How hard is it to get into the nation's most selective universities? See the 25 lowest acceptance rates in the US.

Harvard's Class of 2029 received 47,893 applications. The university accepted less than 4% of those applicants. Bloomberg/Getty Images People are applying to more colleges than ever before, but admission to some of the US's top universities remains highly competitive.Using federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Business Insider compiled a list of the 25 universities in the US that are hardest to get into in 2024.With a few exceptions, universities are generally larger institutions that offer a wide range of academic programs, including bachelor's and graduate degrees. They also often contain smaller colleges, such as colleges of education, engineering, or health sciences.For the Class of 2028, admission rates at the hardest-to-get-into schools ranged from roughly 3% to 11% — and among the lowest were at Ivy Leagues, including Yale University, Harvard University, and Columbia University.For instance, Yale University is the fourth-most competitive university on this list, with just about 4% of its 57,517 applicants admitted. Harvard's is 3.6%.With acceptance rates at some highly selective schools falling to record lows in the latest admissions cycle, students may increasingly look to less competitive — and often cheaper — options. A May post by the college consulting firm Top Tier Admissions, declining admission rates are partly driven by students becoming increasingly worried about being rejected by schools, leading to a huge spike in applications per student. That, however, breeds more selectivity, and the cycle continues, the firm said. The increasing use of "early decision" to lock in students has also let universities become choosier during the regular decision cycle.See the 25 universities across the US with the lowest admission rates in 2024. For context, each school's tuition, applicants, student population, and most popular major were also included. 25. University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame accepts only 11% of applicants. Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images Location: Notre Dame, IndianaApplicants: 29,942Acceptance rate: 11.3%Student population: 13,000 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $69,280Most popular major: Finance 24. Boston University Boston University's most popular major is Business Administration and Management. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Location: BostonApplicants: 78,769Acceptance rate: 11.1%Student population: 38,093 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $73,024Most popular major: Business Administration and Management 23. University of California-Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley, has an in-state tuition of $18,214 for the current academic year. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Location: Berkeley, CaliforniaApplicants: 124,242Acceptance rate: 11.0%Student population: 45,882 students2026-2027 Academic Year In-State Tuition: $18,214Most popular major: Data science 22. Emory University Emory University is located in Atlanta. ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images Location: AtlantaApplicants: 33,450Acceptance rate: 10.6%Student population: 16,000 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $70,300Most popular major: Management Sciences and Information Systems 21. University of Southern California The University of Southern California competes against the University of California, Los Angeles, for prospective students in the area. Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Location: Los AngelesApplicants: 82,027Acceptance rate: 9.8%Student population: 46,000 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $75,384Most popular major: Business 20. New York University New York University. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Location: New York CityApplicants: 110,807Acceptance rate: 9.2%Student population: 56,800 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $68,576Most popular major: Visual and Performing Arts 19. University of California, Los Angeles UCLA ranked 19th. Ronaldo Bolaños/Getty Images Location: Los AngelesApplicants: 146,272Acceptance rate: 9.0%Student population: 49,013 students2026-2027 Academic Year In-State Tuition: $16,430Most popular major: Business Economics 18. Cornell University Cornell University's most popular major is Computer Science. Bloomberg/Getty Images Location: Ithaca, New YorkApplicants: 62,993Acceptance rate: 8.8%Student population: 26,561 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $49,816Most popular major: Computer Science 17. Rice University Rice University is located in Houston, Texas. Craig Hartley/Bloomberg via Getty Images Location: HoustonApplicants: 32,473Acceptance rate: 8.0%Student population: 9,200 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $71,140Most popular major: Computer Science 16. Northwestern University Northwestern University accepts only 8% of applicants. Vincent Alban for The Washington Post via Getty Images Location: Evanston, IllinoisApplicants: 49,474Acceptance rate: 7.7%Student population: 23,400 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $71,802Most popular degree: Economics 15. Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore. JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images Location: BaltimoreApplicants: 45,895Acceptance rate: 6.4%Student population: 30,210 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $68,670Most popular major: Cellular and Molecular Biology 14. Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University accepts 6% of applicants. William DeShazer for The Washington Post via Getty Images Location: NashvilleApplicants: 45,409Acceptance rate: 5.9%Student population: 13,575 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $69,822Most popular degree: Human and Organizational Development 13. Duke University Duke University has a tuition of $73,740 for the current academic year. Bloomberg/Getty Images Location: Durham, North CarolinaApplicants: 51,795Acceptance rate: 5.7%Student population: 17,325 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $73,740Most popular degree: Computer Science 10. Dartmouth College (tie) Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, has a 5% acceptance rate. Bloomberg/Getty Images Location: Hanover, New HampshireApplicants: 31,656Acceptance rate: 5.4%Student population: 6,900 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $71,697Most popular major: Economics 10. University of Pennsylvania (tie) The University of Pennsylvania has an acceptance rate of 5%. Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images Location: PhiladelphiaApplicants: 65,226Acceptance rate: 5.4%Student population: 29,384 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $65,670Most popular major: Business, Management and Related Support Services 10. Brown University (tie) Brown University is one of the most difficult universities in the US to apply to. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Location: Providence, Rhode IslandApplicants: 48,904Acceptance rate: 5.4%Student population: 11,164 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $74,568Most popular major: Computer Science 9. Northeastern University Northeastern University is one of many prestigious universities located in Boston. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Location: BostonApplicants: 98,425Acceptance rate: 5.2%Student population: 47,367 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $70,000Most popular major: Business, Management, and Engineering 8. Princeton University Princeton University, located in Princeton, New Jersey, has a 5% acceptance rate. Bloomberg/Getty Images Location: Princeton, New JerseyApplicants: 40,468Acceptance rate: 4.6%Student population: 9,106 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $68,140Most popular degree: Economics 6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (tie) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's most popular major is Computer Science and Engineering. MIT Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsApplicants: 28,232Acceptance rate: 4.5%Student population: 11,816 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $92,760Most popular major: Computer Science and Engineering 6. University of Chicago (tie) The University of Chicago has an acceptance rate of 4.5%. : Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Location: ChicagoApplicants: 43,612Acceptance rate: 4.5%Student population: 19,140 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $75,960Most popular major: Economics 5. Columbia University Columbia University is among the most difficult universities to apply to across the US. Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images Location: New York CityApplicants: 60,115Acceptance rate: 4.0%Student population: 35,173 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $72,800Most popular major: Computer Science 4. Yale University Yale University's most popular major is Economics. Bloomberg/Getty Images Location: New Haven, ConnecticutApplicants: 57,517Acceptance rate: 3.9%Student population: 15,657 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $94,100Most popular degree: Economics 2. Harvard University (tie) Harvard University is tied for the second-most selective university in the US. Zhu Ziyu/VCG via Getty Images Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsApplicants: 54,008Acceptance rate: 3.6%Student population: 24,317 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $62,226Most popular major: Economics 2. Stanford University (tie) The most popular major at Stanford University, located in Silicon Valley, is Computer Science. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Location: Stanford, CaliforniaApplicants: 57,326Acceptance rate: 3.6%Student population: 17,314 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $67,731Most popular major: Computer Science 1. California Institute of Technology Caltech is the most difficult US university to get into. The Image Party/Shutterstock Location: Pasadena, CaliforniaApplicants: 13,856Acceptance rate: 2.6%Student population: 2,368 students2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition: $68,574Most popular degree: Computer Science Read next Tristin Hoffman is a Life Fellow on Business Insider’s Editorial Partnerships team. Her reporting focuses on retail, travel, business, and more through a visual storytelling and lifestyle lens. She has previously reported on Oregon’s economy for The Oregonian and Pennsylvania litigation for Law.com. Her stories have inspired policy changes, shed light on public officials’ misconduct, and gained national awards. She graduated from the University of Oregon, where she studied journalism and law while serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Emerald. Education