The 20 most selective colleges in the U.S., USNA is No.4 on the list
A college’s selectivity is measured by dividing the number of accepted students by the number of applicants. You would think this could be an easy way to measure a college’s popularity and exclusivity.
However, a college’s acceptance rate can be easily manipulated, and what is considered an “application” is a gray area that many colleges interpret differently.
Only 5.7% of applicants are accepted into Stanford University (iStock photo)
For example, some colleges include incomplete applications in their total reported number. These could include those who did not complete the application, did not submit an application fee, or even those who simply made an inquiry about the college and did not even start filling out an application.
Numerous reports have come out about colleges that admit to this practice.
While the college representatives maintain there is a good reason behind their methods, it can also be an appealing practice for a school that is intent upon moving up in rankings that heavily weight selectivity.
It may be expensive and unrealistic to try to increase the amount of students who apply every year, but it is relatively easy to simply report a certain amount of incomplete applications in your total applicant count. (This is one of the reasons College Factual’s rankings do not include selectivity).
There’s no doubt the following schools are very difficult to get into, but they may not be quite as selective as they seem — depending on how they calculate their total application count. Yet the information can prove valuable and interesting, especially to those considering applying to one of these top-tier schools.
Stanford University takes the top spot with an acceptance rate of only 5.7%. In second place isHarvard University with an acceptance rate of 5.8%, and Yale University with an acceptance rate of 7%. The United States Naval Academy is in 4th place with a rate of 7.4%. This military academy requires that students pass a physical fitness exam as well as have high grades and meet other criteria.
Here’s the complete list of the top 20 most selective schools in the U.S. for the year 2013.
1. Stanford University: 5.69%
2. Harvard University: 5.84%
3. Yale University: 7.05%
4. United States Naval Academy: 7.35%
5. Princeton University: 7.41%
6. Columbia University in the City of New York: 7.42%
7. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art: 7.74%
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 8.15%
9. University of Chicago: 8.81%
10. United States Military Academy: 8.96%
11. Brown University: 9.18%
12. Dartmouth College: 9.78%
13. California Institute of Technology: 10.55%
14. Claremont McKenna College: 11.73%
15. University of Pennsylvania: 12.24%
16. Vanderbilt University: 12.74%
17. College of the Ozarks: 13.01%
18. Duke University: 13.42%
19. Rust College: 13.86%
20. Pomona College: 13.92%
This article comes from The USA TODAY College Contributor network. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any discussion forums, blogs, photo- or video-sharing pages, or other areas of the Site through which users can supply information or material. However, we reserve the right at all times, in our sole discretion, to screen content submitted by users and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Service or is otherwise unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons.
A college’s selectivity is measured by dividing the number of accepted students by the number of applicants. You would think this could be an easy way to measure a college’s popularity and exclusivity.
However, a college’s acceptance rate can be easily manipulated, and what is considered an “application” is a gray area that many colleges interpret differently.
Only 5.7% of applicants are accepted into Stanford University (iStock photo)
For example, some colleges include incomplete applications in their total reported number. These could include those who did not complete the application, did not submit an application fee, or even those who simply made an inquiry about the college and did not even start filling out an application.
Numerous reports have come out about colleges that admit to this practice.
While the college representatives maintain there is a good reason behind their methods, it can also be an appealing practice for a school that is intent upon moving up in rankings that heavily weight selectivity.
It may be expensive and unrealistic to try to increase the amount of students who apply every year, but it is relatively easy to simply report a certain amount of incomplete applications in your total applicant count. (This is one of the reasons College Factual’s rankings do not include selectivity).
There’s no doubt the following schools are very difficult to get into, but they may not be quite as selective as they seem — depending on how they calculate their total application count. Yet the information can prove valuable and interesting, especially to those considering applying to one of these top-tier schools.
Stanford University takes the top spot with an acceptance rate of only 5.7%. In second place isHarvard University with an acceptance rate of 5.8%, and Yale University with an acceptance rate of 7%. The United States Naval Academy is in 4th place with a rate of 7.4%. This military academy requires that students pass a physical fitness exam as well as have high grades and meet other criteria.
Here’s the complete list of the top 20 most selective schools in the U.S. for the year 2013.
1. Stanford University: 5.69%
2. Harvard University: 5.84%
3. Yale University: 7.05%
4. United States Naval Academy: 7.35%
5. Princeton University: 7.41%
6. Columbia University in the City of New York: 7.42%
7. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art: 7.74%
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 8.15%
9. University of Chicago: 8.81%
10. United States Military Academy: 8.96%
11. Brown University: 9.18%
12. Dartmouth College: 9.78%
13. California Institute of Technology: 10.55%
14. Claremont McKenna College: 11.73%
15. University of Pennsylvania: 12.24%
16. Vanderbilt University: 12.74%
17. College of the Ozarks: 13.01%
18. Duke University: 13.42%
19. Rust College: 13.86%
20. Pomona College: 13.92%
This article comes from The USA TODAY College Contributor network. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any discussion forums, blogs, photo- or video-sharing pages, or other areas of the Site through which users can supply information or material. However, we reserve the right at all times, in our sole discretion, to screen content submitted by users and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Service or is otherwise unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons.
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