3 Best Ivy League Schools Ranked By Selectivity

Below you can see our list of the 3 best Ivy League schools ranked by selectivity. For a more comprehensive list please see this article.

3. Princeton University

Acceptance rate in 2023: 5.6%

Acceptance rate in 2024: 6.8%

Princeton University is the only Ivy League school to have actually reduced the percentage of applicants admitted, decreasing by 1.2%. It was founded in 1746 and is the fourth oldest educational institution in the United States, thought it was only renamed as Princeton University fairly recently in 1896. It is one of the richest universities in the US and at a per student level, has the highest endowment in the United States. 68 Nobel Laureates, two U.S. Presidents and twelve U.S. Supreme Court Justices have attended Yale, 3 of which are currently still on the bench.

2. Columbia University

Acceptance rate in 2023: 6.1%

Acceptance rate in 2024: 5.1%

Columbia University was founded in 1754 and has often been ranked by various educational publications to be among the best universities not just in the US, but across the world as well. A lot of major scientific breakthroughs have been achieved in this university including the first nuclear fission reaction in America, and has the third largest private research library in the U.S. 125 Pulitzer Price recipients, 96 Nobel Laureats and even 33 Academy Award winners have graduated from the Columbia University.

1. Harvard University

Acceptance rate in 2023: 4.9%

Acceptance rate in 2024: 4.5%

Of course Harvard University tops the list of 3 Best Ivy League schools ranked by selectivity, which, established in 1636, is the oldest educational institution in the United States, and perhaps the most famous and prestigious as well. It has the world’s largest academic library with over 21 million items, and has the highest endowment in the world for an educational institution at $40 billion. 8 U.S. Presidents, 188 living billionaires and 108 Olympic medals are just some of the achievements that Harvard and its alumni can boast about.

See also 10 fastest growing private universities in the US and 7 tuition free universities in Germany for international students