
Building a university list is all about striking the right balance – between academic experiences and fun experiences, between admission long-shots and safety schools.
The list below includes the 20 U.S. colleges and universities with the lowest acceptance rates. These represent the colleges and universities that are a REACH on any student’s list.
College/University | City, State | US News & World Report 2024 Ranking | Fall 2023 Acceptance Rate | Notable Academic Strengths |
Pasadena, CA | 6 (tie) | Below 4% | Science, Engineering | |
Cambridge, MA | 3 | Below 4% | Law, Business, Medicine | |
Stanford, CA | 4 | Below 4% | Business, Engineering, Computer Science | |
New York, NY | 12 | Around 4% | Journalism, Business, Law | |
Princeton, NJ | 1 | Around 4% | Public and International Affairs, Engineering | |
New Haven, CT | 5 | Around 4% | Law, Drama, Medicine | |
Cambridge, MA | 2 | Around 4% | Engineering, Computer Science, Economics | |
Chicago, IL | 11 (tie) | Around 4% | Economics, Law, Sociology | |
Providence, RI | 13 | Around 5% | Liberal Arts, Medicine | |
Boston, MA | 54 (tie) | Around 5% | Cooperative Education, Engineering | |
Philadelphia, PA | 10 | Around 5% | Business (Wharton), Medicine | |
Hanover, NH | 15 (tie) | Around 6% | Liberal Arts, Business | |
Nashville, TN | 18 (tie) | Around 6% | Education, Medicine | |
Waterville, ME | 25 | Around 6% | Liberal Arts, Environmental Studies | |
Durham, NC | 6 (tie) | Around 6% | Medicine, Law, Business | |
Claremont, CA | 5 (tie) | Around 6% | Liberal Arts, Sciences | |
Evanston, IL | 9 | Around 7% | Journalism, Business, Engineering | |
Houston, TX | 17 | Around 7% | Engineering, Business | |
Baltimore, MD | 9 | Around 8% | Medicine, Public Health, International Studies | |
Ithaca, NY | 12 | Around 8% | Engineering, Hotel Administration |
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