What It Takes to Get Accepted Into the Ivy League

Many students dream of attending one of the colleges in the elite Ivy League for their undergraduate education.

While getting accepted to one of the eight Ivy League schools in America, including the No. 1-ranked Princeton University, has long been notoriously difficult -- admission at top colleges overall has become increasingly challenging as more students apply.

[Explore college admission trends at top national universities.]

Just about 8.9 percent of all applicants to Ivy League colleges were admitted for fall 2015, U.S. News data show. The average acceptance rate at four-year colleges and universities nationwide was about 66 percent the year prior, according to the 2015 State of College Admission report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Students who apply early may fare better in the Ivy League admissions process. The average early decision acceptance rate at Ivy League schools was about 23 percent for fall 2015. These programs are binding, meaning students pledge to attend if they get in.

[Find out what happens to students who back out of early decision offers.]

Princeton, which has a nonbinding single-choice early action program, accepted about 20 percent of its early action candidates in fall 2015. The average early decision acceptance rate for schools nationwide was about 62 percent, while it was 73 percent for early action programs, according to data from a 2015 NACAC survey.

But applicants still typically need to have high test scores and top-notch grades to land a spot in the Ivy League. The average SAT critical reading score among freshmen was about 721, while they scored an average of about 735 on the math section, according to 2015 data submitted by Ivy League schools to U.S. News. The average ACT score was 33.

Ninety-four percent of freshmen at institutions in the Ivy League were in the top 10 percent of their high school class, U.S. News data show.

Ivy League institutions may be reach schools for most students, so applicants may want to look beyond these schools to ones that align nicely with their academic and career interests. There's also plenty of other top schools.

Students interested in applying to Ivy League schools -- all among the top of the U.S. News National Universities rankings -- can explore the chart below. It includes important statistics to help teens prepare for the admissions process.

School (state)

Overall acceptance rate

Early decision or action acceptance rate

Freshmen in top 10 percent of high school class (fall 2015)

U.S. News National Universities rank

Harvard University (MA)

6%

N/A

95%

2

Columbia University (NY)

6%

18.9% (ED)

96%

5 (tie)

Yale University (CT)

7%

N/A

97%

3 (tie)

Princeton University (NJ)

7%

19.9% (EA)

94%

1

Brown University (RI)

9%

20.3% (ED)

91%

14

University of Pennsylvania

10%

24% (ED)

95%

8 (tie)

Dartmouth College (NH)

11%

26% (ED)

91%

11

Cornell University (NY)

15%

26.2% (ED)

89%

15 (tie)

Want to learn more about other top colleges? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find enrollment data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for the 2016 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. The enrollment data above are correct as of May 25, 2017.

Alexandra Pannoni is an education digital producer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at apannoni@usnews.com.