There is no one-size-fits-all approach to life, but in sweeping terms, having a college education is better than not having one. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly half of college graduates believe a two- or four-year degree helps them achieve their professional and career goals. A third of respondents said they declined to apply for a job owing to a lack of advanced education.
But not all colleges and universities leave their doors wide open for applicants. Recently, college information hub Niche broke down their list of the most difficult colleges and universities to gain admission to. The rankings are based on the chances of acceptance as well as test score requirements. Take a look at the 25 elite campuses, along with their acceptance rates.
1,
- Minerva University (San Francisco, California) // 1 Percent
- Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) // 5 Percent
- Stanford University (Stanford, California) // 5 Percent
- Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey) // 6 Percent
- California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California) // 7 Percent
- Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) // 7 Percent
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts) // 7 Percent
- University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) // 7 Percent
- Columbia University (New York, New York) // 7 Percent
- Duke University (Durham, North Carolina) // 8 Percent
- Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) // 8 Percent
- University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) // 9 Percent
- Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) // 9 Percent
- Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire) // 9 Percent
- Pomona College (Claremont, California) // 9 Percent
- Rice University (Houston, Texas) // 11 Percent
- Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania) // 9 Percent
- Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine) // 9 Percent
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) // 11 Percent
- Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee) // 12 Percent
- Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) // 11 Percent
- Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts) // 12 Percent
- Colby College (Waterville, Maine) // 10 Percent
- United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland) // 9 Percent
- United States Military Academy at West Point (West Point, New York) // 9 Percent
- Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana) // 11 Percent
- Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) // 5 Percent
- Stanford University (Stanford, California) // 5 Percent
- Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey) // 6 Percent
- California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California) // 7 Percent
- Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) // 7 Percent
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts) // 7 Percent
- University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) // 7 Percent
- Columbia University (New York, New York) // 7 Percent
- Duke University (Durham, North Carolina) // 8 Percent
- Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) // 8 Percent
- University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) // 9 Percent
- Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) // 9 Percent
- Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire) // 9 Percent
- Pomona College (Claremont, California) // 9 Percent
- Rice University (Houston, Texas) // 11 Percent
- Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania) // 9 Percent
- Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine) // 9 Percent
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) // 11 Percent
- Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee) // 12 Percent
- Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) // 11 Percent
- Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts) // 12 Percent
- Colby College (Waterville, Maine) // 10 Percent
- United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland) // 9 Percent
- United States Military Academy at West Point (West Point, New York) // 9 Percent
- Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana) // 11 Percent