Are you eager to know the lowest acceptance rate Colleges in America 2024? If that’s the case, you probably have a few prestigious schools in mind that are known for their selectivity.
Among the highly selective universities ranked by US News & World Report, contenders include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. Others in consideration might be Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn, or Cornell. Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt, WashU, and Caltech could also be in the running.
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The Lowest Acceptance Rate Colleges in America 2024 Harvard University Boasts Lowest Acceptance Rate for Class of 2028 , But Caltech Could Ultimately Take the Prize.
Harvard currently holds the title for the lowest overall acceptance rate among all U.S. universities for the Class of 2028. However, the smaller institution, Caltech, has the potential to claim the top spot once it releases its Common Data Set, including the overall admission rate for the Class of 20278
Ivy Coach predicts that “Caltech will surpass Harvard and achieve the lowest admission rate for the Class of 2028”.
According to Ivy Coach’s renowned accuracy in predictions, they anticipate that Caltech’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 will surpass Harvard’s. As a result, the Pasadena, California-based school, which has previously held the top position twice in the US News & World Report rankings for best national universities, is expected to secure the lowest overall admission rate.
During the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, which college boasted the lowest acceptance rate?
The college with the lowest acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was Harvard, standing out from all other universities, except possibly Caltech. The overall admission rates for the most selective national universities are listed below, and if any school’s admission rate is not available yet, it will be added once the figures are released through The Common Data Set.
Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rates of 2024
| College/University | US News 2023 Rank | Class of 2028 Overall Admission Rate |
| Harvard University | #3 | 3.41% |
| Columbia University | #18 | 3.93% |
| Yale University | #3 | 4.35% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | #2 | 4.68% |
| University of Chicago | #6 | 5% |
| Brown University | #13 | 5.08% |
| Vanderbilt University | #13 | 5.61% |
| Duke University | #10 | 6% |
| Dartmouth College | #12 | 6.07% |
| Northwestern University | #10 | 7% |
| Rice University | #15 | 7.7% |
| Princeton University | #1 | Not Yet Published |
| Stanford University | #3 | Not Yet Published |
| Johns Hopkins University | #7 | Not Yet Published |
| University of Pennsylvania | #7 | Not Yet Published |
| California Institute of Technology | #9 | Not Yet Published |
| Washington University in St. Louis | #15 | Not Yet Published |
| Cornell University | #17 | Not Yet Published |
Harvard’s Class of 2028 Admission Bests Its Ivy League Peers
For the Class of 2028, five out of the eight Ivy League institutions have disclosed their overall admission rates. Dartmouth had a rate of 6.07%, Brown 5.08%, Yale 4.35%, Columbia 3.93%, and Harvard 3.41% (its third-lowest rate in university history).
The remaining three Ivy League schools, Princeton, UPenn, and Cornell, have not yet released their overall acceptance rates for the Class of 2028. However, it is unlikely that any of these three schools surpassed Harvard’s 3.41% overall admission rate. In the previous year, Princeton’s rate was 5.7%, UPenn’s was 6.5%, and Cornell’s was 7.26%.
So, within the Ivy League institutions, Harvard stands out with the lowest admission rate. However, the comparison extends beyond the Ivies to Harvard’s peer institutions outside the Ivy League.
Harvard’s Class of 2028 Admission Rate Bests:
Stanford University
For the Class of 2026, Stanford achieved a record-low overall admission rate of 3.68%. Although Stanford has not yet disclosed its overall admission rate for the Class of 2028, there is a possibility that it could be lower than Harvard’s once it is released. However, achieving such a feat would require a significant new benchmark. The expectation is that Stanford’s admission rate for the Class of 2027 will not be lower than Harvard’s.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The overall admission rate for MIT’s Class of 2028 was 4.68%, which decreased compared to the previous year due to a 20% decline in applications. For the Class of 2026, MIT’s admission rate was 3.96%. However, even with this record-low rate for the Class of 2026, MIT’s 3.96% admission rate did not match Harvard’s 3.19%.
Duke University
Duke’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 was 6%, slightly lower than the 6.2% rate for the Class of 2026. Despite having a very low overall admission rate, the university does not fall into the same category as Harvard in terms of selectivity.
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins has not yet disclosed its overall admission rate for the Class of 2027, but for the Class of 2026, it stood at 7.24%, which is significantly higher than Harvard’s rate.
Northwestern University
Northwestern’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 remained at 7%, identical to the rate for the Class of 2026. As a result, Northwestern is not among the contenders for the lowest overall admission rate among the top schools in America.
University of Chicago
UChicago’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 was 5%, surpassing the rate of 5.44% for the Class of 2026. However, even with this improvement, UChicago’s admission rate is not in the same range as Harvard’s.
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 was 5.61%, which improved upon its 6.1% overall admission rate for the Class of 2026. While it is undoubtedly a very low admission rate, it still does not compare to Harvard’s level of selectivity.
Washington University in St. Louis
WashU has not yet disclosed its overall admission rate for the Class of 2027. However, for the Class of 2026, 10% of applicants were admitted to WashU, indicating that it is not in the same category as Harvard in terms of selectivity.
Rice University
Rice’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 was 7.7%, which improved from the 8.56% rate for the Class of 2026. However, when comparing it to Harvard’s overall acceptance rate, it’s like comparing apples and oranges as they are in different leagues of selectivity.
Caltech’s Class of 2027 Admission Rate Could Turn Out to Be Lower than Harvard’s
Caltech has not yet disclosed its overall admission rate for the Class of 2027, but they have mentioned that 412 students were admitted. For the Class of 2026, Caltech’s overall admission rate was 2.69%, making it the university with the lowest acceptance rate in America.
Given Caltech’s impressive track record, it wouldn’t be surprising if their overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 surpasses Harvard’s current record for the year among U.S. universities. However, we’ll have to wait until Caltech’s Common Data Set for the Class of 2027 is published to confirm. So, let’s eagerly await the release, Caltech!
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