There are 3 basic things students need to consider when seeking admission into university or college in the US. These are:
- Acceptance Rate
- Yield/Enrollment Rate.
- GPA Score
- SAT/ACT
These factors are very critical to students’ success at being admitted into universities. Although minimum requirements vary from university to another University, in terms of GPA score, SAT/ACT, one can determine the average across many different universities.
Contents
- 1 What is the Acceptance Rate?
- 2 What is Enrollment Rate?
- 3 Universities & Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates.
- 4 Benefits of Attending Universities or Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates
- 5 How to get into a university or College with low acceptance rates
- 6 FAQ on Universities and Colleges with Low Acceptance Rates
What is the Acceptance Rate?
An acceptance rate is the percentage of applicants who are accepted to a university or college. The acceptance rate is determined based on the number of students admitted compared to the number of students who actually submit applications for that particular year.
There are universities or colleges with a very low acceptance rate, medium-high, and there are some with very high acceptance rates.
Usually, institutions with low acceptance rates are highly competitive and selective in admission processes.
However, these Universities or colleges with low acceptance rates have their benefits over those with high acceptance rate.
What is Enrollment Rate?
This is the number of students that currently attend a school or a course. The enrollment process is completed after a student is granted admission to a particular university/college.
A university’s or college’s yield rate is the percentage of people who accepted their offers of acceptance. In other words, the percentage of people who chose to enroll in a university or college after they have been offered an acceptance letter. E.g, if a university had 10,000 applicants and accepted 1,000, its acceptance rate would be 10%.
The table below comprises the top universities and colleges in the United States with the lowest acceptance rate. Below the table are benefits you will find in low acceptance rate universities or colleges.
Universities & Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates.
School Name | Location | Acceptance Rate |
Curtis Institute of Music | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 4.2% |
Stanford University | Stanford, California | 4.8% |
Harvard University | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 5.4% |
Juilliard School | New York City, New York | 6.2% |
Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut | 6.3% |
Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey | 6.5% |
Columbia University | New York City, New York | 6.8% |
Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes, Kentucky | 7.1% |
University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 7.9% |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 7.9% |
Top 10 | ||
California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, California | 8.1% |
United States Naval Academy | Annapolis, Maryland | 9% |
Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania | 9% |
Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island | 9.3% |
Pomona College | Claremont, California | 9.4% |
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 9.4% |
Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, California | 9.4% |
United States Military Academy | West Point, New York | 10% |
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Needham, Massachusetts | 10.2% |
Dartmouth College | Hanover, New Hampshire | 10.6% |
Top 20 | ||
Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois | 10.7% |
Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Tennessee | 10.7% |
Duke University | Durham, North Carolina | 10.8% |
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, Maryland | 11.8% |
Colby College | Waterville, Maine | 12.1% |
Tulane University | New Orleans, Los Angeles | 13% |
Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, California | 12.9% |
Pitzer College | Claremont, California | 13.7% |
Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | 13.7% |
Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | 14.1% |
Top 30 | ||
College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, Missouri | 14.2% |
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, Maine | 14.8% |
Cooper Union | New York City, New York | 15.1% |
Rice University | Houston, Texas | 15.1% |
University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, California | 16% |
Mississippi Valley State University | Itta Bena, Mississippi | 16.2% |
United States Air Force Academy | USAF, Colorado | 16.6% |
Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri | 17.1% |
Middlebury College | Middlebury, Vermont | 17.3% |
Tufts University | Medford, Massachusetts | 17.3% |
Top 40 | ||
Georgetown University | Washington, DC | 17.4% |
Rust College | Holly Springs, Mississippi | 17.6% |
Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 18% |
University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | 18% |
United States Coast Guard Academy | New London, Connecticut | 18.1% |
University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) | Los Angeles, California | 18.5% |
Williams College | Williamstown, Massachusetts | 19.4% |
Washington and Lee University | Lexington, Virginia | 19.6% |
Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia | 20.3% |
Florida Memorial University | Miami, Florida | 20.5% |
Top 50 | ||
New York University | New York City, New York | 21% |
University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, Indiana | 21.5% |
Davidson College | Davidson, North Carolina | 21.7% |
Missouri Valley College | Marshall, Missouri | 22.2% |
United States Merchant Marine Academy | Kings Point, New York | 22.4% |
Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | 22.8% |
Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, New York | 23.5% |
Barnard College | New York, New York | 23.7% |
Wesleyan University | Middletown, Connecticut | 23.9% |
Fort Valley State University | Fort Valley, Georgia | 24.2% |
Top 60 | ||
Art Academy of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | 24.3% |
Robert Morris University | Chicago, Illinois | 24.4% |
Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 24.6% |
Haverford College | Haverford, Pennsylvania | 24.7% |
Kenyon College | Gambier, Ohio | 25.1% |
Bates CollegeJackson State University | Lewiston, MaineJackson, Mississippi | 25.4% |
Colgate University | Hamilton, New York | 26.1% |
Warner University | Lake Wales, Florida | 26.2% |
Babson College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 26.4% |
Hamilton College | Clinton, New York | 26.4% |
Top 70 | ||
Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia | 26.8% |
Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | 27% |
Lincoln University | Lincoln University, Pennsylvania | 27.1% |
Edward Waters College | Jacksonville, Florida | 27.3% |
Scripps College | Claremont, California | 27.4% |
California Institute of Arts | Valencia, California | 27.7% |
CUNY–Baruch College | New York City, New York | 28% |
Grinnell College | Grinnell, Iowa | 28% |
College of New Rochelle | New Rochelle, New York | 28.5% |
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 28.5% |
Top 80 | ||
CUNY–Lehman College | Bronx, New York | 29% |
University of Virginia | Charlottesville, Virginia | 29% |
Hampton University | Hampton, Virginia | 29.1% |
Lafayette College | Easton, Pennsylvania | 29.8% |
Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | 30% |
Calumet College of St. Joseph | Whiting, Indiana | 30.3% |
Wellesley College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 30.5% |
Bucknell University | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | 30.7% |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, California | 30.9% |
Hope International University | Fullerton, California | 31% |
Top 90 | ||
Wilson College | Chambersburg, Pennsylvania | 31.4% |
Southwestern Adventist University | Keene, Texas | 31.5% |
University of Richmond | University of Richmond, Virginia | 31.9% |
Northeastern University | Boston, Massachusetts | 32% |
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 32.3% |
Ohio Valley University | Vienna, West Virginia | 32.5% |
Oberlin College | Oberlin, Ohio | 32.7% |
College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | 33% |
Trinity College | Hartford, Connecticut | 33% |
Webb Institute | Glen Cove, New York | 33% |
Top 100 |
Benefits of Attending Universities or Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates
Students may find it difficult to gain admission into universities with low acceptance rate but there are many benefits that come with it that’s worth the time, energy and commitment in the course of the admission process.
These institutions are highly ranked, topmost prestigious schools. The prestige follows their graduates everywhere they find themselves across the world.
Below are some of the benefits you will enjoy if you are admitted into one of these schools.
1. Career Opportunities
This includes:
- Networking: opportunity to network with the institution’s great alumni members who work in reputable organizations across the states.
- Recommendations: Recommendations from great alumni who are professionals in top universities can be an advantage when applying for scholarships, contract offers and job offers.
2. Salary Benefits
Most top organizations only go after candidates with excellent academic performances,l. Also, one of the things that impress and draw the attention of hiring managers is the quality and excellent record the school has; something you can almost always find in high standard institutions.
Such companies hire the best and also prepare competitive salary structures. Graduates from high prestige schools often get the best of the jobs in the labour market with better pay.
How to get into a university or College with low acceptance rates
Below are the basic requirements that can increase your chances of getting accepted into any of the above mentioned universities or colleges
1. High GPA
GPA is vital if you want to get admission into the best schools having the lowest acceptance rate in the US.
A high cumulative GPA score can increase your chances of getting admission faster than any other thing.
2. Good ACT or SAT scores
Not all schools in the United States make SAT/ACT scores compulsory. But the majority of the top institutions (in the table above) do require a certain range of SAT or ACT scores. To increase your chances, aim at a minimum score that’s average.
3. Show Leadership Skills
Many schools want to build future leaders and showing that trait right from high school is an advantage and can improve your chances of getting admitted into the top university of your choice.
3. Write a good essay
Although not all schools in the US require an essay, the majority of the high ranked universities and colleges will ask you to forward an essay.
4. Get a professional recommendation
Seek recommendations from professionals relevant to your field of study; this could be your project supervisor, class adviser, or head of the department.
FAQ on Universities and Colleges with Low Acceptance Rates
Which university is the hardest to get into?
Most times, universities and colleges that are hard to enter fall among the institutions with the lowest acceptance rate. These schools usually have low enrollment rates or yield rates and are very selective.
How can I get accepted into top universities in the US?
- Prepare your mind right from high school.
- Get good grades and maintain them through your high school.
- Participate in community services and try to play a leadership role as many times as you can.
- Volunteer for organizations if you can.
- Lastly, get involved in extracurricular activities.