The toughest college to get accepted to in the United States isn’t an Ivy League institution, Stanford University, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s Minerva University, an independent college headquartered in San Francisco.
Minerva University, which boasts a small student-to-faculty ratio and involves living and learning across the globe, has an acceptance rate of 4% and is ranked first on the 2025 Hardest Colleges to Get Into in America by Niche, a website that provides reviews, grades, and other information on K-12 and postsecondary schools. It also ranked the best colleges in California for 2025, many of which overlap with this list.
Minerva University had nearly 10,000 first-time undergraduate students apply for fall 2023, according to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data. Of that, 350 students were admitted. For fall 2023, were 656 students enrolled at the college, according to IPED.
See the top 10 most difficult colleges to get into in California, according to Niche
Minera University, San Francisco
Acceptance rate: 4%
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena
Acceptance rate: 3%
Stanford University, Stanford
Acceptance rate: 4%
Pomona College, Claremont
Acceptance rate: 7%
UCLA, Los Angeles
Acceptance rate: 9%
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont
Acceptance rate: 11%
Stanbridge University, Irvine
Acceptance rate: 20%
UC Berkeley, Berkeley
Acceptance rate: 12%
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Acceptance rate: 10%
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont
Acceptance rate: 13%
Hardest colleges in America to get into, according to Niche
Minerva University: acceptance rate of 4%
California Institute of Technology (Caltech): acceptance rate of 3%
Harvard University: acceptance rate of 3%
Stanford University: acceptance rate of 4%
Columbia University: acceptance rate of 4%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): acceptance rate of 5%
Yale University: acceptance rate of 5%
Brown University: acceptance rate of 5%
University of Chicago: acceptance rate of 5%
Princeton University: acceptance rate of 4%
How was the ranking determined?
This ranking is based on acceptance rates using data from the U.S. Department of Education, according to Niche. The statistics from the education department “represent the most recent data available, as self-reported by the colleges.”
What university has the highest acceptance rate?
According to Niche, some of the best colleges in America with high acceptance rates include:
Arizona State University: 90% acceptance rate
University of Mississippi: 98% acceptance rate
University of St. Thomas - Minnesota: 91% acceptance rate
University of Wyoming: 98% acceptance rate
University of Kentucky: 92% acceptance rate
Other schools on Niche's list include community colleges and technical schools.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Top 10 hardest colleges to get into in California, Niche finds
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