There are many selective colleges available in the USA that maintain extremely rigorous admission standards and accept only a few students. So, college admission in the USA is very competitive. If you are wondering what are the hardest colleges to get into the USA then you have landed in the right place. Below you will find details of the 100 hardest colleges in the USA to get into including graduation rate, acceptance rate, enrollment rate, retention rate, etc.
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List Of 100 Hardest Colleges To Get Into USA
| School | Student to Faculty Ration | Graduation Rate | Retention Rate | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate | Institutional Aid Rate |
| Harvard University | 7 to 1 | 98% | 98% | 6% | 4% | 44% |
| Yale University | 6 to 1 | 97% | 99% | 7% | 5% | 52% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 6 to 1 | 95% | 98% | 10% | 7% | 54% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 10 to 1 | 94% | 97% | 14% | 5% | 51% |
| Cornell University | 9 to 1 | 93% | 97% | 15% | 8% | 55% |
| Tufts University | 9 to 1 | 93% | 97% | 16% | 7% | 43% |
| University of California-Berkeley | 17 to 1 | 92% | 96% | 17% | 7% | 61% |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 16 to 1 | 91% | 96% | 17% | 6% | 61% |
| Georgetown University | 11 to 1 | 94% | 96% | 17% | 8% | 42% |
| Washington University in St Louis | 8 to 1 | 93% | 96% | 17% | 6% | 49% |
| University of Notre Dame | 10 to 1 | 97% | 98% | 20% | 11% | 63% |
| Liberty University | 18 to 1 | 47% | 75% | 22% | 10% | 84% |
| Emory University | 8 to 1 | 89% | 94% | 24% | 7% | 54% |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 12 to 1 | 49% | 75% | 24% | 21% | 73% |
| Piedmont International University | 7 to 1 | 41% | 74% | 24% | 19% | 68% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 10 to 1 | 88% | 98% | 24% | 48% | 54% |
| California Institute of the Arts | 7 to 1 | 56% | 87% | 25% | 9% | 55% |
| Maine College of Health Professions | 5 to 1 | 100% | 100% | 25% | 25% | 59% |
| Babson College | 14 to 1 | 89% | 96% | 26% | 7% | 48% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 12 to 1 | 90% | 97% | 26% | 12% | 51% |
| Northeastern University | 14 to 1 | 84% | 97% | 28% | 6% | 65% |
| Southwestern Assemblies of God University | 14 to 1 | 41% | 74% | 28% | 20% | 87% |
| Berklee College of Music | 11 to 1 | 56% | 87% | 29% | 12% | 53% |
| Boston College | 14 to 1 | 92% | 95% | 29% | 7% | 45% |
| Wake Forest University | 10 to 1 | 88% | 93% | 29% | 10% | 50% |
| Tulane University of Louisiana Lehigh University | 9 to 1 | 83% | 91% | 30% | 7% | 70% |
| Lehigh University | 10 to 1 | 88% | 95% | 30% | 10% | 51% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | 15 to 1 | 93% | 97% | 30% | 12% | 40% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 22 to 1 | 76% | 93% | 31% | 11% | 55% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 14 to 1 | 90% | 97% | 31% | 13% | 53% |
| Corban University | 15 to 1 | 59% | 80% | 31% | 9% | 94% |
| University of Richmond | 8 to 1 | 88% | 93% | 31% | 8% | 69% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 19 to 1 | 85% | 97% | 32% | 11% | 63% |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 17 to 1 | 70% | 91% | 32% | 7% | 56% |
| New York University | 10 to 1 | 74% | 93% | 32% | 10% | 57% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 17 to 1 | 81% | 93% | 33% | 6% | 66% |
| Boston University | 12 to 1 | 85% | 93% | 34% | 7% | 49% |
| California State University-Long Beach | 24 to 1 | 67% | 89% | 34% | 8% | 72% |
| Hope International University | 14 to 1 | 42% | 91% | 34% | 12% | 82% |
| San Diego State University | 28 to 1 | 68% | 89% | 34% | 9% | 59% |
| Brandeis University | 10 to 1 | 86% | 92% | 34% | 8% | 58% |
| Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health | 12 to 1 | 73% | 81% | 34% | 19% | 72% |
| University of Rochester | 10 to 1 | 88% | 96% | 34% | 8% | 78% |
| Columbia International University | 14 to 1 | 62% | 73% | 34% | 17% | 91% |
| College of William and Mary | 12 to 1 | 90% | 95% | 35% | 10% | 44% |
| American University | 12 to 1 | 81% | 88% | 35% | 11% | 63% |
| Emmaus Bible College | 9 to 1 | 75% | 83% | 36% | 14% | 95% |
| Skidmore College | 8 to 1 | 86% | 94% | 37% | 8% | 48% |
| Laguna College of Art and Design | 12 to 1 | 66% | 84% | 37% | 21% | 100% |
| Maharishi University of Management | 11 to 1 | 46% | 90% | 37% | 25% | 68% |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | 15 to 1 | 54% | 82% | 38% | 7% | 60% |
| University of California-Davis | 18 to 1 | 85% | 93% | 38% | 8% | 72% |
| Colorado School of Mines | 16 to 1 | 77% | 94% | 38% | 9% | 68% |
| University of Miami | 12 to 1 | 82% | 92% | 39% | 6% | 70% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 27 to 1 | 63% | 89% | 39% | 8% | 67% |
| University of California-Irvine | 19 to 1 | 88% | 93% | 39% | 8% | 73% |
| Andrews University | 9 to 1 | 54% | 80% | 39% | 12% | 84% |
| CUNY Hunter College | 11 to 1 | 54% | 83% | 39% | 8% | 56% |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 18 to 1 | 80% | 95% | 40% | 18% | 45% |
| Park University | 17 to 1 | 43% | 59% | 40% | 11% | 37% |
| CUNY Queens College | 14 to 1 | 58% | 85% | 40% | 8% | 53% |
| Western Carolina University | 16 to 1 | 57% | 80% | 40% | 9% | 65% |
| University of Memphis | 14 to 1 | 45% | 77% | 41% | 13% | 76% |
| Spring Hill College | 14 to 1 | 53% | 81% | 41% | 6% | 99% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 17 to 1 | 75% | 90% | 41% | 27% | 41% |
| Stony Brook University | 17 to 1 | 68% | 90% | 41% | 8% | 57% |
| SUNY at Purchase College | 15 to 1 | 58% | 81% | 42% | 10% | 59% |
| California State University-Fullerton | 14to 1 | 62% | 88% | 42% | 11% | 65% |
| The University of West Florida | 13 to 1 | 47% | 72% | 42% | 19% | 63% |
| New York School of Interior Design | 10 to 1 | 50% | 80% | 42% | 8% | 29% |
| SUNY at Binghamton | 20 to 1 | 81% | 91% | 42% | 9% | 51% |
| State University of New York at New Paltz | 15 to 1 | 73% | 89% | 42% | 7% | 53% |
| Dallas Baptist University | 13 to 1 | 58% | 72% | 43% | 17% | 86% |
| Texas Christian University | 13 to 1 | 76% | 90% | 44% | 11% | 66% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 10 to 1 | 82% | 94% | 44% | 10% | 92% |
| King University | 16 to 1 | 45% | 73% | 45% | 17% | 71% |
| Florida Southern College | 13 to 1 | 57% | 80% | 45% | 11% | 93% |
| University of South Florida-Main Campus | 24 to 1 | 68% | 88% | 45% | 14% | 72% |
| Toccoa Falls College | 13 to 1 | 47% | 66% | 45% | 20% | 93% |
| University of Maryland-College Park | 17 to 1 | 86% | 95% | 45% | 14% | 52% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 17 to 1 | 77% | 93% | 45% | 13% | 50% |
| Marist College | 16 to 1 | 78% | 91% | 45% | 13% | 75% |
| Monroe College | 18 to 1 | 53% | 78% | 45% | 28% | 92% |
| Wilson College | 10 to 1 | 39% | 73% | 45% | 10% | 71% |
| LeTourneau University | 12 to 1 | 57% | 69% | 46% | 14% | 66% |
| George Washington University | 13 to 1 | 83% | 94% | 46% | 13% | 64% |
| Southeastern University | 20 to 1 | 39% | 67% | 46% | 26% | 77% |
| Midway University | 15 to 1 | 56% | 78% | 46% | 18% | 86% |
| St Lawrence University | 11 to 1 | 87% | 89% | 46% | 12% | 93% |
| Bryan College-Dayton | 14 to 1 | 57% | 65% | 46% | 24% | 60% |
| Bristol University | 15 to 1 | 89% | 60% | 47% | 26% | 35% |
| University of La Verne | 17 to 1 | 64% | 85% | 47% | 9% | 73% |
| Pfeiffer University | 12 to 1 | 43% | 69% | 47% | 10% | 75% |
| Texas A & M University-Commerce | 20 to 1 | 42% | 73% | 48% | 15% | 73% |
| Chapman University | 14 to 1 | 79% | 90% | 48% | 10% | 79% |
| University of Florida | 20 to 1 | 87% | 96% | 48% | 24% | 88% |
| Graceland University-Lamoni | 16 to 1 | 52% | 62% | 48% | 13% | 82% |
| Fordham University | 14 to 1 | 81% | 91% | 48% | 5% | 80% |
| Syracuse University | 16 to 1 | 81% | 91% | 48% | 10% | 70% |
| Muhlenberg College | 11 to 1 | 85% | 93% | 48% | 12% | 82% |
Final Thoughts
Most of the colleges in the above list are Ivy League Schools and well-known technical colleges. Usually, selective and prestigious colleges have a long and successful alumni list that can boost your career. In fact, it is a great advantage of reputed educational institutes. So, work hard and try to get into any of the above colleges!
References:
1. https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/hardest-to-get-in/
2. https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/hardest-colleges-to-get-into/
3. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/college/g32880670/hardest-colleges-to-get-into/
Last Updated on February 8, 2022 by
Magalie D. is a Diploma holder in Public Administration & Management from McGill University of Canada. She shares management tips here in MGTBlog when she has nothing to do and gets some free time after working in a multinational company at Toronto.
