More than ever before, education is crucial to getting ahead in a competitive, skills-based economy. And it’s not just a skills-based economy. With widening income inequality it looks more like a winner-takes-all economy. So to gain an advantage, students are competing for places in the best colleges.
Those who plan to go to college want the best possible education, but they also want value for their money. With rising tuition costs and ballooning student debt, college is an investment decision too. Attending some colleges, like Ivy League schools, which are considered more prestigious than others can perhaps lead to higher incomes after graduation. (Here’s what it costs to attend America’s best private colleges.)
To determine the hardest colleges to get into by state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on admissions and the median combined math and critical reading SAT scores from the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education. Colleges and universities were ranked based on an index comprising these measures.
Not surprisingly, the Ivy League schools are well represented among the hardest schools to get into in each state.
Yale is the hardest school to get into in Connecticut, with an acceptance rate of just 6.5% and a median SAT score of 1515. Brown is the hardest school to get into in Rhode Island, with a 7.7% acceptance rate and 1505 SAT score.
However, Ivy League schools do not own the rankings. The hardest school to get into in Massachusetts is not Harvard but MIT, with an acceptance rate of 7.3% and a median SAT score of 1540. Similarly, California is home to famous schools such as Berkeley and Stanford, but CalTech is harder to get into.
It is also important to remember that there are schools all across the country, some very well known and some not so well known, where students can get an excellent education. (This state has America’s best schools.)
Click here to see the hardest college to get into in every state
Click here to read our detailed methodology
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Alabama: University of Alabama in Huntsville
> Acceptance rate: 77.1%
> Median SAT score: 1364/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1
> Average net price of attendance: $16,990
> Location: Huntsville, AL
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Alaska: University of Alaska Fairbanks
> Acceptance rate: 67.0%
> Median SAT score: 1155/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
> Average net price of attendance: $10,778
> Location: Fairbanks, AK
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Arizona: University of Arizona
> Acceptance rate: 85.1%
> Median SAT score: 1235/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
> Average net price of attendance: $15,620
> Location: Tucson, AZ
Arkansas: Harding University
> Acceptance rate: 55.1%
> Median SAT score: 1165/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
> Average net price of attendance: $19,454
> Location: Searcy, AR
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California: California Institute of Technology
> Acceptance rate: 6.7%
> Median SAT score: 1545/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 3:1
> Average net price of attendance: $26,591
> Location: Pasadena, CA
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Colorado: Colorado School of Mines
> Acceptance rate: 55.0%
> Median SAT score: 1310/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
> Average net price of attendance: $27,675
> Location: Golden, CO
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Connecticut: Yale University
> Acceptance rate: 6.5%
> Median SAT score: 1515/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
> Average net price of attendance: $17,511
> Location: New Haven, CT
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Delaware: University of Delaware
> Acceptance rate: 66.0%
> Median SAT score: 1255/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
> Average net price of attendance: $19,747
> Location: Newark, DE
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Florida: University of Florida
> Acceptance rate: 31.1%
> Median SAT score: 1390/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
> Average net price of attendance: $10,075
> Location: Gainesville, FL
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Georgia: Emory University
> Acceptance rate: 19.2%
> Median SAT score: 1445/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 9:1
> Average net price of attendance: $25,672
> Location: Atlanta, GA
Hawaii: Brigham Young University-Hawaii
> Acceptance rate: 75.0%
> Median SAT score: 1170/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
> Average net price of attendance: $13,998
> Location: Laie, HI
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Idaho: University of Idaho
> Acceptance rate: 74.4%
> Median SAT score: 1125/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
> Average net price of attendance: $14,929
> Location: Moscow, ID
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Illinois: University of Chicago
> Acceptance rate: 7.3%
> Median SAT score: 1535/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
> Average net price of attendance: $36,584
> Location: Chicago, IL
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Indiana: University of Notre Dame
> Acceptance rate: 19.0%
> Median SAT score: 1475/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 9:1
> Average net price of attendance: $29,981
> Location: Notre Dame, IN
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Iowa: Grinnell College
> Acceptance rate: 19.2%
> Median SAT score: 1450/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $32,091
> Location: Grinnell, IA
Kansas: Sterling College
> Acceptance rate: 36.9%
> Median SAT score: 985/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,068
> Location: Sterling, KS
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Kentucky: Berea College
> Acceptance rate: 33.0%
> Median SAT score: 1194/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 9:1
> Average net price of attendance: $4,938
> Location: Berea, KY
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Louisiana: Tulane University of Louisiana
> Acceptance rate: 11.1%
> Median SAT score: 1440/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $47,413
> Location: New Orleans, LA
Maine: Colby College
> Acceptance rate: 10.3%
> Median SAT score: 1450/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
> Average net price of attendance: $18,552
> Location: Waterville, ME
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Maryland: Johns Hopkins University
> Acceptance rate: 11.1%
> Median SAT score: 1510/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $25,241
> Location: Baltimore, MD
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Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> Acceptance rate: 7.3%
> Median SAT score: 1540/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 3:1
> Average net price of attendance: $19,998
> Location: Cambridge, MA
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Michigan: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
> Acceptance rate: 26.1%
> Median SAT score: 1435/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
> Average net price of attendance: $17,832
> Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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Minnesota: Carleton College
> Acceptance rate: 21.2%
> Median SAT score: 1450/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $30,843
> Location: Northfield, MN
Mississippi: Mississippi College
> Acceptance rate: 28.8%
> Median SAT score: 1145/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
> Average net price of attendance: $18,800
> Location: Clinton, MS
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Missouri: Washington University in St Louis
> Acceptance rate: 16.0%
> Median SAT score: 1520/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
> Average net price of attendance: $27,233
> Location: Saint Louis, MO
Source: via Facebook / courtesy of Carroll College Saints' Shoppe
Montana: Carroll College
> Acceptance rate: 73.0%
> Median SAT score: 1180/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,037
> Location: Helena, MT
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Nebraska: Creighton University
> Acceptance rate: 64.0%
> Median SAT score: 1260/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
> Average net price of attendance: $32,355
> Location: Omaha, NE
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Nevada: University of Nevada-Las Vegas
> Acceptance rate: 81.0%
> Median SAT score: 1140/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1
> Average net price of attendance: $11,834
> Location: Las Vegas, NV
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New Hampshire: Dartmouth College
> Acceptance rate: 9.2%
> Median SAT score: 1500/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,525
> Location: Hanover, NH
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New Jersey: Princeton University
> Acceptance rate: 5.6%
> Median SAT score: 1515/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
> Average net price of attendance: $18,685
> Location: Princeton, NJ
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New Mexico: Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
> Acceptance rate: 50.6%
> Median SAT score: 1005/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
> Average net price of attendance: $9,922
> Location: Portales, NM
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New York: Columbia University in the City of New York
> Acceptance rate: 6.7%
> Median SAT score: 1505/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $22,126
> Location: New York, NY
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North Carolina: Duke University
> Acceptance rate: 7.7%
> Median SAT score: 1525/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $26,932
> Location: Durham, NC
North Dakota: University of Mary
> Acceptance rate: 71.7%
> Median SAT score: 1164/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
> Average net price of attendance: $18,167
> Location: Bismarck, ND
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Ohio: Case Western Reserve University
> Acceptance rate: 30.3%
> Median SAT score: 1425/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
> Average net price of attendance: $36,002
> Location: Cleveland, OH
Source: Courtesy of University of Tulsa
Oklahoma: University of Tulsa
> Acceptance rate: 69.2%
> Median SAT score: 1225/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
> Average net price of attendance: $25,333
> Location: Tulsa, OK
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Oregon: Reed College
> Acceptance rate: 42.3%
> Median SAT score: 1423/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 9:1
> Average net price of attendance: $33,980
> Location: Portland, OR
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Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania
> Acceptance rate: 9.0%
> Median SAT score: 1505/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,167
> Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Rhode Island: Brown University
> Acceptance rate: 7.7%
> Median SAT score: 1505/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $27,659
> Location: Providence, RI
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South Carolina: Wofford College
> Acceptance rate: 53.0%
> Median SAT score: 1270/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
> Average net price of attendance: $30,431
> Location: Spartanburg, SC
Source: Courtesy of Augustana University
South Dakota: Augustana University
> Acceptance rate: 71.4%
> Median SAT score: 1225/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,322
> Location: Sioux Falls, SD
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Tennessee: Vanderbilt University
> Acceptance rate: 11.6%
> Median SAT score: 1510/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $25,804
> Location: Nashville, TN
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Texas: Rice University
> Acceptance rate: 10.9%
> Median SAT score: 1520/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
> Average net price of attendance: $19,215
> Location: Houston, TX
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Utah: Brigham Young University
> Acceptance rate: 69.3%
> Median SAT score: 1315/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 21:1
> Average net price of attendance: $13,150
> Location: Provo, UT
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Vermont: Middlebury College
> Acceptance rate: 22.0%
> Median SAT score: 1445/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $24,517
> Location: Middlebury, VT
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Virginia: University of Virginia-Main Campus
> Acceptance rate: 22.6%
> Median SAT score: 1430/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
> Average net price of attendance: $19,043
> Location: Charlottesville, VA
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Washington: Whitman College
> Acceptance rate: 54.1%
> Median SAT score: 1345/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
> Average net price of attendance: $38,989
> Location: Walla Walla, WA
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Source: Courtesy of West Virginia University Institute of Technology via Facebook
West Virginia: West Virginia University Institute of Technology
> Acceptance rate: 55.1%
> Median SAT score: 1030/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1
> Average net price of attendance: $10,151
> Location: Beckley, WV
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Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison
> Acceptance rate: 57.2%
> Median SAT score: 1390/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
> Average net price of attendance: $14,030
> Location: Madison, WI
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Wyoming: University of Wyoming
> Acceptance rate: 94.2%
> Median SAT score: 1170/1600
> Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
> Average net price of attendance: $12,224
> Location: Laramie, WY
Methodology
To determine the hardest colleges to get into by state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on admissions and SAT scores from the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education. Colleges and universities were ranked based on an index comprising admission rates for the 2020-2021 school year and the median combined math and critical reading SAT scores for students admitted in Fall 2019. Supplemental data on the average net price of attendance for students receiving financial aid in the 2019-2020 school year also came from the NCES. Additional information was found in the Princeton Review as well as college websites.
We only considered predominantly bachelor’s degree-granting colleges and universities with at least 1,000 applicants. In two states, Wyoming and Alaska, there was only one school with at least 1,000 applicants, and so the school listed in each of those states was the hardest to get into by default. Enrollment figures are for all undergraduates, both full and part time, for Fall 2020, also from NCES. Data on student-to-faculty ratio for Fall 2020 is also from NCES.
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