The Hardest College to Get Into in Every State

Ottawa University is by far the most selective school in Kansas, with an acceptance rate of 14.5%. The next closest school, Sterling College, admits nearly 40% of its applicants. The private Baptist college also has a campus in Surprise, Arizona, and online classes available.

Founded in 1855 and deeply rooted in Appalachian history and culture, Berea College was the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. It is also tuition free, relying on endowment income, gifts, and financial aid. All students must work at least 10 hours a week in jobs on campus and in the community.

Tulane University in New Orleans was founded as a medical college in 1834 to train doctors to treat diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, and smallpox that were ravaging the port city. Tropical medicine remains one of the degrees offered at Tulane, along with architecture, business, law, liberal arts, the sciences, engineering, and social work. Tulane University received over 42,000 applications for the 2019-2020 school year, among the most of any U.S. college. It admitted less than 13% of those applicants, making it Louisiana’s most exclusive school.

Colby College, a private liberal arts institution founded in 1813, is located in Waterville, Maine, about 20 miles north of the state capital of Augusta. Like many other relatively selective schools, Colby College is quite expensive — the typical cost of attending the school is approximately $68,582.

Johns Hopkins University is one of the nation’s leading medical research schools and has served a vital role in tracking the spread of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. The Baltimore-based university ranks as Maryland’s most difficult college to get into, with its 1505 median SAT score ranking in the top 20 of all American universities.