Ranking

Most Selective US Colleges by Acceptance Rate 2026

The hardest US colleges to get into — ranked by lowest undergraduate acceptance rate.

Schools ranked: 25
Cheapest net price: $6,128
Top earnings 10y: $143,372
Public / Private: 1 / 24

California Institute of Technology

A+

Pasadena, CA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 2.6%
Net price: $16,075
Earnings 10y: $128,566
Acceptance: 2.6%

Stanford University

A+

Stanford, CA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 3.6%
Net price: $13,807
Earnings 10y: $124,080
Acceptance: 3.6%

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 3.7%
Net price: $19,066
Earnings 10y: $101,817
Acceptance: 3.7%

Yale University

New Haven, CT · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 3.9%
Net price: $23,777
Earnings 10y: $100,533
Acceptance: 3.9%

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 4%
Net price: $21,590
Earnings 10y: $102,491
Acceptance: 4%

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 4.5%
Net price: $14,860
Earnings 10y: $91,885
Acceptance: 4.5%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A+

Cambridge, MA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 4.6%
Net price: $20,111
Earnings 10y: $143,372
Acceptance: 4.6%

Princeton University

A+

Princeton, NJ · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 4.6%
Net price: $6,128
Earnings 10y: $110,066
Acceptance: 4.6%

Northeastern University

Boston, MA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.2%
Net price: $30,915
Earnings 10y: $92,538
Acceptance: 5.2%

#10

Brown University

Providence, RI · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.4%
Net price: $25,184
Earnings 10y: $93,487
Acceptance: 5.4%

#11

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.4%
Net price: $28,699
Earnings 10y: $111,371
Acceptance: 5.4%

#12

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.4%
Net price: $29,519
Earnings 10y: $97,434
Acceptance: 5.4%

#13

Duke University

Durham, NC · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.7%
Net price: $29,612
Earnings 10y: $97,800
Acceptance: 5.7%

#14

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 5.9%
Net price: $15,846
Earnings 10y: $91,565
Acceptance: 5.9%

#15

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 6.4%
Net price: $18,809
Earnings 10y: $87,555
Acceptance: 6.4%

#16

Colby College

Waterville, ME · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 7.1%
Net price: $17,180
Earnings 10y: $80,490
Acceptance: 7.1%

#17

Pomona College

Claremont, CA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 7.1%
Net price: $19,285
Earnings 10y: $77,779
Acceptance: 7.1%

#18

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 7.1%
Net price: $14,398
Earnings 10y: $82,735
Acceptance: 7.1%

#19

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 7.5%
Net price: $23,149
Earnings 10y: $80,257
Acceptance: 7.5%

#20

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 7.7%
Net price: $29,167
Earnings 10y: $89,363
Acceptance: 7.7%

#21

Rice University

A+

Houston, TX · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 8%
Net price: $13,370
Earnings 10y: $89,718
Acceptance: 8%

#22

Williams College

Williamstown, MA · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 8.3%
Net price: $17,716
Earnings 10y: $88,665
Acceptance: 8.3%

#23

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 8.8%
Net price: $28,690
Earnings 10y: $104,043
Acceptance: 8.8%

#24

Barnard College

New York, NY · Private Non-Profit

Acceptance: 8.8%
Net price: $28,800
Earnings 10y: $80,516
Acceptance: 8.8%

#25

University of California-Los Angeles

A+

Los Angeles, CA · Public

Acceptance: 9%
Net price: $12,548
Earnings 10y: $82,511
Acceptance: 9%

How we picked this list

This list starts with US colleges that report a standard admission rate, then sorts by acceptance rate. The set's average EduGradify ROI score is 13.59 (1 public, 24 private).

Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our full methodology for the formulas.

FAQ

Who leads this ranking?

California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA tops this ranking. Acceptance rate is 2.6%.

How does EduGradify pick this list?

We rank this set by acceptance using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.

What does net price mean here?

Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.