Acceptance to a choice university in the United States isn’t as simple as filling out the paperwork and walking through the doors. Being accepted into some universities in this country can be very difficult. According to Niche.com—with rankings based on acceptance rates and SAT/ACT test scores using data from the U.S. Department of Education—these are the five hardest universities to get into in 2019 (topping the list are a handful of usual candidates you’ll recognize.)

1. Harvard University

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and its prestigious status makes it famous (or infamous) for how hard it is to be accepted. It’s been almost 400 years since the university was founded, and the time-tested, revered tradition of tough admission hasn’t affected the institution’s status as a top-tier school. Niche still ranks Harvard as the number three overall best college in the country for 2019.  

Harvard had a slim 4.6 percent acceptance rate in 2018, which is almost half the acceptance rate from a decade earlier.

2. Stanford University

Stanford University is in California, across the country from Harvard, but it continues to rival Harvard for the university with the lowest acceptance rate in the United States (having a lower acceptance rate percentage in 2014). Stanford has a 5.05 percent acceptance rate for 2019, which is the lowest in the university’s history. This is more than a 1.5 percent drop from 2012 and follows a pattern of increased selectivity in recent years.

Again, this doesn’t seem to stop Stanford from ranking high on the best-of list for universities in the country. Niche ranks Stanford as the number two best college overall in 2019.

3. California Institute of Technology

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena has nearly as much established educational history and significance as Stanford (both founded in 1891), but it often doesn’t receive the same first-glance nods of approval simply because it’s not an Ivy League University. However, it was tougher to get into in 2019 than both of the Ivy League schools below.

Caltech has an overall acceptance rate of 8 percent for 2019, with under 7,500 students being accepted, and SAT scores for acceptance are higher on average than both Yale and Princeton. Unfortunately, Caltech didn’t make Niche’s top-five list of best colleges in 2019.

4. Yale University

Another East Coast school, Connecticut’s Yale University has almost 200 years on Stanford in terms of being founded earlier (still shy of Harvard by more than 60 years), and like fine wine, it continues to make the rounds in discussion at high-society tables. The university is among the top schools in terms of academic and social prestige, and the Yale University Library (with its more than 15 million volumes) is one of the largest in the country. Yale ranked fourth in Niche’s best-of list for 2019.

Yale’s acceptance rate actually rose from 6.26 percent in 2018 to 6.49 percent in 2019. It’s not much of a bump, but at this level of higher education, any shift is worth noting.

5. Princeton University

Princeton University, Harvard, and Yale are the three oldest Ivy League universities in the United States, so it’s no surprise (based on the pattern here) that Princeton makes the top five list of hardest universities to attend. Also in-line with the pattern, Princeton ranks fifth on Niche’s best-of list for 2019.

Princeton rivals Harvard and Stanford’s low acceptance rate with a mere 5.5 percent of students being accepted in 2018, but the school’s graduation rate reaches 97 to 98 percent on average.

The Hardest Schools to Get into Are Not the Best in 2019

It may be a surprise that the best university overall to attend in 2019 (according to Niche’s rankings) is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which would have been the sixth college on this list! Maybe avoiding top five hardest-to-get-into exclusivity helped it rank higher on the best-of list for 2019.

The funny thing about the difficulty of admission for each university listed above is that the exclusivity is often part of the appeal. Being admitted to Harvard or Stanford is an instant “I made the cut” badge of honor, and some would say that’s well worth the academic and mental price of admission.

Looking for something a little easier and less exclusive? Here are 15 of the easiest colleges in the United States to get—chances are tuition won’t be quite as expensive.

15 Easiest USA Universities To Get Admission Into

1: University of Michigan Flint

Tuition: $4368

The University of Michigan–Flint focuses on each student’s professional and academic growth.  It offers over 100 undergraduate (bachelor’s) and graduate (master’s and doctoral) degree programs in various concentrations and departments.

2: West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Tuition: $4,677

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is the fifth largest community college. WVU Parkersburg is the only and exclusive community college in West Virginia that offers Bachelor’s degrees. Presently, they offer Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and applied technology etc.

3: The Boston Architectural College

Tuition: 11,490

The Boston Architectural College is a progressive and dynamic institution on the cutting edge of design education.It is Located in the heart of Boston. It offers undergraduate and graduate degree in Architecture and design studies and emphasizes on qualityeducation.

4: The city University of New York

Tuition: $4,200 per year.

York College is recognized as a center of excellence as it offers hallmark academic programs in liberal arts and sciences. It will be the first choice for anticipated and prospective students, interested in the health professions, allied health sciences, business, and aviation management.

5: Weber State University

Tuition: $3,961 (two semesters).

Weber State University is a public university located in Ogden, Utah. The school offers over 200 certificates and bachelor’s degreeprograms. It also offer master’s degree programs in nursing, health administration, education, English, and business administration.

6: Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Tuition: $6,519

Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) is situated in Oklahoma. It is administered by the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. It offers bachelor’s degrees in various fields i.e., history nursing, business and education etc.

7: Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Tuition: $4,252.50 (two semesters).

Northwestern Oklahoma State University is located in Alva, Oklahoma. It also has two smaller satellite campuses which are located in Woodward and Enid.it offers Bachelor of Arts degrees and Bachelor of Science degrees and also a large variety of master’s degrees.

8: Cameron University

Tuition: $159.00 per semester hour.

Cameron University is located in Lawton, Oklahoma. It is a state funded university. It offers over50 associate and bachelor degrees in various fields.

9: University of Texas at Brownsville

Total fee per semester: $430.77

The University of Texas is located in Brownsville, Texas. It offers bachelor’s and graduate degrees in fields such as liberal arts business and education, etc. Theyalso offer outstanding and matchless professional programs which are able to meet the national and international needs.

10: College of Staten Island – City University of New York

Tuition: $2,715 per semester.

The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a member of the City University of New York. It offers bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts and the sciences. It also offers 13 master’s degree programs along with doctoral degree programs in the City University Graduate School and University Center.

11: University of Pikeville

Tuition: $17,050

The University of Pikeville is a private university located in Pikeville; Ken tuck .It offers bachelors, and master’s degrees through six academic divisions and one medical college.Its campus life is dynamic and colorful with over 30 student organizations. It enrolls 2,000 students yearly.

12: Washburn University

Tuition: $17,910

Washburn University (WU) is situated in Topeka, Kansas. It has over 200 certificate, associate, bachelor and master programs through its Schools of Business, Law, nursing and Applied Sciences.Washburn University is consistently ranked high among Midwestern Universities.

13: Shawnee State University

Total tuition fees: $3,344.16

Shawnee State University is located in Portsmouth, Ohio. Every single year the school provides its students with over $1.5 million needs-based scholarships. Shawnee State University offers over 80 associate and bachelor’s degree programs and several master’s degree programs.

14: Utah state university

Tuition: $1,645.95(6 credit hours)

Utah state university can be described in two words:” Plain and simple”. USU provides the top-notch academics and hasmore than 200 student’s organizations. Its Outdoor Recreation Program includes rents camping, mountain sports and water sports.

15: Colorado state university

Tuition: $7,952

Colorado state university is a research based university.It provides opportunities to carry out research on infectious disease, environmental science, and biomedical technology. Its professional programs include veterinary medicine, occupational therapy,and agriculture and construction management.