year.
Here is a list of the top low acceptance rate colleges today, based on how stringent they are with accepting new students. Check to see if your dream school is included.
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Low Acceptance Rate Colleges
| School Name | Acceptance Rate (as of 2019) |
|---|---|
| Curtis Institute of Music | 4.9% |
| Stanford University | 5.1% |
| Harvard University | 6% |
| Yale University | 6.3% |
| Columbia University | 7% |
| Alice Lloyd College | 7.1% |
| Princeton University | 7.4% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 7.9% |
| United States Naval Academy | 7.9% |
| College of the Ozarks | 8.3% |
| Juilliard School | 8.4% |
| Brown University | 8.7% |
| California Institute of Technology | 8.8% |
| University of Chicago | 8.8% |
| United States Military Academy | 9.5% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 10.5% |
| Claremont McKenna College | 10.9% |
| Duke University | 11.5% |
| Dartmouth College | 11.5% |
| Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | 12% |
| Colorado College | 18% |
| University of Southern California | 18% |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | 18.1% |
| University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) | 18.5% |
| Williams College | 19.4% |
| Washington and Lee University | 19.6% |
| Liberty University | 20.3% |
| Florida Memorial University | 20.5% |
| University of Notre Dame | 21.5% |
| Davidson College | 21.7% |
| Missouri Valley College | 22.2% |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | 22.4% |
| Carleton College | 22.8% |
| Vassar College | 23.5% |
| Barnard College | 23.7% |
| Wesleyan University | 23.9% |
| Fort Valley State University | 24.2% |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 24.3% |
| Robert Morris University | 24.4% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 24.6% |
| Haverford College | 24.7% |
| Kenyon College | 25.1% |
| Bates College | 25.4% |
| Jackson State University | 26.1% |
| Colgate University | 26.1% |
| Warner University | 26.2% |
| Babson College | 26.4% |
| Hamilton College | 26.4% |
| Emory University | 26.8% |
| Lincoln University | 27.1% |
| Edward Waters College | 27.3% |
| Scripps College | 27.4% |
| California Institute of Arts | 27.7% |
| CUNY–Baruch College | 28% |
| Grinnell College | 28% |
| Tulane University | 28% |
| Colby College | 28.1% |
| College of New Rochelle | 28.5% |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | 28.5% |
| CUNY–Lehman College | 29% |
| University of Virginia | 29% |
| Hampton University | 29.1% |
| Lafayette College | 29.8% |
| Chicago State University | 30% |
| Calumet College of St. Joseph | 30.3% |
| Wellesley College | 30.5% |
| Bucknell University | 30.7% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 30.9% |
| Hope International University | 31% |
| Wilson College | 31.4% |
| Southwestern Adventist University | 31.5% |
| University of Richmond | 31.9% |
| Northeastern University | 32% |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | 32.3% |
| Ohio Valley University | 32.5% |
| Oberlin College | 32.7% |
| College of William and Mary | 33% |
| Trinity College | 33% |
| Webb Institute | 33% |
Words Of Wisdom
Don’t be discouraged if your dream school is on this list.
If it is, then don’t let that fact stop you from applying. A low acceptance rate isn’t a death sentence for your chances to get in. It means that you will need to work extra hard to get your test scores up, extracurriculars in order, and keep your GPA as high as possible.
With that being said, the first step in the process is getting your ACT or SAT scores as strong as possible. The stronger you can make your SAT or ACT scores, the less strain you’ll put on your other application components.
While a perfect test score is not a 100% guarantee to get into your dream school, it definitely will help impress admissions boards and help garner scholarship money. Therefore, don’t be discouraged if your dream school is on this list; get motivated instead.
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Low Acceptance Rate Colleges FAQ
Which school currently has a lower acceptance rate – Harvard or Stanford?
As of 2019, Stanford has a lower acceptance rate at 5.1% vs Harvard’s 6%.
Which Ivy League school has a better acceptance rate than the rest right now?
As of 2019, Cornell actually edged out the rest with 10.6%.
Should I still apply to colleges with low acceptance rates?
A low acceptance rate isn’t a death sentence for your chances to get in. It means that you will need to work extra hard to get your test scores up, extracurriculars in order, and keep your GPA as high as possible.
What should I work on first to improve my acceptance chances?
The first step in the process is getting your ACT or SAT scores as strong as possible. The stronger you can make your SAT or ACT scores, the less strain you’ll put on your other application components.