List of Ivy League Schools Ranked by Acceptance Rates (2025)

1. What Is an Ivy League Acceptance Rate?

The acceptance rate is the percentage of applicants who get admitted to a college out of the total number of people who applied.

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1.1 What Are the Acceptance Rates at Ivy League Schools?

The Ivy League is known not just for academic prestige but also with acceptance rates consistently under 11%. These schools admit only a tiny percentage of applicants, making them some of the most selective universities in the world.

Acceptance Rates for the Class of 2028:

• Harvard University: 3.5%
• Columbia University: 3.85%
• Yale University: 3.7%
• Princeton University: 4.6%
• Dartmouth College: 5.3%
• Brown University: 5.4%
• University of Pennsylvania (UPenn): 6.0%
• Cornell University: 7.5%

Note: These figures reflect overall admission rates, combining both early and regular decision results for the Class of 2028.

Source: Times Higher Education

Related article: Understanding Ivy League Meaning, History, and Global Reputation

2. List of Ivy League Schools Ranked by Acceptance Rates (2025)

⋆Class of 2029⋆

• Boston College: 39,681 applicants | ~5,000 accepted | 12.6%
• Brown University: 42,765 applicants | 2,418 accepted | 5.65%
• Columbia University: 59,616 applicants | 2,557 accepted | 4.29%
• Cornell University: N/A applicants | 5,824 accepted | N/A
• Dartmouth College: 28,230 applicants | 1,702 accepted | 6%
• Harvard University: N/A applicants | N/A accepted | N/A
• MIT: 29,282 applicants | 1,324 accepted | 4.52%
• Princeton University: N/A applicants | N/A accepted | N/A
• Tufts University: 33,400 applicants | N/A accepted | 10.5%
• University of Pennsylvania: 72,000+ applicants | N/A accepted | N/A
• Yale University: 50,227 applicants | 1,580 accepted | 4.59% (RD only)

Source: Forbes

Note: Several top universities like Harvard, Princeton, and UPenn have chosen not to release full admissions data yet. Final acceptance rates may adjust slightly after waitlist movement later this spring.

Must check: Top Ivy League Universities in the US: Everything You Need to Know

3. Why Are Ivy League Acceptance Rates So Low?

Several factors contribute to the Ivy League’s low admit rates:

✦ The Common Application makes it easier to apply to multiple schools—boosting application volume.

✦ Supplemental essays still require significant effort, keeping the process selective.

✦ A surge in international applications adds to the competition.

✦ Generous financial aid for both U.S. and international students increases global interest.

Even schools like Cornell, which tends to have the highest acceptance rate among Ivies, maintain rigorous academic standards. A higher admit rate doesn’t mean lower quality. It often reflects differences in size, application volume, or school-specific priorities.

Source: Times Higher Education

3.1 What Ivy Day Trends Reveal About Selectivity 2025 & Shifting Applicant Behavior

Ivy Day 2025: Thursday, March 27, 2025 | Time: Around 7 p.m. ET

Every year, thousands of students await for the Ivy Day, the last Thursday of March, when all eight Ivy League universities release their regular decision results. In 2025, this fell on Thursday, March 27.

But while Ivy Day is often shrouded in mystery and nerves, the real story lies in what these decisions reveal about evolving acceptance rates, admissions policies, and applicant behavior.

3.2 Who Releases Results Then?

Schools That Announce Results On or Near Ivy Day:

• All Ivy League schools: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn
• Top Non-Ivies also releasing results in late March:
  • UC Berkeley, UCLA
  • Duke, Georgetown, Emory, Rice, Tufts
  • UNC-Chapel Hill, USC, Barnard College

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4. What’s Driving Changes in Ivy League Acceptance Rates?

1. Reinstated Testing Requirements Are Shrinking Applicant Pools

Some Ivies, like Yale and Brown, brought back standardized test requirements in 2024. The result? Fewer but stronger early applicants.

• Yale’s early pool shrank by 14%, yet its early admit rate rose to 10.8%, up from 9% last year.
• Brown saw 1,196 fewer early applicants this year, a dip directly linked to the return of test mandates.

Yet not all Ivies followed this trend. Dartmouth reinstated testing but saw no drop in early applications proving that applicant behavior varies widely by school culture and branding.

2. Some Ivies Withheld Their Numbers Entirely

Harvard, Princeton, Penn, and Dartmouth have chosen not to release detailed early admissions statistics—part of a larger move away from focusing on ultra-low admit rates. Instead, they’re emphasizing qualitative stories, such as diversity milestones and financial aid reach.

• Harvard, for example, is under increased scrutiny after a drop in Black student enrollment post–affirmative action ruling.
• Universities are now spotlighting socioeconomic diversity:

➭ Brown: 19% of early admits are first-gen.

➭ Dartmouth: 18% first-gen, plus strong Pell Grant representation.

3. Top Non-Ivy Schools Are Closing the Competitiveness Gap

As Ivy acceptance rates remain tight, elite non-Ivies are stepping up and becoming more selective.

• Duke: Record-high early applicant pool, 6% jump year-over-year.
• Emory: 21% increase in Early Decision applicants.
• Vanderbilt: 16% growth in ED pool, admit rate down to 13.2%.
• Northwestern: 15.5% spike in early applications despite test-optional policy.

These “Southern Ivies” and top-tier private universities are attracting attention as strong Ivy alternatives, especially with more consistent data transparency and merit-based financial aid.

Source: Forbes

❝Get into the Ivy League – the Einstein Way❞

While it’s tempting to chase the lowest number, an Ivy League acceptance rate doesn’t reflect your worth or even your full chance of success.

These trends show that factors like testing policies, class size adjustments, and institutional priorities play a major role in shaping outcomes. Use this data not as a reason to stress. 

Understand the game and make informed choices

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