East Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in East for 2024

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in East. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is Harvard University which sent acceptance letters to only 3% of the 61,221 students who applied and rejected 97%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of East colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
East Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

80 results

Harvard University
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H
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

3% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Colleges in America

  • 30,631enrollment
  • $19,491net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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M
Cambridge, MA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,858enrollment
  • $20,232net price
  • 1530-1580SAT range
  • 35-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Columbia University in the City of New York
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C
New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#22 Best Colleges in America

  • 34,782enrollment
  • $22,058net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Yale University
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Y
New Haven, CT

Yale University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Colleges in America

  • 14,776enrollment
  • $18,647net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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Brown University
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B
Providence, RI

Brown University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,189enrollment
  • $26,723net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Dartmouth College
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D
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Colleges in America

  • 6,744enrollment
  • $19,208net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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Princeton University
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P
Princeton, NJ

Princeton University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Colleges in America

  • 8,842enrollment
  • $18,698net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.93Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Amherst College
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A
Amherst, MA

Amherst College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,898enrollment
  • $21,367net price
  • 1420-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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Northeastern University
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N
Boston, MA

Northeastern University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 30,013enrollment
  • $35,827net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Cornell University
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C
Ithaca, NY

Cornell University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Colleges in America

  • 25,898enrollment
  • $26,060net price
  • 1470-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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University of Pennsylvania
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P
Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Colleges in America

  • 28,201enrollment
  • $26,123net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Swarthmore College
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S
Swarthmore, PA

Swarthmore College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 1,625enrollment
  • $20,715net price
  • 1440-1560SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

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Colby College
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C
Waterville, ME

Colby College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,299enrollment
  • $16,951net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Williams College
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W
Williamstown, MA

Williams College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,222enrollment
  • $20,965net price
  • 1480-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

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Bowdoin College
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B
Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

9% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,915enrollment
  • $22,776net price
  • 1460-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Barnard College
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B
New York, NY

Barnard College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

9% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 3,442enrollment
  • $26,009net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.85Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

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Tufts University
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T
Medford, MA

Tufts University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 13,431enrollment
  • $30,479net price
  • 1450-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Curtis Institute of Music
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C
Philadelphia, PA
 

Curtis Institute of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 151enrollment
  • $20,005net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 18

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