Most Competitive College in Every U.S. State: Where Admission Is Toughest

Being accepted into college is a significant achievement, and the institution you choose can greatly affect your career opportunities and earning potential. As demand for higher education remains high, competition for top schools is fierce. Below are the colleges that Niche identifies as the most selective in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia, based on U.S. Department of Education data on acceptance rates and SAT/ACT scores.

Alabama: University of West Alabama

Location: Livingston

Acceptance rate: 28%

Graduation rate: 33%

SAT range: 860–1020

ACT range: 18–23

Graduates’ starting salary: $26,400

The University of West Alabama is a public institution founded in 1835 with about 1,843 students. Popular majors include liberal arts and humanities, nursing, and kinesiology and exercise science.

Alaska: University of Alaska Southeast

Location: Juneau

Acceptance rate: 71%

Graduation rate: 24%

SAT/ACT range: N/A

Graduates’ starting salary: $31,500

Founded in 1987, the University of Alaska Southeast enrolls about 629 students. Common programs include business, nursing assistant training, and liberal arts.

Arizona: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott

Location: Prescott

Acceptance rate: 77%

Graduation rate: 60%

SAT range: 1130–1350

ACT range: 23–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $47,900

Embry-Riddle is a private university focused on aviation, aerospace, security, and intelligence. Founded in 1978, it enrolls about 2,471 students, with popular majors in aerospace engineering, aeronautics and aviation technology, and international relations.

Arkansas: University of Arkansas

Location: Fayetteville

Acceptance rate: 66%

Graduation rate: 62%

SAT range: 1110–1280

ACT range: 23–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $37,100

Established in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a public research university with about 20,464 students. Popular majors include finance, nursing, and marketing.

California: Stanford University

Location: Palo Alto

Acceptance rate: 5%

Graduation rate: 94%

SAT range: 1390–1540

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $70,400

Stanford, founded in 1885, is one of the nation’s most selective private universities with about 7,064 students. Popular fields of study include computer science, biology, and engineering.

Colorado: U.S. Air Force Academy

Location: Near Colorado Springs (USAFA)

Acceptance rate: 12%

Graduation rate: 78%

SAT range: 1210–1390

ACT range: 28–32

The Air Force Academy, founded in 1954, is a federal service academy with about 4,276 cadets. Popular majors include business, economics, and systems engineering.

Connecticut: Yale University

Location: New Haven

Acceptance rate: 7%

Graduation rate: 97%

SAT range: 1460–1580

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $56,600

Founded in 1701, Yale is an elite private university with about 5,743 students. Popular majors include economics, history, and political science.

Delaware: University of Delaware

Location: Newark

Acceptance rate: 63%

Graduation rate: 82%

SAT range: 1130–1330

ACT range: 25–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $46,700

The University of Delaware, founded in 1743, is a public university with around 18,195 students. Popular majors include liberal arts and humanities, finance, and marketing.

Florida: University of Miami

Location: Coral Gables

Acceptance rate: 36%

Graduation rate: 84%

SAT range: 1230–1420

ACT range: 28–32

Graduates’ starting salary: $47,500

The University of Miami is a private institution founded in 1925 with about 10,216 students. Popular majors include finance, nursing, and economics.

Georgia: Emory University

Location: Druid Hills

Acceptance rate: 22%

Graduation rate: 91%

SAT range: 1350–1520

ACT range: 30–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $57,500

Emory, founded in 1836, is a top private university with about 6,794 students. Common majors include business, biology, and nursing.

Hawaii: Brigham Young University–Hawaii

Location: Laie

Acceptance rate: 37%

Graduation rate: 56%

SAT range: 1090–1250

ACT range: 22–26

Graduates’ starting salary: $29,000

BYU–Hawaii is a private, faith-based university founded in 1955 with about 2,702 students. Popular majors include liberal arts and humanities, biology, and accounting.

Idaho: Northwest Nazarene University

Location: Nampa

Acceptance rate: 73%

Graduation rate: 56%

SAT range: 1030–1230

ACT range: 20–27

Graduates’ starting salary: $30,800

Founded in 1913, Northwest Nazarene is a private Christian university enrolling roughly 1,125 students. Popular majors include business, nursing, and accounting.

Illinois: University of Chicago

Location: Chicago

Acceptance rate: 8%

Graduation rate: 93%

SAT range: 1480–1580

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $54,300

Established in 1890, the University of Chicago is a private research university with around 5,978 students. Popular majors include economics, mathematics, and biology.

Indiana: University of Notre Dame

Location: South Bend

Acceptance rate: 19%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1370–1520

ACT range: 32–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $61,800

Notre Dame, founded in 1842, is a leading private Catholic university with about 8,557 students. Popular majors include finance, accounting, and economics.

Iowa: Grinnell College

Location: Grinnell

Acceptance rate: 29%

Graduation rate: 87%

SAT range: 1310–1510

ACT range: 30–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $32,800

Grinnell College, founded in 1846, is a private liberal arts college with about 1,662 students. Popular majors include economics, political science, and computer science.

Kansas: Central Christian College of Kansas

Location: McPherson

Acceptance rate: 39%

Graduation rate: 22%

SAT range: 890–1120

ACT range: 17–22

Graduates’ starting salary: $27,000

Central Christian College, founded in 1884, is a private Christian college with around 730 students. Popular majors include business, criminal justice and law enforcement administration, and liberal arts and humanities.

Kentucky: Berea College

Location: Berea

Acceptance rate: 35%

Graduation rate: 66%

SAT range: 970–1200

ACT range: 22–27

Graduates’ starting salary: $24,600

Berea College is a private institution founded in 1855 with about 1,615 students. Popular majors include biology, information science, and psychology.

Louisiana: Tulane University

Location: New Orleans

Acceptance rate: 21%

Graduation rate: 83%

SAT range: 1330–1490

ACT range: 30–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $42,800

Tulane, founded in 1834, is a private research university with about 6,716 students. Popular majors include finance, health professions, and business.

Maine: Bowdoin College

Location: Brunswick

Acceptance rate: 14%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1360–1510

ACT range: 31–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $44,600

Bowdoin College, founded in 1794, is a private liberal arts college with roughly 1,813 students. Popular majors include political science, economics, and mathematics.

Maryland: Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore

Acceptance rate: 13%

Graduation rate: 93%

SAT range: 1450–1570

ACT range: 33–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $62,700

Johns Hopkins, established in 1876, is a leading private research university with about 5,668 students. Popular majors include public health, nursing, and international relations.

Massachusetts: Harvard University

Location: Cambridge

Acceptance rate: 5%

Graduation rate: 96%

SAT range: 1460–1590

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $70,300

Harvard, founded in 1636 and the oldest college in the United States, enrolls about 7,147 students. Popular majors include economics, computer science, and history.

Michigan: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Location: Ann Arbor

Acceptance rate: 27%

Graduation rate: 92%

SAT range: 1330–1500

ACT range: 30–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $49,800

The University of Michigan, founded in 1817, is a top public university with about 28,702 students. Popular majors include information science, business, and psychology.

Minnesota: Carleton College

Location: Northfield

Acceptance rate: 21%

Graduation rate: 94%

SAT range: 1360–1530

ACT range: 31–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $39,500

Carleton College, founded in 1866, is a private liberal arts college with around 2,055 students. Popular majors include computer science, biology, and economics.

Mississippi: Mississippi College

Location: Clinton

Acceptance rate: 39%

Graduation rate: 59%

SAT range: 1070–1290

ACT range: 22–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $31,700

Mississippi College, founded in 1826, is a private Christian college with about 2,793 students. Popular majors include kinesiology and exercise science, nursing, and business.

Missouri: Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis

Acceptance rate: 16%

Graduation rate: 94%

SAT range: 1470–1570

ACT range: 32–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $56,500

WashU, founded in 1853, is a private research university with about 7,074 students. Popular majors include finance, psychology, and computer science.

Montana: Rocky Mountain College

Location: Billings

Acceptance rate: 64%

Graduation rate: 52%

SAT range: 910–1150

ACT range: 20–25

Graduates’ starting salary: $30,100

Rocky Mountain College is a private Christian college founded in 1878 with about 868 students. Popular majors include business, kinesiology, and biology.

Nebraska: University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Location: Lincoln

Acceptance rate: 64%

Graduation rate: 68%

SAT range: 1100–1380

ACT range: 22–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $37,200

Founded in 1869, UNL is a public university with approximately 19,534 students. Popular majors include business, psychology, and public relations.

Nevada: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Location: Paradise (Las Vegas)

Acceptance rate: 81%

Graduation rate: 42%

SAT range: 1030–1240

ACT range: 19–24

Graduates’ starting salary: $36,500

UNLV, founded in 1957, is a public university with about 18,958 students. Popular majors include hospitality and tourism management, psychology, and criminal justice.

New Hampshire: Dartmouth College

Location: Hanover

Acceptance rate: 10%

Graduation rate: 96%

SAT range: 1430–1560

ACT range: 30–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $58,900

Dartmouth, founded in 1769, is a private college with about 4,360 students. Popular majors include economics, political science, and computer science.

New Jersey: Princeton University

Location: Princeton

Acceptance rate: 6%

Graduation rate: 97%

SAT range: 1430–1570

ACT range: 31–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $60,800

Founded in 1746, Princeton is a top private university with about 5,260 students. Popular majors include computer hardware engineering, economics, and public policy analysis.

New Mexico: New Mexico Tech

Location: Socorro

Acceptance rate: 22%

Graduation rate: 47%

SAT range: 1190–1390

ACT range: 23–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $43,500

New Mexico Tech, founded in 1889, is a public STEM-focused university with about 1,294 students. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, mining and petroleum engineering, and electrical engineering.

New York: Columbia University

Location: New York City

Acceptance rate: 7%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1410–1570

ACT range: 31–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $66,500

Columbia, founded in 1754, is a leading private university with approximately 7,592 students. Popular majors include economics, computer science, and political science.

North Carolina: Duke University

Location: Durham

Acceptance rate: 10%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1380–1540

ACT range: 31–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $76,300

Duke, founded in 1838, is a private research university with about 6,669 students. Popular majors include economics, computer science, and public policy analysis.

North Dakota: Mayville State University

Location: Mayville

Acceptance rate: 48%

Graduation rate: 35%

SAT range: 693–915

ACT range: 18–23

Graduates’ starting salary: $34,000

Mayville State, founded in 1889, is a public university with around 600 students. Popular majors include business, nursing, and elementary education.

Ohio: Case Western Reserve University

Location: Cleveland

Acceptance rate: 33%

Graduation rate: 83%

SAT range: 1340–1520

ACT range: 30–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $59,600

Case Western, founded in 1826, is a private research university with about 4,978 students. Popular majors include bioengineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science.

Oklahoma: University of Tulsa

Location: Tulsa

Acceptance rate: 39%

Graduation rate: 69%

SAT range: 1150–1440

ACT range: 25–32

Graduates’ starting salary: $39,800

The University of Tulsa, founded in 1894, is a private Christian university with about 3,203 students. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, finance, and petroleum engineering.

Oregon: Reed College

Location: Portland

Acceptance rate: 36%

Graduation rate: 80%

SAT range: 1310–1500

ACT range: 30–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $30,400

Reed College, founded in 1908, is a private liberal arts college with about 1,408 students. Popular majors include English, liberal arts and humanities, and biology.

Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia

Acceptance rate: 9%

Graduation rate: 96%

SAT range: 1420–1560

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $71,600

Founded in 1740, Penn is an Ivy League university with about 10,496 students. Popular majors include finance, nursing, and economics.

Rhode Island: Brown University

Location: Providence

Acceptance rate: 8%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1400–1570

ACT range: 31–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $52,500

Brown, founded in 1764, is a private Ivy League university with about 6,666 students. Popular majors include biology, economics, and computer science.

South Carolina: Clemson University

Location: Clemson

Acceptance rate: 47%

Graduation rate: 82%

SAT range: 1220–1390

ACT range: 27–31

Graduates’ starting salary: $43,600

Clemson, founded in 1889, is a public research university with about 18,642 students. Popular majors include business, biology, and marketing.

South Dakota: Augustana University

Location: Sioux Falls

Acceptance rate: 68%

Graduation rate: 71%

SAT range: 1070–1290

ACT range: 23–29

Graduates’ starting salary: $37,700

Augustana, founded in 1860, is a private university with about 1,679 students. Popular majors include business, nursing, and biology.

Tennessee: Vanderbilt University

Location: Nashville

Acceptance rate: 11%

Graduation rate: 92%

SAT range: 1440–1570

ACT range: 32–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $53,400

Vanderbilt, founded in 1873, is a top private university with about 6,805 students. Popular majors include economics, social science research methods, and liberal arts.

Texas: Rice University

Location: Houston

Acceptance rate: 16%

Graduation rate: 91%

SAT range: 1490–1580

ACT range: 33–35

Graduates’ starting salary: $56,600

Rice, founded in 1912, is a private research university with about 3,916 students. Popular majors include economics, information science, and chemical engineering.

Utah: Brigham Young University

Location: Provo

Acceptance rate: 52%

Graduation rate: 83%

SAT range: 1210–1410

ACT range: 27–32

Graduates’ starting salary: $41,100

BYU, founded in 1875, is a private, faith-based university with about 28,156 students. Popular majors include exercise physiology, accounting, and psychology.

Vermont: Middlebury College

Location: Middlebury

Acceptance rate: 17%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1320–1510

ACT range: 30–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $41,900

Middlebury, founded in 1800, is a private liberal arts college with about 2,528 students. Popular majors include economics, political science, and environmental science.

Virginia: Washington and Lee University

Location: Lexington

Acceptance rate: 22%

Graduation rate: 92%

SAT range: 1350–1490

ACT range: 31–33

Graduates’ starting salary: $49,900

Washington and Lee, founded in 1749, is a private liberal arts university with about 1,823 students. Popular majors include business, accounting, and economics.

Washington: University of Washington

Location: Seattle

Acceptance rate: 46%

Graduation rate: 84%

SAT range: 1190–1420

ACT range: 27–32

Graduates’ starting salary: $44,900

Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is a major public research university with about 28,759 students. Popular majors include psychology, communications, and biochemistry and molecular biology.

Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University

Location: Washington, D.C.

Acceptance rate: 16%

Graduation rate: 95%

SAT range: 1350–1520

ACT range: 30–34

Graduates’ starting salary: $65,200

Georgetown, founded in 1789, is a top private Catholic university with about 6,987 students. Popular majors include political science, international relations, and finance.

West Virginia: Alderson Broaddus University

Location: Philippi

Acceptance rate: 41%

Graduation rate: 47%

SAT range: 930–1080

ACT range: 18–23

Graduates’ starting salary: $34,500

Alderson Broaddus, founded in 1871, is a private Christian university with roughly 903 students. Popular majors include nursing, business, and biology.

Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Location: Madison

Acceptance rate: 54%

Graduation rate: 87%

SAT range: 1280–1450

ACT range: 27–31

Graduates’ starting salary: $45,000

The University of Wisconsin–Madison, founded in 1848, is a leading public university with about 28,977 students. Popular majors include biology, economics, and information science.

Wyoming: University of Wyoming

Location: Laramie

Acceptance rate: 97%

Graduation rate: 58%

SAT range: 1040–1290

ACT range: 22–27

Graduates’ starting salary: $38,700

Founded in 1886, the University of Wyoming is a public university with around 8,281 students. Popular majors include nursing, psychology, and elementary education.

Note: Rankings and data are based on Niche’s compilation of U.S. Department of Education statistics for acceptance rates and standardized test scores.