Northwestern University is a private research university ‘headquartered’ Evanston, Illinois and with satellite campuses in Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. There are 21,000 students in total across the campuses and 8,600 undergraduate students. Northwestern is known as an academically excellent institution and one of a small group of highly coveted non-Ivy League schools with an overall acceptance rate in the single digits. However, Northwestern may be best known for the Performing Arts department. Seth Meyers is a graduate of the program, along with many other big Hollywood names.

Tufts is a private research university in Medford, Massachusetts. With an acceptance rate of about 14%, Tufts is considered to be highly selective. The university emphasizes community service and leadership, and academic focuses are integrated with outside institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. They also have a campus in the French Alps.

Duke is a private university in Durham, North Carolina. The school is known for intense academics and a booming sports scene. If you’re on the fence about applying early, consider this: 51% of Duke’s class of 2023 was filled by early decision round applicants. The overall acceptance rate for class of 2023 was around 7%.

Haverford College is a small liberal arts college just outside of the city of Philadelphia. There are only 1353 students. But the student body size at Haverford isn’t what makes it unique and, we feel, exceptional. If Haverford is known for anything, it’s the Honor Code. Most colleges and universities have some form of an Honor Code that students have to sign at some point during their tenure. They all read about the same, too. Don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t plagiarize, etc. All good things, but Haverford’s Honor Code makes those Honor Codes look like simpler organisms.

Hi Students! If you are looking for the Common Application supplement for the Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences (not the Conservatory of Music), you'll probably be glad to hear that Oberlin removed it as of September. While there was a supplement in the past, there is no longer!

Bowdoin College is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It is an iconic school, a beloved school, and a small school. Very small by some people’s standards. Bowdoin has only 1800 students, and Brunswick itself is a town of only about 20,000. Some people go to school in New York City or Los Angeles to be in those cities. The school itself is secondary. If you go to Bowdoin, you need to want to be at Bowdoin. And lots of people want to be at Bowdoin! The acceptance rate has continued to drop and is currently 8.9%, making Bowdoin a very competitive school that is nearly as hard to get into as an Ivy.  

Yale is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale is best known as a member of the Ivy League, and it routinely attracts world-renowned educators and researchers. Beyond exceptional academics, Yale meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for their 5,964 students without any loans. The acceptance rate is 6.22%.

Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has serious southern vibes and was founded in 1873. It is home to many long standing traditions. It’s intense academically and socially, and people love the school. The music and food scene in Nashville are right at Vanderbilt student’s fingertips, and Greek life is huge. About 6,800 undergraduate students attend the school. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was 9.6%.

Princeton is a research university in Princeton, New Jersey. One of the best schools in the country and a member of the prestigious Ivy League, Princeton also prides itself on doing well by the 5,300 undergraduate students. Of recent graduates, 82% graduated debt-free. With exceptional academics and generous loan-free aid packages, it’s not surprising that is it hard to get into Princeton. The overall acceptance rate is only 5.5%. When broken down by GPA, students with a 4.0 have a significant advantage. Last year, 8.1% of applicants with a 4.0 GPA were accepted compared to less than 3% of applicants with a GPA below 3.8.

Harvard is a small, relatively unknown, liberal arts school “just outside of Boston.”

The University of Virginia is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s a big school (campus is over 1,600 acres) with about 16,000 undergraduate students. The overall acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 24%. But when broken down, 36% of in-state students were granted admission and only 19% of non-Virginians got in.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is in, you guessed it, the beautiful town of Chapel Hill in the wonderful state of North Carolina. A public research university, UNC offers affordable in-state tuition, so if you are a North Carolinian already, it’s definitely worth a look. It isn’t an easy school to get into, though. Only about 24% of students who apply are invited to join the 19,000 strong undergraduate student body. If you go, you’ll join the likes of sports greats like Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm, and great-greats like doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong.

Cornell is a private research university that is a member of the prestigious Ivy League. Like Columbia, Harvard, and Yale, Cornell is in an urban setting. However, Ithaca, a medium-sized city in upstate New York, is a smaller and more low-key than New York City or Boston. This makes Cornell a great geographic fit for people who want to be surrounded by resources, but don’t want to be shoved on public transit. Cornell has 15,182 undergraduate students spread across a variety of colleges and is famous for their unique programs for an Ivy League institution. Cornell is the only school in the Ivy League to offer degrees in agriculture and hospitality. They boast 50 Nobel Laureates, and 23% of the students are international. The acceptance rate is 10.6%.

Amherst College is a pretty small college in Amherst, MA. It has 1,849 undergraduates and is a part of the 5-college consortium, enabling students to take classes at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and Smith College in addition to Amherst. Amherst is known for having strong science programs and for fostering a particularly intense academic atmosphere. Their acceptance rate last year was 8%, making it the #2 most competitive liberal arts college. Its supplement can be a bit overwhelming with the number of options and sub-prompts, so we’re here to break it down for you. 

Claremont McKenna is a private liberal arts school in Claremont, California. It is a very small school of only 1,318 students, but don’t let that put you off if you’re not enthusiastic about a tiny collegiate environment. Claremont McKenna is one of the five undergraduate schools that make up the Claremont Colleges, or the 5C’s. The other schools are Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps. Instead of being limited to one school, students at the Claremont Colleges can take courses at any of the schools. Each of the schools has subjects that they are best known for, and Claremont McKenna is hugely respected for their emphasis on economics, finance, government, and international relations. So respected, that their acceptance rate has plummeted over the past few years. Today, it is 9%, making Claremont McKenna Ivy-adjacent when it comes to exclusivity. 

The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with just over 10,000 undergraduate students. While all of the undergraduate programs are impressive, the school gets especially high praise in the fields of finance, business, and anthropology. Penn is also known for the Huntsman program, which has an acceptance rate so low that the school no longer reports it.

Dartmouth College is a private liberal arts school and is a member of the prestigious Ivy League. It is in Hanover, New Hampshire, and there is a focus on providing an education that is in sync with the mountainous landscape. All of the programs at Dartmouth have this self-awareness. It grounds their offerings in the daily realities of being based in an area that, for many, is quite unruly and wild. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the school motto is Vox clamantis in deserto, or “a voice crying out in the wilderness.”

An acceptance to Columbia College, the undergraduate liberal arts college of Columbia University, is one of the most sought-after acceptances in the world. The small student-body is critical to maintaining a smaller-school feel smack dab in a big school in the heart of New York City, but it also means that there aren’t very many spaces open each year. Known for intense academics and a competitive environment that keeps students on their toes, Columbia is able to attract globally-renowned scholars as professors and visiting lecturers, granting students access to world leaders on almost any subject. Knowing this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a lot of people want to get it, but only around 5% of students who apply to Columbia are accepted.

Boston University (BU) is a private university known for its long-standing reputation in research. Located along the Charles River near the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, its diverse variety of study abroad programs, scientific advancements, school spirit, and deep culture of BU Terrier pride—rooted from nationally awarded sports teams—are all highlights of the university. 

Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, NY. Their small size, just under 3,000 undergraduate students, can be deceptive. They offer 56 majors, providing students with a wide breadth of academic options. An institutional commitment to sustainability guides all of their programs. In April 2019, Colgate became the first school of higher education in New York to reach carbon neutrality. They also have a community garden, an on-campus produce stand, and they prioritize locally-sourced food in the dining room. Looking off-campus, many students are involved in the Colgate Hunger Outreach Program, which works to address hunger locally. Last year, their acceptance rate is 22.6%.