The United States is home to some of the most renowned colleges and universities in the world. Owing to their reputation, these schools receive many times more applications each year than they can accept. Not only are these institutions highly selective, they are also geographically concentrated — particularly in New England and some Mid-Atlantic states. (Here is a look at the best colleges in the United States.)
Of the 50 highest ranking schools on The Wall Street Journal’s list of best colleges in 2024, nearly half are in the Northeast — more than double the number in the Midwest, South, or West. And while some college-bound Americans simply enroll in the best school they can get into, others consider a range of additional factors, and one of the most common is distance from home.
For prospective college students living outside of the Northeast who want to avoid thousands of dollars in travel expenses every year, the Ivy League may not be in the cards. But there are still alternative options.
Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 24/7 Wall St. identified the hardest colleges and universities to get into in each state. The schools on this list were identified using a two-part index composed of the admissions rate – the share of applicants who are offered admission – and the median SAT score among students admitted in the fall of 2022. Both Alaska and Wyoming were excluded from this analysis due to incomplete data. Supplemental data on the average annual cost of attendance, median earnings 10 years after entry, and the graduation rate — or the share of students who graduate within eight years after entry — are from the U.S. Department of Education.
Though each of these schools ranks as the most selective in its respective state, some are far harder to get into than others. States like Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island are each home to an Ivy League institution, and these schools offer admission to fewer than one in every 10 applicants. Meanwhile, in five states on this list, the most selective schools have an acceptance rate of over 70%.
Still, even for those who cannot get into an elite college or university or do not want to travel out of state, the benefits of a college degree from most schools are undeniable. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical college graduate earns about 68% more in the workforce than those with only a high school diploma. Additionally, college graduates are far less likely to be unemployed than those with no more than a high school education. (These are the colleges with the most upward mobility.)
These are the most selective colleges in every state.
Alabama: Auburn University
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- Admissions rate: 43.7%
- Median SAT scores: 650 in reading and writing, 650 in math
- Undergraduate students: 24,782 (65% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $23,258
- Graduation rate: 78%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $61,042
- Schools considered in state: 17
- Location: Auburn, AL
Arizona: Ottawa University-Surprise
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- Admissions rate: 28.7%
- Median SAT scores: 540 in reading and writing, 570 in math
- Undergraduate students: 828 (100% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $32,348
- Graduation rate: N/A
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $48,846
- Schools considered in state: 3
- Location: Surprise, AZ
Arkansas: Harding University
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Admissions rate: 45.1%
- Median SAT scores: 590 in reading and writing, 570 in math
- Undergraduate students: 3,266 (89% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $20,429
- Graduation rate: 66%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $50,273
- Schools considered in state: 15
- Location: Searcy, AR
California: Stanford University
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- Admissions rate: 3.7%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,645 (63% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $7,200
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $106,987
- Schools considered in state: 27
- Location: Stanford, CA
Colorado: United States Air Force Academy
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- Admissions rate: 16.2%
- Median SAT scores: 685 in reading and writing, 710 in math
- Undergraduate students: N/A
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: N/A
- Graduation rate: 84%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: N/A
- Schools considered in state: 16
- Location: USAF Academy, CO
Connecticut: Yale University
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- Admissions rate: 4.6%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 6,535 (57% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $16,341
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $95,961
- Schools considered in state: 19
- Location: New Haven, CT
Delaware: University of Delaware
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- Admissions rate: 73.8%
- Median SAT scores: 640 in reading and writing, 640 in math
- Undergraduate students: 18,707 (70% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $18,313
- Graduation rate: 80%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $71,861
- Schools considered in state: 2
- Location: Newark, DE
Florida: University of Miami
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- Admissions rate: 18.9%
- Median SAT scores: 690 in reading and writing, 700 in math
- Undergraduate students: 11,927 (68% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $30,742
- Graduation rate: 81%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $71,739
- Schools considered in state: 34
- Location: Coral Gables, FL
Georgia: Emory University
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- Admissions rate: 11.4%
- Median SAT scores: 730 in reading and writing, 770 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,050 (58% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $25,424
- Graduation rate: 92%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $81,802
- Schools considered in state: 35
- Location: Atlanta, GA
Hawaii: Brigham Young University-Hawaii
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- Admissions rate: 34.2%
- Median SAT scores: 590 in reading and writing, 560 in math
- Undergraduate students: 2,861 (79% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $14,904
- Graduation rate: 66%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $50,616
- Schools considered in state: 5
- Location: Laie, HI
Idaho: The College of Idaho
- Admissions rate: 45.5%
- Median SAT scores: 580 in reading and writing, 580 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,119 (100% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $23,787
- Graduation rate: 68%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $48,012
- Schools considered in state: 7
- Location: Caldwell, ID
Illinois: University of Chicago
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- Admissions rate: 5.4%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,558 (55% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $22,690
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $78,439
- Schools considered in state: 36
- Location: Chicago, IL
Indiana: University of Notre Dame
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- Admissions rate: 12.9%
- Median SAT scores: 740 in reading and writing, 770 in math
- Undergraduate students: 8,950 (60% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $32,369
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $93,220
- Schools considered in state: 34
- Location: Notre Dame, IN
Iowa: Grinnell College
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- Admissions rate: 10.8%
- Median SAT scores: 730 in reading and writing, 750 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,714 (89% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $28,610
- Graduation rate: 87%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $62,529
- Schools considered in state: 17
- Location: Grinnell, IA
Kansas: Friends University
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- Admissions rate: 63.3%
- Median SAT scores: 540 in reading and writing, 531 in math
- Undergraduate students: 982 (77% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $19,905
- Graduation rate: 54%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $51,388
- Schools considered in state: 14
- Location: Wichita, KS
Kentucky: Berea College
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- Admissions rate: 24.6%
- Median SAT scores: 623 in reading and writing, 595 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,454 (99% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $3,442
- Graduation rate: 67%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $40,738
- Schools considered in state: 19
- Location: Berea, KY
Louisiana: Tulane University of Louisiana
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- Admissions rate: 11.5%
- Median SAT scores: 720 in reading and writing, 730 in math
- Undergraduate students: 8,515 (66% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $42,217
- Graduation rate: 68%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $59,812
- Schools considered in state: 16
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Maine: Bowdoin College
- Admissions rate: 9.2%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 770 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,948 (53% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $16,925
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $68,211
- Schools considered in state: 9
- Location: Brunswick, ME
Maryland: Johns Hopkins University
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- Admissions rate: 7.3%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 5,727 (58% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $14,254
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $89,551
- Schools considered in state: 17
- Location: Baltimore, MD
Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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- Admissions rate: 4.0%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 800 in math
- Undergraduate students: 4,629 (77% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $5,084
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $124,213
- Schools considered in state: 42
- Location: Cambridge, MA
Michigan: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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- Admissions rate: 17.7%
- Median SAT scores: 720 in reading and writing, 750 in math
- Undergraduate students: 32,063 (70% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $17,086
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $79,580
- Schools considered in state: 27
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Minnesota: Carleton College
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- Admissions rate: 16.6%
- Median SAT scores: 740 in reading and writing, 750 in math
- Undergraduate students: 2,008 (64% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $31,800
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $70,334
- Schools considered in state: 17
- Location: Northfield, MN
Mississippi: Belhaven University
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- Admissions rate: 42.6%
- Median SAT scores: 615 in reading and writing, 550 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,630 (76% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $18,088
- Graduation rate: 47%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $42,152
- Schools considered in state: 10
- Location: Jackson, MS
Missouri: Washington University in St Louis
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- Admissions rate: 11.8%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,713 (44% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $27,595
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $90,646
- Schools considered in state: 26
- Location: Saint Louis, MO
Montana: Montana State University
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- Admissions rate: 73.3%
- Median SAT scores: 590 in reading and writing, 580 in math
- Undergraduate students: 14,329 (99% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $19,413
- Graduation rate: 55%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $51,532
- Schools considered in state: 5
- Location: Bozeman, MT
Nebraska: Creighton University
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- Admissions rate: 75.7%
- Median SAT scores: 660 in reading and writing, 660 in math
- Undergraduate students: 4,444 (93% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $30,807
- Graduation rate: 72%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $71,997
- Schools considered in state: 8
- Location: Omaha, NE
Nevada: University of Nevada-Las Vegas
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- Admissions rate: 85.3%
- Median SAT scores: 560 in reading and writing, 550 in math
- Undergraduate students: 24,835 (82% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $12,906
- Graduation rate: 53%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $53,363
- Schools considered in state: 1 (UNLV ranks by default only)
- Location: Las Vegas, NV
New Hampshire: Dartmouth College
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- Admissions rate: 6.4%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 4,533 (52% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $33,023
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $95,540
- Schools considered in state: 5
- Location: Hanover, NH
New Jersey: Princeton University
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- Admissions rate: 5.7%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 5,236 (61% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $11,080
- Graduation rate: 98%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $110,433
- Schools considered in state: 23
- Location: Princeton, NJ
New Mexico: St. John’s College
- Admissions rate: 54.1%
- Median SAT scores: 710 in reading and writing, 660 in math
- Undergraduate students: 368 (98% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $40,106
- Graduation rate: 65%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $41,407
- Schools considered in state: 3
- Location: Santa Fe, NM
New York: Columbia University in the City of New York
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- Admissions rate: 3.9%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 8,832 (57% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $12,836
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $97,540
- Schools considered in state: 86
- Location: New York, NY
North Carolina: Duke University
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- Admissions rate: 6.3%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 6,883 (53% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $31,416
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $97,418
- Schools considered in state: 33
- Location: Durham, NC
North Dakota: University of Mary
Source: Jerry Anderson / Wikimedia Commons
- Admissions rate: 81.4%
- Median SAT scores: 640 in reading and writing, 595 in math
- Undergraduate students: 2,178 (78% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $18,859
- Graduation rate: 56%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $58,561
- Schools considered in state: 5
- Location: Bismarck, ND
Ohio: Case Western Reserve University
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- Admissions rate: 27.4%
- Median SAT scores: 720 in reading and writing, 770 in math
- Undergraduate students: 5,697 (82% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $37,702
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $81,346
- Schools considered in state: 43
- Location: Cleveland, OH
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Baptist University
- Admissions rate: 47.3%
- Median SAT scores: 520 in reading and writing, 550 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,419 (98% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $20,564
- Graduation rate: 51%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $44,360
- Schools considered in state: 13
- Location: Shawnee, OK
Oregon: Reed College
- Admissions rate: 30.8%
- Median SAT scores: 720 in reading and writing, 690 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,521 (56% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $33,895
- Graduation rate: 81%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $52,236
- Schools considered in state: 9
- Location: Portland, OR
Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania
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- Admissions rate: 6.5%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 10,644 (51% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $14,851
- Graduation rate: 97%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $112,761
- Schools considered in state: 94
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Rhode Island: Brown University
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- Admissions rate: 5.1%
- Median SAT scores: 760 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,125 (47% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $26,308
- Graduation rate: 96%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $87,811
- Schools considered in state: 10
- Location: Providence, RI
South Carolina: Clemson University
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- Admissions rate: 43.0%
- Median SAT scores: 660 in reading and writing, 660 in math
- Undergraduate students: 21,954 (76% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $22,116
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $69,479
- Schools considered in state: 22
- Location: Clemson, SC
South Dakota: Augustana University
Source: AlexiusHoratius / Wikimedia Commons
- Admissions rate: 65.8%
- Median SAT scores: 590 in reading and writing, 610 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,662 (96% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $27,055
- Graduation rate: 70%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $53,641
- Schools considered in state: 9
- Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Tennessee: Vanderbilt University
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- Admissions rate: 6.7%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 780 in math
- Undergraduate students: 7,111 (66% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $22,204
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $84,415
- Schools considered in state: 26
- Location: Nashville, TN
Texas: Rice University
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- Admissions rate: 8.7%
- Median SAT scores: 750 in reading and writing, 790 in math
- Undergraduate students: 4,240 (63% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $17,805
- Graduation rate: 94%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $87,254
- Schools considered in state: 59
- Location: Houston, TX
Utah: Brigham Young University
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- Admissions rate: 66.7%
- Median SAT scores: 680 in reading and writing, 680 in math
- Undergraduate students: 31,642 (70% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $13,522
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $74,630
- Schools considered in state: 5
- Location: Provo, UT
Vermont: Middlebury College
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- Admissions rate: 12.7%
- Median SAT scores: 740 in reading and writing, 750 in math
- Undergraduate students: 2,837 (45% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $29,047
- Graduation rate: 93%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $69,022
- Schools considered in state: 6
- Location: Middlebury, VT
Virginia: Washington and Lee University
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- Admissions rate: 17.0%
- Median SAT scores: 730 in reading and writing, 750 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,857 (63% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $27,417
- Graduation rate: 95%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $84,232
- Schools considered in state: 33
- Location: Lexington, VA
Washington: Whitman College
Source: Adamsofen / Wikimedia Commons
- Admissions rate: 47.7%
- Median SAT scores: 700 in reading and writing, 690 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,539 (90% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $30,694
- Graduation rate: 89%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $64,442
- Schools considered in state: 13
- Location: Walla Walla, WA
West Virginia: West Virginia University Institute of Technology
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- Admissions rate: 64.6%
- Median SAT scores: 520 in reading and writing, 510 in math
- Undergraduate students: 1,109 (58% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $11,124
- Graduation rate: 29%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $55,073
- Schools considered in state: 12
- Location: Beckley, WV
Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison
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- Admissions rate: 49.1%
- Median SAT scores: 690 in reading and writing, 740 in math
- Undergraduate students: 33,506 (48% receive financial aid)
- Avg. annual cost of attendance: $16,708
- Graduation rate: 88%
- Median annual earnings 10-yrs. after entry: $70,586
- Schools considered in state: 11
- Location: Madison, WI
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