Did you want to know which colleges had the lowest acceptance rate? If yes, you are at the right place, so continue reading to learn more about the colleges. Sometimes, a little bit of luck is all it takes to get you into your ideal school. But if you’re curious about your odds of being approved, we’ve gathered the information for you.
Some institutions develop a reputation for being easy to get into or exceedingly competitive. But the number of applicants can influence an acceptance rate and that is the reason you should know the Lowest acceptance rate colleges.
Even if two colleges may accept the same number of students, one school’s acceptance rate will be lower if it receives a disproportionately higher number of applications. It is therefore important to note the lowest acceptance rate colleges.
Along with your dream schools, it’s a good idea to include a few safety schools on your list. Making a strong list of colleges to apply to might be aided by being aware of the Lowest acceptance rate colleges.
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What to know about Lowest Acceptance Rate Colleges?
There are also many other reasons why a college might have a low acceptance rate. The most typical explanation for a low acceptance percentage is a mix of strict academic requirements and student popularity.
This occurs at prestigious universities like the Ivy League and Stanford and MIT, which are well-known both domestically and abroad.
Due to their reputations, these schools receive a ton of applications each year. They are forced to reject the vast majority of applications in order to uphold their reputations for academic quality, which results in them having low acceptance rates.
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What is the Lowest Acceptance Rate Colleges in 2024?
The top 10 American institutions with the lowest acceptance rates for incoming freshmen are listed below. These institutions take pride in their high level of selection, in contrast to those colleges and universities that accept just about anybody who applies. These colleges are among the most difficult to get into.
Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Curtis Institute of Music is a non-profit private institution of higher learning with an acceptance rate of 4.2%.
The Curtis Institute of Music offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in more than three different study areas and four different specialties.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has recognized the institution, and it also holds specific accreditation from the Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation of the National Association of Schools of Music.
They count Advanced Placement classes taken in high school toward degree completion.
See also: Fordham Acceptance Rate | Requirements, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA, & Admissions
Stanford University
The bulk of the students at residential research university Stanford are enrolled in graduate and professional programs.
The university’s four-year undergraduate program features a strong graduate-undergraduate coexistence policy with a liberal arts and sciences focus.
One of the most exclusive universities in the United States, Stanford is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Stanford’s freshman acceptance rate for the class of 2018 fell to an all-time low of 5.07%.
Stanford’s undergraduate program charges little over $42,600 in tuition annually, and the university admits applicants without regard to financial need. International students’ admissions are not, however, need-blind. More than 64% of overseas students receive aid totaling more than $31,400 per student.
Harvard University
Harvard University has one of the lowest acceptance rates of any four-year institution, at just 5.3%. Its admissions are extremely demanding and challenging. Harvard University only accepts the best scholars and students each year. Early admission to Harvard was stopped in 2007 and then restarted in 2016.
Harvard is frequently rated as one of the best colleges in the country across the board. It has consistently been rated either first or second in the country over the past few years.
Harvard University held the top spot in the QS World University Rankings from 2004 and 2009. For many years, U.S. News & World Report has consistently placed Harvard’s undergraduate program in the top two nationwide.
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Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, sometimes known as Juilliard, is a non-profit, private school of higher learning with a 6.2% acceptance rate in New York, New York.
Juilliard offers certificate programs in addition to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has granted the school accreditation.
There is a study abroad program at this institution.
Yale University
There are only eight private Ivy League institutions, including Yale University. With a 6.3% acceptance rate, it is also among the oldest institutions of higher learning in the country.
It was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, more than three centuries ago, in 1701. It was the first college in the country to confer the Ph.D.
The original undergraduate college, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and twelve separate graduate professional studies institutions are among Yale’s 14 independent schools and academic colleges.
Yale has two campuses and a sizable athletics complex in West Haven, Connecticut, in addition to its flagship campus in the heart of New Haven.
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Princeton University
There are eight private “Ivy League” universities, including Yale, Harvard, and Stanford. Princeton is one of them. One of the nine original colonial institutes of higher learning, it was established in 1746, before the Revolutionary War, and has an acceptance rate of 6.5%.
It is in the New Jersey city of Princeton. Numerous Nobel laureates, National Medal of Science winners, Fields Medalists, Marshall Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, Abel Prize winners, and two U.S. presidents have all graduated from Princeton University.
Princeton, an Ivy League school, is one of the most renowned but one of the smaller American colleges, with little over 8,000 students. A total of 8,000 students attend the university each year, including approximately 5,300 undergraduate and 2,700 graduate students.
See also: Spelman College Acceptance Rate | Requirements, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA, & Admissions
Columbia University
One of the eight Ivy League universities in the United States is Columbia University in the City of New York, more formally known as Columbia University.
It was established in 1754 and has received 6.8% of applications so far. The institution was founded as King’s College, but only 33 years later, in 1787, its name was changed to Columbia College.
The 22 undergraduate academic institutions that make up Columbia University include Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and the School of Engineering. Columbia University has satellite campuses in Beijing, Santiago, Mumbai, Paris, Nairobi, Amman, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, and Asuncion in addition to its main campus in Manhattan.
Alice Lloyd College
With an acceptance rate of 7.1%, Pippa Passes, Kentucky’s Alice Lloyd College (formerly known as Caney Creek Community Center Inc) is a non-profit, private institution of higher learning.
Bachelor’s degrees are granted by Caney Creek Community Center Inc. The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has accredited the institution.
This university provides dual credit and study abroad opportunities. High school Advanced Placement classes may be used for credit, and on-campus child care is available.
University of Chicago
The Private University of Chicago is situated in Chicago, Illinois, as its name suggests. The American Baptist Education Society and a gift from John D. Rockefeller helped to find it in 1890. With an acceptance rate of 7.9%, it enrolls about 15,000 students a year and has an endowment of $7.55 billion.
The undergraduate program’s name is “The College,” and it has 5,000 students enrolled in it. The College offers degrees with an emphasis on the humanities and sciences. Graduate-level and professional programs are available in medicine, business, law, public policy, social services, divinity, and liberal and professional studies at the University of Chicago.
The University of Chicago is renowned for its accomplishments in education and research.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as MIT, was established in 1861 and has a 7.8% acceptance rate, making it one of the oldest and most prominent universities in the country.
It is situated in the Massachusetts city of Cambridge and is privately owned and run. During the industrial revolution, the university was founded to address the demand for highly skilled workers, managers, and business owners.
The applied science and engineering emphasis at MIT is based on laboratory-based instruction and is based on the polytechnic university model common to European universities.
See also: Virginia Tech Engineering Acceptance Rate | Requirements, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA, & Admissions
How to Get Into the Lowest Acceptance Rate Colleges in 2024?
You’ll need to put in a lot of effort in high school if you want to enroll in one of these institutions.
You’ll need to maintain a very high GPA and achieve top exam scores to be considered for admission to the first set of selective colleges. Additionally, you should consider your genuine academic and extracurricular hobbies and work to turn those into tangible achievements.
You’ll need to demonstrate to these institutions that you’re capable of more than just getting good marks and test results if you want to stand out from the throng. Their mission is to admit students who will make a substantial, good effect on the world.
Effective planning and knowledge of the requirements are generally the keys to acceptance for the universities on the second list with low acceptance rates.
For instance, if you want to attend a top-tier music school, you must be completely committed to daily music practice and audition preparation. You must request a government official’s nomination well in advance of the application deadline for the military schools.
It’s difficult to get into any of these schools, but it’s not impossible if you prepare ahead of time and play your cards wisely. Just keep in mind that achieving such lofty objectives will demand a lot of commitment and work!
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What Are The Other Low Acceptance Rate Colleges?
- Duke University: 6.17%
- Dartmouth College: 6.24%
- Johns Hopkins University: 6.48%
- Pomona College: 6.6%
- Amherst College: 7%
- Northwestern University: 7%
- Tulane University: 8.4%
- Rice University: 8.56%
- Cornell University: 8.69%
See also: UCLA Acceptance Rate | Requirements, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA, & Admissions
Conclusion
You almost certainly need a high GPA if you’re interested in attending the lowest acceptance rate colleges.
Are the requirements for applying to selective colleges intimidating to you a little bit? Beyond grades and test results, extracurricular activities can significantly improve your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
The hardest school to get into in the nation is Harvard. According to Niche, there is a 5% acceptance rate. With a 5% acceptance rate, Stanford placed second on the list. Niche claims that despite this, it accepts students with marginally lower test scores.
Stanford University – Stanford, California: 3.9% · Columbia University – New York City, New York: 3.9%
If your GPA and test scores are lower than those of candidates who have previously been accepted, you should think of a college as a reach if you have a 25% or lower probability of being admitted.
For a Reach school, Your standardized test results are around or in the bottom 25% of admitted students.
You’ll need to have at least a 4.2 to be taken seriously because the majority of students admitted to Harvard have an unweighted GPA of 4.18 or higher.
You must predominantly receive As in your high school classes in order to meet the Harvard criteria.