Stanford University inspires action and innovation. As one of the most prestigious and selective universities in the United States — often with the lowest acceptance rate of any school — they have a well-earned reputation for gathering together the best of the best on the California campus. The student body is split nearly evenly between undergraduate and graduate students, with fewer than 18,000 total enrolled and 7,554 undergraduates as of fall 2024. The campus is massive at over 8,000 acres (more than 1 acre per undergrad), and is packed with labs, resources, and opportunities. Stanford has delayed releasing their acceptance data in recent years, ostensibly because the rate of acceptance is so low that they don’t want to discourage applicants. The most recently published acceptance rate, for the Class of 2028, was 3.61%.

Harvard is the most famous university in the United States, and one of the most prestigious in the world, for a reason. The university has turned out more global leaders than any other institution in the US, and is known as where great minds gather. Like fellow members of the Ivy League, Harvard offers an exceptional and tight-knit undergraduate experience within a big university. Unlike nearly anywhere else, the resources available to students are nearly boundless. The Harvard endowment is larger than the economy of over 100 small countries. The number of academic paths for undergrads is significantly smaller, at about 50, but that’s still more than enough. That acceptance rate is 0%. Just kidding! While our students regularly gain admission to Harvard, the acceptance rate is so low that they delay reporting it, apparently to try to keep from discouraging people. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was only 3.59%.

Carnegie Mellon is a private research university based in Pittsburgh, PA, but with campuses around the country and internationally. Their over 16,000 students (7,700 undergraduates) come from well over 100 countries. CMU takes being an international institution very seriously, and continues to push for innovation and new opportunities. By positioning themselves at the “intersection of technology and humanity,” CMU has become well-known as an innovative — and highly selective — top university in the US across disciplines ranging from music and art to technology and business. In recent years, Carnegie Mellon has been tightlipped about their acceptance rate for first-year students immediately after the admissions cycle ends. They have refrained from publicizing the admissions numbers, so the best place to find true numbers is the hard data. For first years enrolling in 2024, the acceptance rate reported on the Common Data Set for Carnegie Mellon was 11.7%. Based on overall trends, we can estimate that the acceptance rate for 2025 was within 1.5% of this, in either direction.

Columbia University is a famed Ivy League university in the heart of New York City. Columbia has had a rocky few years as far as keeping calm on campus, but so have many big name universities in the United States with passionate and engaged student bodies. Columbia remains an outstanding educational institution that opens doors for students from around the world, launching them into top-tier careers, professional programs, and graduate-level study. There are about 9,000 undergraduates between Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, and the School of General Studies, an alternative undergraduate pathway for non-traditional students, like military veterans, and 35,000 students overall. Accepted students are pretty evenly divided between the arts and humanities, engineering, mathematics and natural sciences, and social sciences. They receive over 60,000 applications for first-year admission, and the acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 4.29%. 

Dartmouth is a prestigious liberal arts university that is also the most outdoorsy member of the Ivy League. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth offers a tight-knit community of about 4,500 undergraduates and more than 40 academic departments and programs. Dartmouth has a strong emphasis on research, with 60% of undergraduates participating in research, and on leadership. 80% of students complete at least one internship. The acceptance rate was 6% for the Class of 2029.

Colgate is a small liberal arts university in Hamilton, NY that offers 57 majors, a 9:1 student to faculty ratio, and an “ideal environment for curious minds.” Hamilton is fairly rural, a small town an hour from Syracuse, but the community is global. Students represent 87 countries, and even more cultures. The acceptance rate is about 14%.  

Notre Dame is a large private research university in Notre Dame, Indiana with strong ties to the Catholic church. Notre Dame is strong in academics, in research, in faith, in purpose, and in identity. One in three undergraduates take part in research, 87%+ do a study abroad experience, and they have been a top producer of Fulbright scholars for over a decade. The overall acceptance rate is only 9%, and the Restrictive Early Action acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was just under 13%.

Based in Houston, Texas, Rice University has carved out an enviable niche as a prestigious mid-sized research university. The campus is 300 acres, yet urban, also known as the best of both worlds. Students flock to Rice for research opportunities, business, and a legacy with Nasa that sets it apart. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 7.8%. This was a higher acceptance rate than in recent years, but only by a few fractions of a percentage point. The small increase is attributable to the fact that the Class of 2029 marked the end of a multi-year plan to increase the student body by 20%, and should not be expected to be an ongoing trend. 

Emory is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia and Oxford, Georgia. The school is particularly well-known for their work in the health sciences, and aspiring future doctors seek out Emory for an undergraduate degree that will catalyze their medical school ambitions. But Emory isn’t limited to those who want to work in health someday. They offer top-tier academic paths across dozens of majors. And those two locations we mentioned, Atlanta and Oxford, that is because they have two campuses. The Atlanta campus is a research setting, and ideal for those who want to be in the midst of everything from day one. The Oxford campus, which is only for first and second years (so everyone ends up in Atlanta eventually), offers a small college experience immersed in the liberal arts and focused on building leadership and community. There are about 8,300 undergraduate students, and the acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was just under 15%.