Most Selective Universities

Q: How many universities are ranked for Most Selective?

There are 50 universities ranked for Most Selective based on government-verified data.

Q: How are Most Selective rankings calculated?

Rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data are included.

Rankings based on government-verified data for qualifying institutions.

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50 results

#	Institution	Tuition	Avg Earnings	Grad Rate	Acceptance Rate
1	California Institute of Technology Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$63,255	$132,140	94%	3%
2	Harvard University Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$59,076	$99,572	98%	4%
3	Minerva University Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$18,700	$0	86%	4%
4	Stanford University Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$62,484	$102,887	94%	4%
5	Columbia University in the City of New York Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$69,045	$88,535	95%	4%
6	Yale University Private Non-Profit CT ROI	$64,700	$81,765	97%	5%
7	Princeton University Private Non-Profit NJ ROI	$59,710	$87,815	97%	5%
8	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$60,156	$131,633	96%	5%
9	University of Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$66,939	$80,870	95%	5%
10	Brown University Private Non-Profit RI ROI	$68,230	$79,131	96%	5%
11	Northeastern University Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$63,141	$78,413	91%	6%
12	University of Pennsylvania Private Non-Profit PA ROI	$66,104	$90,555	97%	6%
13	Dartmouth College Private Non-Profit NH ROI	$65,739	$82,541	95%	6%
14	Vanderbilt University Private Non-Profit TN ROI	$63,946	$73,909	93%	6%
15	Pomona College Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$62,326	$60,850	94%	7%
16	Colby College Private Non-Profit ME ROI	$66,600	$60,052	89%	7%
17	Duke University Private Non-Profit NC ROI	$65,805	$85,792	96%	7%
18	Swarthmore College Private Non-Profit PA ROI	$62,412	$56,211	94%	7%
19	Curtis Institute of Music Private Non-Profit PA ROI	$6,000	$31,201	89%	7%
20	Northwestern University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$65,997	$76,844	96%	7%
21	Johns Hopkins University Private Non-Profit MD ROI	$63,340	$86,306	94%	8%
22	Rice University Private Non-Profit TX ROI	$58,128	$79,751	95%	8%
23	Bowdoin College Private Non-Profit ME ROI	$64,910	$61,692	95%	8%
24	Barnard College Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$66,246	$60,411	92%	8%
25	Cornell University Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$66,014	$87,830	95%	8%
26	University of California-Los Angeles Public CA ROI	$13,747	$59,063	93%	9%
27	The Juilliard School Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$56,550	$22,129	90%	9%
28	United States Naval Academy Public MD ROI	$0	$0	91%	9%
29	New York University Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$60,438	$64,543	88%	9%
30	Amherst College Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$67,280	$62,537	93%	10%
31	Pacific Oaks College Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$33,360	$47,962	N/A	10%
32	University of Southern California Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$68,237	$74,461	92%	10%
33	Williams College Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$64,860	$71,754	96%	10%
34	Tufts University Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$67,844	$68,337	94%	10%
35	Middlebury College Private Non-Profit VT ROI	$65,280	$57,291	93%	10%
36	Boston University Private Non-Profit MA ROI	$65,168	$65,655	90%	11%
37	Claremont McKenna College Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$64,150	$87,603	93%	11%
38	Emory University Private Non-Profit GA ROI	$60,774	$74,980	91%	11%
39	Carnegie Mellon University Private Non-Profit PA ROI	$63,829	$105,360	92%	11%
40	Washington University of Science and Technology Private For-Profit VA ROI	$13,178	$0	76%	12%
41	University of California-Berkeley Public CA ROI	$14,850	$74,919	94%	12%
42	Hamilton College Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$65,740	$60,082	92%	12%
43	Washington University in St Louis Private Non-Profit MO ROI	$62,982	$78,073	94%	12%
44	Colgate University Private Non-Profit NY ROI	$67,024	$64,949	91%	12%
45	University of Notre Dame Private Non-Profit IN ROI	$62,693	$86,210	97%	12%
46	Grinnell College Private Non-Profit IA ROI	$64,862	$49,004	88%	13%
47	Haverford College Private Non-Profit PA ROI	$68,300	$53,353	90%	13%
48	Bates College Private Non-Profit ME ROI	$63,478	$59,202	92%	13%
49	Harvey Mudd College Private Non-Profit CA ROI	$66,255	$115,107	93%	13%
50	Georgetown University Private Non-Profit DC ROI	$65,081	$83,222	95%	13%

About This Ranking

This ranking is based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which provides comprehensive information about colleges and universities across the country.

Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data for the ranking criteria are included.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Most Selective universities?

The top Most Selective university is California Institute of Technology, followed by Harvard University. Rankings are based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

How many universities are ranked for Most Selective?

How are Most Selective rankings calculated?

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