Are you curious which of America’s universities boasts the lowest acceptance rate? If so, you likely have some schools in mind that could take the cake.

But, among America’s most selective universities as ranked by US News & World Report, is it Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or MIT? Is it Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn, or Cornell? Is it Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt, WashU, or Caltech? Want a Spoiler Alert?

Harvard Boasts Lowest Acceptance Rate for Class of 2028, But Caltech Could Ultimately Take the Prize

Harvard boasts the lowest overall acceptance rate among all U.S. universities for the Class of 2028. But the much smaller Caltech could take the grand prize once the school releases its Common Data Set, including its overall admission rate for the Caltech Class of 2028. When the private research university’s Common Data Set was released for the Class of 2027, Caltech retroactively took the lowest acceptance rate prize away from Harvard with its slim 3.14%, as predicted by the ever-accurate Ivy Coach crystal ball.

So – Which College Had the Lowest Acceptance Rate of 2023-2024?

Answer: It’s Harvard and Everyone Else, Except Maybe Caltech.

Below are the overall admission rates for the Class of 2028 among America’s most selective national universities. If the school has yet to publish its admission rate, we’ll include it once the figures are released through The Common Data Set.

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rates of 2023-2024

College/University	2024 US News Rank	Class of 2027 Overall Admission Rate	Class of 2028 Overall Admission Rate
Harvard University	#3	3.41%	3.66%
Yale University	#5	4.35%	3.70%
Columbia University	#12	3.93%	3.85%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	#2	4.68%	4.50%
Vanderbilt University	#18	5.61%	5.10%
Duke University	#7	6%	5.10%
Brown University	#9	5.08%	5.20%
Dartmouth College	#18	6.07%	5.30%
Northwestern University	#9	7%	7.50%
Rice University	#17	7.70%	7.50%
Washington University in St. Louis	#24	11.96%	12.07%
University of Chicago	#12	5%	Not Yet Published
Princeton University	#1	4.50%	Not Yet Published
Stanford University	#3	3.91%	Not Yet Published
Johns Hopkins University	#9	7.56%	Not Yet Published
University of Pennsylvania	#6	5.87%	Not Yet Published
California Institute of Technology	#7	3.14%	Not Yet Published
Cornell University	#12	7.90%	Not Yet Published

Harvard’s Class of 2028 Admission Bests Its Ivy League Peers

For the Class of 2028, the most recent batch of applicants to America’s elite universities, five of the eight Ivy League institutions have reported their overall admission rates. Of these five institutions, Dartmouth’s overall admission rate stood at 5.3%, Brown’s at 5.2%, Columbia’s at 3.85%, Yale’s at 3.70%, and Harvard’s at 3.66% (its highest acceptance rate of the last four years).

Of the three Ivy League schools that have yet to release their overall acceptance rates for the Class of 2028 — Princeton, UPenn, and Cornell — it’s improbable that any of the three eclipsed Harvard’s 3.41% overall admission rate. For the Class of 2027, Princeton’s overall admission rate stood at 4.5%, UPenn’s at 5.87%, and Cornell’s at 7.9%.

So, among the Ivy League institutions, it’s Harvard and everyone else. But what about Harvard’s peer institutions outside of the Ivies?

Harvard’s Class of 2028 Admission Rate Bests:

Stanford University

Stanford’s overall admission rate came in 3.91% for the Class of 2027, slightly higher than the record low acceptance rate of 3.66% the year prior. So while Stanford could boast a lower overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 than Harvard when the figure is ultimately released, it would require a significant new benchmark. We don’t expect Stanford’s admission rate for the Class of 2028 to be lower than Harvard’s.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 stood at 4.5%. It’s lower than the previous year’s rate, which stood at 4.68% for the Class of 2027, but still doesn’t match the year prior. For the Class of 2026, a record-low 3.96% of applicants to The Institute earned admission. But even for the Class of 2026, MIT’s overall admission rate did not match Harvard’s 3.19%.

Duke University

Duke’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 stood at 5.1%, down from 6% for the Class of 2027. Yet while the Durham, North Carolina-based institution boasts a very low overall admission rate, it’s not in the category of Harvard.

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins has yet to release its Class of 2028 overall admission rate, but the school’s admission rate stood at 7.56% for the Class of 2027 — not in the ballpark of Harvard.

Northwestern University

Northwestern’s overall acceptance stood at 7.5% for the Class of 2028 — 0.5% higher than the Class of 2027. So Northwestern is also not in the conversation for the lowest overall admission rate among America’s top schools.

University of Chicago

UChicago’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2027 stood at 5%, eclipsing the school’s 5.44% admission rate for the Class of 2026. While the Class of 2028 data has yet to be released, we do not predict it will be within range of Harvard.

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 landed at 5.1%, besting its 5.61% overall admission rate for the Class of 2027. It’s a super low admission rate, without question, but it’s not in the ballpark of Harvard.

Washington University in St. Louis

WashU’s 12.07% acceptance rate to the Class of 2028 is the highest on our list, and even higher than its previous cycle acceptance rate, which stood at a respectable 11.96%. Either way, it certainly does not best Harvard.

Rice University

Rice’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 landed at 7.5% compared to 7.7% for the Rice Class of 2027. So it’s apples and oranges when we’re talking about Harvard’s overall acceptance rate.

Caltech’s Class of 2028 Admission Rate Could Turn Out to Be Lower than Harvard’s

Caltech has yet to release its overall admission rate for the Class of 2028, reporting only that 315 students earned admission. However, Caltech’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2026 stood at 2.69%. No university in America boasted a lower overall admission rate than Caltech for the Class of 2026, or has since! 3.14% were admitted to the Class of 2027 at Caltech, but the Class of 2026 still holds the crown for the lowest acceptance rate ever recorded (sorry Harvard!).

Thus it would not be surprising if Caltech’s overall admission rate for the Class of 2028 bests Harvard’s current low for the year among U.S. universities. But we’ll only know once Caltech’s Common Data Set for the Class of 2028 is published. So, hurry up, Caltech!