Most selective colleges
Colleges that admit the smallest share of applicants.
Most selective colleges683 schools
683 schools qualify, ranked by admission rate. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Academic Excellence grade B+ or better (the top 35% of rated colleges).
- Has an admission rate from federal data (College Scorecard). Average SAT scores are shown where the college reports them.
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by admission rate, lowest first. Selectivity measures demand for places, not the quality of teaching.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in California
- Admits 3%
- 2
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 4%
- Average SAT 1553
- 3
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 4%
- Average SAT 1553
- 4
Yale University
New Haven, CT · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Connecticut
- Admits 4%
- Average SAT 1534
- 5
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollTop 2% for graduation
- Admits 4%
- Average SAT 1553
- 6
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Illinois
- Admits 4%
- Average SAT 1554
- 7
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Massachusetts
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1560
- 8
- 9
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in New Jersey
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1553
- 10
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofitHonor RollTop 3% for earnings
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1497
- 11
Brown University
Providence, RI · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Rhode Island
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1546
- 12Tie
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollTop 1% for earnings
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1553
- 12Tie
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in New Hampshire
- Admits 5%
- Average SAT 1534
- 14
Duke University
Durham, NC · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in North Carolina
- Admits 6%
- Average SAT 1548
- 15
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Tennessee
- Admits 6%
- Average SAT 1549
- 16
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Maryland
- Admits 6%
- Average SAT 1553
- 17Tie
Pomona College
Claremont, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 7%
- Average SAT 1534
- 17Tie
Colby College
Waterville, ME · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 7%
- Average SAT 1501
- 19
- 20
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 7%
- Average SAT 1534
- 21
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 8%
- Average SAT 1533
- 22
- 23
Williams College
Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 8%
- Average SAT 1533
- 24
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#2 in New York
- Admits 9%
- Average SAT 1535
- 25
Barnard College
New York, NY · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- Admits 9%
- Average SAT 1520
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology | $16,075 | — | $128,566 | 94% |
| Stanford University | $13,807 | $12,000 | $124,080 | 92% |
| Harvard University | $19,066 | $14,000 | $101,817 | 98% |
| Yale University | $23,777 | $12,975 | $100,533 | 96% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $21,590 | $21,500 | $102,491 | 96% |
| University of Chicago | $14,860 | $15,000 | $91,885 | 96% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $20,111 | $14,768 | $143,372 | 96% |
| Curtis Institute of Music | — | — | — | 96% |
| Princeton University | $6,128 | $10,320 | $110,066 | 98% |
| Northeastern University | $30,915 | $24,250 | $92,538 | 91% |
| Brown University | $25,184 | $11,428 | $93,487 | 96% |
| University of Pennsylvania | $28,699 | $15,715 | $111,371 | 97% |
| Dartmouth College | $29,519 | $17,500 | $97,434 | 96% |
| Duke University | $29,612 | $13,000 | $97,800 | 97% |
| Vanderbilt University | $15,846 | $14,000 | $91,565 | 94% |
| Johns Hopkins University | $18,809 | $10,250 | $87,555 | 94% |
| Pomona College | $19,285 | $11,782 | $77,779 | 93% |
| Colby College | $17,180 | $19,157 | $80,490 | 89% |
| Bowdoin College | $14,398 | $18,500 | $82,735 | 95% |
| Swarthmore College | $23,149 | $17,500 | $80,257 | 92% |
| Northwestern University | $29,167 | $15,000 | $89,363 | 95% |
| Rice University | $13,370 | $11,000 | $89,718 | 95% |
| Williams College | $17,716 | $12,761 | $88,665 | 94% |
| Cornell University | $28,690 | $14,000 | $104,043 | 95% |
| Barnard College | $28,800 | $18,000 | $80,516 | 93% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
By state
- Alabama 5
- Arizona 4
- Arkansas 5
- California 57
- Colorado 7
- Connecticut 13
- District of Columbia 5
- Florida 20
- Georgia 9
- Idaho 3
- Illinois 21
- Indiana 21
- Iowa 16
- Kansas 3
- Kentucky 7
- Louisiana 3
- Maine 9
- Maryland 16
- Massachusetts 46
- Michigan 21
- Minnesota 19
- Missouri 19
- Nebraska 8
- New Hampshire 5
- New Jersey 17
- New York 79
- North Carolina 18
- Ohio 32
- Oklahoma 4
- Oregon 11
- Pennsylvania 60
- Rhode Island 9
- South Carolina 9
- Tennessee 10
- Texas 17
- Utah 4
- Vermont 6
- Virginia 22
- Washington 12
- Wisconsin 15