What Are the Toughest Colleges to Get Into?

College rankings are based on key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education.

This year’s rankings were compiled by Niche.com and are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education. The most weighted factors include acceptance rates and average SAT and ACT test scores. You can read more on how this ranking was calculated here. Ready to compare some of the most selective colleges in America?

Let’s start at the top.

1. California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology has a very low acceptance rate

CalTech / Instagram

Caltech is a private college in Pasadena, California with an enrollment of just under 1,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include computer science, physics and electrical engineering. Graduating 92% of students, Caltech alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $54,500.

By the Numbers:

7% acceptance rate
1530-1580 SAT range
35-36 ACT range

2. Harvard University

Harvard University is one of the toughest colleges to get into

Harvard / Instagram

Harvard is an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It enrolls just over 7,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include economics, computer science and government. Graduating 98% of students, Harvard alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $70,300.

By the Numbers:

5% acceptance rate
1460-1580 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT / Instagram

MIT is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The institution enrolls approximately 4,500 undergraduate students. Popular majors include computer science, mechanical engineering and mathematics. Graduating 94% of students, MIT alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $82,200.

By the Numbers:

7% acceptance rate
1500-1570 SAT range
34-36 ACT range

4. Stanford University

Stanford / Instagram

Stanford is located in Stanford, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a mid-size institution with an enrollment of just over 7,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include computer science, biology and engineering. Graduating 94% of students, Stanford alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $70,400.

By the Numbers:

4% acceptance rate
1420-1570 SAT range
32-35 ACT range

5. Yale University

Yale / Instagram

Yale University is an Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut with an undergraduate enrollment of 6,000 students. Yale’s most popular majors include social sciences, biomedical sciences, history and engineering.

By the Numbers:

6% acceptance rate
1460-1570 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

6. Princeton University

Princeton / Instagram

Princeton is an Ivy League university in New Jersey. It is a mid-size institution with an enrollment of approximately 5,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include computer hardware engineering, economics and public policy analysis. Graduating 96% of students, Princeton alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $60,800.

By the Numbers:

5% acceptance rate
1440-1570 SAT range
32-35 ACT range

7. University of Chicago

U of Chicago / Instagram

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois with an undergraduate enrollment of almost 7,000 students. Popular majors include mathematics, biological, physical sciences and public administration.

By the Numbers:

7% acceptance rate
1470-1570 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

8. Columbia University

Columbia / Instagram

Columbia University is an Ivy League university in New York City with 6,000 undergraduates. The most popular majors are economics, computer science and government.

By the Numbers:

6% acceptance rate
1450-1560 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

9. Duke University

Duke University has a 9% acceptance rate

Duke / Instagram

Duke is a Christian university located in Durham, North Carolina in the Raleigh Area. It is a mid-size institution with an enrollment of approximately 7,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include computer science, economics and public policy analysis. Graduating 96% of students, Duke alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $76,300.

By the Numbers:

9% acceptance rate
1450-1570 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

10. Northwestern University

Northwestern University has a tough 8% acceptance rate

Northwestern / Instagram

Northwestern is a private university located in Evanston, Illinois. It is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference with under 10,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include economics, psychology and journalism. Graduating 95% of students, Northwestern alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $58,900.

By the Numbers:

8% acceptance rate
1430-1550 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

11. Brown University

Brown / Instagram

Brown University is an Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island with approximately 9,000 undergraduates. Popular majors include computer science, economics and biology. Graduating 95% of students, Brown alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $52,500.

By the Numbers:

8% acceptance rate
1420-1550 SAT range
32-35 ACT range

12. Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt / Instagram

Vanderbilt University includes four undergraduate schools and six graduate schools, all in downtown Nashville, TN. Undergraduate enrollment is approximately 7,000 students. Popular majors include mathematics, engineering and biological sciences.

By the Numbers:

10% acceptance rate
1450-1560 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

13. University of Pennsylvania

Penn / Instagram

The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,000. Popular majors include finance, economics and nursing. Graduating 95% of students, Penn alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $71,600.

By the Numbers:

8% acceptance rate
1420-1550 SAT range
32-35 ACT range

14. Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College / Instagram

Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire with just over 4,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include economics, political science, engineering and computer science. Graduating 95% of students, Dartmouth alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $58,900.

By the Numbers:

9% acceptance rate
1420-1560 SAT range
31-35 ACT range

15. Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute

Minerva / Instagram

During their four years of study, Minerva students live in seven international cities – San Francisco, Seoul, Hyderabad, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London and Taipei. The school’s acceptance rate is a mere 2%! Minerva has approximately 1,000 undergraduate students.

By the Numbers:

2% acceptance rate
Neither SAT nor ACT scores are required or recommended

16. Rice University

Rice / Instagram

William Marsh Rice University, commonly known as Rice University, is a private research university in Houston, Texas with 4,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, cognitive science and economics.

By the Numbers:

11% acceptance rate
1450-1560 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

17. Pomona College

Pomona / Instagram

Pomona was recently ranked the best liberal arts college in America. It is a small school located in Claremont, CA with 1,600 undergraduate students.

By the Numbers:

8% acceptance rate
1400-1540 SAT range
31-34 ACT range

18. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins / Instagram

Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Undergraduate enrollment is just over 6,000. Popular majors include public health, neuroscience and neurobiology and bioengineering. Graduating 93% of students, Johns Hopkins alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $62,700.

By the Numbers:

11% acceptance rate
1450-1560 SAT range
33-35 ACT range

19. Cornell University

Cornell / Instagram

Cornell University is an Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York with over 15,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include biology, computer science and business. Graduating 95% of students, Cornell alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $64,800.

By the Numbers:

11% acceptance rate
1390-1540 SAT range
32-34 ACT range

20. Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd / Instagram

Harvey Mudd is an undergraduate science and engineering college based in Claremont, California. It is a small school with less than 1,000 undergraduate students. Popular majors include engineering, computer science and physics. Graduating 92% of students, Harvey Mudd alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $72,500.

By the Numbers:

14% acceptance rate
1490-1560 SAT range
34-35 ACT range