Most Selective Colleges in the U.S.

Ranked by acceptance rate (100 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.

#	College	Acceptance rate	Net price	Earnings
1	California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit	3%	$16,075	$128,566
2	Minerva University San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	3%	—	—
3	Stanford University Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit	4%	$13,807	$124,080
4	Harvard University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	4%	$19,066	$101,817
5	Yale University New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit	4%	$23,777	$100,533
6	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit	4%	$21,590	$102,491
7	University of Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	4%	$14,860	$91,885
8	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	5%	$20,111	$143,372
9	Princeton University Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit	5%	$6,128	$110,066
10	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	5%	$30,915	$92,538
11	Brown University Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	5%	$25,184	$93,487
12	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH · Private nonprofit	5%	$29,519	$97,434
13	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	5%	$28,699	$111,371
14	Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit	6%	$29,612	$97,800
15	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	6%	$15,846	$91,565
16	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit	6%	$18,809	$87,555
17	Pomona College Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit	7%	$19,285	$77,779
18	Colby College Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit	7%	$17,180	$80,490
19	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME · Private nonprofit	7%	$14,398	$82,735
20	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA · Private nonprofit	7%	$23,149	$80,257
21	Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit	8%	$29,167	$89,363
22	Rice University Houston, TX · Private nonprofit	8%	$13,370	$89,718
23	Williams College Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit	8%	$17,716	$88,665
24	Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit	9%	$28,690	$104,043
25	Barnard College New York, NY · Private nonprofit	9%	$28,800	$80,516
26	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	9%	$12,548	$82,511
27	Amherst College Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit	9%	$23,367	$77,644
28	New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	9%	$37,050	$82,509
29	United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD · Public	9%	—	—
30	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit	10%	$28,849	$104,736
31	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	10%	$32,740	$92,498
32	Stanbridge University Irvine, CA · Private for-profit	10%	$45,372	$62,144
33	Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	11%	$22,585	$80,137
34	Middlebury College Middlebury, VT · Private nonprofit	11%	$31,483	$76,310
35	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public	11%	$13,481	$92,446
36	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	11%	$24,402	$83,238
37	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	11%	$26,780	$99,980
38	Tufts University Medford, MA · Private nonprofit	11%	$39,998	$83,214
39	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	12%	$31,944	$114,862
40	College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO · Private nonprofit	12%	$6,100	$41,592
41	Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	12%	$21,786	$86,182
42	Haverford College Haverford, PA · Private nonprofit	12%	$25,314	$79,966
43	United States Military Academy West Point, NY · Public	12%	—	—
44	Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit	13%	$35,924	$138,687
45	Georgetown University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit	13%	$40,815	$103,494
46	Emory University-Oxford College Oxford, GA · Private nonprofit	13%	$37,920	$80,137
47	Bates College Lewiston, ME · Private nonprofit	13%	$29,351	$69,498
48	Davidson College Davidson, NC · Private nonprofit	13%	$17,379	$81,400
49	Hamilton College Clinton, NY · Private nonprofit	14%	$28,985	$78,411
50	Colgate University Hamilton, NY · Private nonprofit	14%	$28,786	$85,139
51	Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA · Private nonprofit	14%	$23,781	$94,810
52	Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit	14%	$39,949	$63,268
53	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit	14%	$25,496	$84,803
54	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	14%	$12,116	$102,772
55	United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO · Public	14%	—	—
56	Grinnell College Grinnell, IA · Private nonprofit	15%	$17,648	$62,830
57	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public	15%	$11,655	$72,200
58	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public	16%	$13,138	$83,648
59	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit	16%	$41,704	$103,937
60	Wesleyan University Middletown, CT · Private nonprofit	16%	$30,177	$73,897
61	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public	17%	$21,565	$86,863
62	Helene Fuld College of Nursing New York, NY · Private nonprofit	17%	$47,181	$111,027
63	Babson College Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit	17%	$40,514	$123,938
64	Denison University Granville, OH · Private nonprofit	17%	$40,007	$67,753
65	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	18%	$38,782	$90,543
66	Central Penn College Summerdale, PA · Private for-profit	18%	$18,953	$45,370
67	Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO · Private nonprofit	18%	$33,375	$65,222
68	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit	19%	$39,343	$71,366
69	Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	19%	$50,507	$68,140
70	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit	19%	$37,244	$75,328
71	Berea College Berea, KY · Private nonprofit	19%	$6,106	$43,150
72	Carleton College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit	20%	$25,407	$75,525
73	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL · Public	21%	$13,739	$44,349
74	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY · Private nonprofit	21%	$13,269	$83,847
75	Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI · Private nonprofit	21%	—	—
76	Smith College Northampton, MA · Private nonprofit	21%	$27,579	$64,027
77	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY · Private nonprofit	21%	$32,297	$69,363
78	Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit	22%	$28,719	$78,158
79	University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA · Private nonprofit	22%	$31,309	$76,178
80	United States Coast Guard Academy New London, CT · Public	22%	—	—
81	Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC · Public	23%	$20,723	$72,085
82	Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN · Private nonprofit	23%	$26,672	$48,057
83	Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Concord, NC · Private nonprofit	23%	$17,618	$58,708
84	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	24%	$6,541	$71,588
85	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	24%	$11,297	$61,675
86	American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY · Private nonprofit	24%	$41,416	$26,975
87	Reed College Portland, OR · Private nonprofit	25%	$33,013	$62,927
88	Spelman College Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	25%	$38,967	$59,993
89	Pitzer College Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit	25%	$34,191	$69,512
90	Trinity University San Antonio, TX · Private nonprofit	26%	$23,464	$71,668
91	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	26%	$36,931	$105,584
92	Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo Fajardo, PR · Private nonprofit	27%	$9,230	$23,132
93	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	27%	$19,857	$75,121
94	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public	27%	$12,470	$84,943
95	Villanova University Villanova, PA · Private nonprofit	27%	$43,756	$100,423
96	Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit	28%	$35,726	—
97	Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA · Private nonprofit	28%	$36,425	$76,124
98	Macalester College Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	29%	$32,149	$63,878
99	University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise, VA · Public	29%	$9,210	$45,325
100	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	29%	$14,251	$80,735