But those words also evoke other feelings – the hope of someday being able to walk those renowned halls and the dread of not making the grade. 

To be sure, both are valid feelings. The eight Ivy League schools have trained Presidents, Nobel laureates, and leaders in every field. Several of them date their origins to before the founding of the United States, and they all have faculties consisting of the most intelligent people on the planet. 

For that reason, it’s tough to get into any of the Ivy League schools. Each of them receives tens of thousands of applications every year, and only a tiny fraction are allowed in. 

That’s a scary fact, and there’s no getting around it. But it doesn’t all need to be doom and gloom. While these schools reject many, thousands are accepted every year. These schools actively look for students to educate and add to their legacies. 

For that reason, it’s essential to pay attention to the acceptance rates of Ivy League schools. This list uses numbers from 2021 and contains links to our information sources. 

If you approach these numbers with an optimistic attitude, this list can help you decide which schools most deserve your attention and where you can join an elite company. 

8. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

One of the country’s few private land-grant universities, Cornell University is located in idyllic Ithaca, New York. The college has made its reputation by training some of the most influential figures in the arts, entertainment, and the media. 

Cornell alumni include Nobel laurates Pearl S. Buck and Toni Morrison, as well as actors Christopher Reeve and Wizard of Oz star Frank Morgan. 

Despite this track record of training greatest in the humanities, Cornell graduates go on to earn PhDs in engineering and the natural sciences more than many other world institutions. The school has spent $984.5 million on research yearly and has allocated $671 million of that money to science and engineering. 

Projects created through this spending range from unmanned missions to Marge, including the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, and high-powered telescopes for deep-space observation. 

Thanks to this focus, scientists who have graduated from Cornell include Nobel Prize-winning chemist Eric Betzig and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. 

Of the Ivy League schools, Cornell has the highest rate, accepting 5,889 of the 47,038 of those who apply. That’s a percentage of 12.5%, making Cornell the least exclusive Ivy League school. 

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 12.5%

7. Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)

The sole college in the Ivy League, Dartmouth has just as many accolades and achievements as its university sisters. However, it chooses to refer to itself as a college to retain the sense of community and small focus that the name connotes. 

That type of unique thinking sets Dartmouth apart from the other Ivies, as does its focus on the humanities and social sciences. Former Dartmouth students include the great American poet Robert Frost and tv legend Fred Rogers, as well as current entertainment figures Mindy Laking and Shonda Rhimes. 

The successes of Dartmouth’s alumni can be partially attributed to the notable figures who have taught there over the years. Dartmouth was the home of groundbreaking literary critic Eve Kosofsky Sedwick and is the current institution of the Future of American Studies Institute director Donald Pease. 

Because of its focus on a relatively small-scale college experience, Dartmouth has a deceptively low acceptance rate. In 2021, the college accepted 10.4% of its applicants, giving it the second-highest Ivy League acceptance rate. 

However, it’s important to remember that Dartmouth received only 20,034 applications that year. It sent offers of admission to only 2,092 students, enrolling fewer new students than all Ivies except Princeton and Harvard. 

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 10.4%

6. University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

The oldest institution in its state, the University of Pennsylvania counts among its founders and students eight signers of the Declaration of Independence, seven signers to the U.S. Constitution, and 24 members of the Continental Congress. 

Today, the school continues this proud tradition with its commitment to academic excellence. With an endowment of $20.5 billion and a $1.02 billion research budget, UPenn is one of the richest institutions in the world. 

It puts that money to good use, supporting essential innovations and research initiatives. The school houses several influential think tanks and research centers, including the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at Wharton and the Center for Global Women’s Health at the Nursing School. 

UPenn was the site of important scientific breakthroughs, such as the discovery of conductive polymers and the development of the “Penn Effect,” a method of measuring gross national product. 

Unsurprisingly, UPenn is one of the more popular Ivy League schools, receiving 40,413 applications. That’s more than any other Ivy, save for Cornell. But unlike Cornell, UPenn is far more selective, accepting only 9.2% of applicants.  

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 9.2%

5. Brown University (Providence, RI)

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the union, but the city of Providence casts a large shadow, thanks to the work of Brown University. 

Brown broke the mold of religious colleges that adhered to strict denominations and became the first in the country to accept students without any preference for their faith. Since then, millions of accomplished students have come to Providence to receive the best in education.

Brown’s 143-acre campus is surrounded by the Van Wickle Gates on the western end. Since their construction in 1901, the Van Wickle Gates have played an important part in Brown’s graduation and induction ceremonies. They open outward for graduation and inward for the procession of new students. 

The campus holds Brown’s teaching museum, the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. The home of over one million artifacts available for educational and research functions, the Haffenreffer Museum gives students and faculty hands-on experience with valuable relics. 

In 2021, 32,724 applied to study at Brown. But only 1,665 were invited to walk through the Van Wickle Gate, making Brown a moderately selective Ivy League school. 

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 8.3%

4. Yale University (New Haven, CT)

As an Ivy League school with over three centuries of history, Yale University has been affiliated with some of the most influential people in the world, including winners of major awards such as the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal. 

Four former presidents graduated from Yale, including William Howard Taft and George H. W. Bush, as well as countless other lawmakers and heads of state. 

Yale is also renowned for its museums and collections. Over 15 million volumes reside in the Yale University Library, making it the nation’s third-largest university collection. 

Rare books, manuscripts, and historical texts are held in the school’s various specialized libraries, including the world’s largest collection of 18^th-century British literary works. 

The school’s art gallery is the first such museum in the United States to enjoy university affiliation. The Peabody Museum of Natural History is a center of anthropology and archeology, while the school’s Collection of Musical Instruments houses unique items from throughout history. 

As one of the most well-known Ivy League schools, Yale receives more applications than most of its sisters. 32,900 hopefuls applied to Yale in 2021, but only 2,272 received offers of admission. That gives Yale an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, making it markedly more selective than the other schools discussed thus far. 

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 6.9%

3. Columbia University (New York, NY)

When one thinks of Ivy League schools, images of stately brick walls and serious scholars probably leap to mind. 

While one can indeed find all of those at Columbia University, the institution also has a creative side. For years, Columbia students and guests write, direct, and stage a new musical, a tradition that has involved the likes of legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. 

But it’s not all fun and games at Columbia. Over the years, some of the most extraordinary academics of all time have taught at the school, winners of Nobel Prizes, National Medals of Sciences, and other awards. 

Columbia’s current faculty includes international relations expert Michael W. Doyle, literary scholar and literary critic Saidiya Hartman, and influential economist Jeffery Sachs. 

Unsurprisingly, Columbia has high expectations for those who hope to join its student body. On average, students entering the school have a 4.12 GPA, SAT scores between 1510 and 1560, and ACT scores of 34 – 35. 

Those are tough numbers to hit, which is part of the reason that Columbia has such a low acceptance rate. 37,389 people applied to Columbia in 2021, and 2,185 were accepted. This gives Columbia an acceptance rate of 5.8%.

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 5.8%

2. Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)

Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It’s also one of the most respected, not just in the U.S. but also in the entire world. In popular consciousness, Harvard University has come to mean excellence in education. 

With an endowment of $53.2 billion, Harvard is one of the world’s richest institutions. That money helps establish the University’s various schools. 

According to U.S. News & World Report, many of Harvard’s schools rank among the best in the nation, with its Schools of Medicine, Education, and Government coming in at number one. 

Because of this history, Harvard is one of the more popular Ivy League schools. In 2021, the University received 39,06 applications. 2,056 of those students received offers of admission, for an acceptance rate of 5.2%. 

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 5.2%

1. Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)

Traditionally, Princeton University tends to be only a moderately selective school. They receive just as many applications as Harvard and Yale but usually accept a larger percentage. 

But in 2021, the University lowered its acceptance numbers, becoming one of the country’s most exclusive schools. Out of the 37,601 applications sent to Princeton, only 1,498 were accepted. That works out to an acceptance rate of just 3.98%, a record low for the University. 

While those are unquestionably tough odds, no one will deny that it’s worth the risk. The work done by Princeton scholars has shaped the world as we know it. An extension of top-secret government projects in the 1950s, the Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a leader in fusion energy and plasma physics research.

Important government officials studied at Princeton, including presidents Madison and Monroe, as well as members of the U.S. Supreme Court, such as Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 3.98%

The post Ivy League Acceptance Rates – Getting Accepted to the Ivies appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Being a leader in distance learning for over a century, HES has over 70 degree fields and certifications for students to choose from. Whether they’re pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, students have the chance to learn from the school’s prestigious faculty, as well as industry experts from neighboring institutions like Princeton, MIT, and the University of Cambridge, England. 

Carrying the Harvard insignia, HES was constructed to be rigorous and challenging, producing top graduates in various fields. Even so, HES allows for students to balance their programs to accommodate their hectic careers and personal lives, while receiving a world-class education. 

Enhancing the online learning experience, the school features HELIX which is the Harvard Extension Live Interactive Experience. Students have the opportunity to enter a live classroom to interact with their instructors and peers, creating an immersive online experience. 

With a leading premedical program, HES prepares students with arduous coursework before applying to a medical school of their choosing. Whether it’s part-time or evening studies, premed students can structure the schedule that works for them.

The programs found at HES allow students to complete traditional degrees at a faster and cost-effective rate. Without imposition, the student can devise the pace, structure, and schedule of courses entirely. 

By simply enrolling into courses, professionals will have access to the top educators and resources of not only HES, but the larger Harvard University community. Access to on-campus resources will be provided for students to receive a broader experience.

Today, we are going to talk about whether Harvard Extension School is worth it, whether it is the same as going to Harvard normally, and more.

Is Harvard Extension School Worth It?

The absolute benefit behind HES is the flexibility students can enjoy while pursuing their degrees. Even professionals with full-time careers can pursue a degree at HES.

Pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees at HES is a more adaptive process than traditional programs.

Furthermore, the courses are built for students to implement what they’re learning in real time. Instructors encourage them to harness their studies to apply their skills to their careers. 

The large selection of courses prepares students for the careers they wish to enter, which can include certifications and degrees for industries that are currently in demand. Whatever studies students wish to pursue, they can rely on fresh and iterative courses, covering the latest developments across all sectors. 

With participants joining HES worldwide, students can expect a rich global experience, being a part of an international classroom. The school welcomes a community of peers eager to advance their knowledge through live interactions that deepen their educational experiences.

Professionals curious about funding their higher education can find many resources under the school’s financial wellness guide. The financial office can assist students to budget, fund, and finance their educational studies, accommodating their financial situations.

Once students have completed their courses, they can enjoy attending Harvard University’s commencement and walking among the entire Harvard community of students and faculty. Joining the Harvard Extension Alumni Association can help alums receive a rich postgraduate experience for students to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Harvard Extension School Acceptance Rate

When it comes to enrolling in a course at HES, the acceptance rate is 100%, seeing as anyone with the desire to learn can register for courses. 

However, when it comes to being admitted into Harvard Extension School’s ALB or ALM programs, the school is more selective. While Harvard has not published, to our knowledge, the acceptance rate into these degree programs, it is certain that the acceptance rate is not 100% for those degrees.

When it comes to registering for classes, the enrollment process is straightforward, much like an online shopping experience. Students can add the courses of their choice to their carts and submit their registration. 

With three credit level options, learners can choose the level they wish to enroll in, which are undergraduate, graduate, or noncredit. For students who wish to take undergraduate or graduate courses, they must be at least 15 and 18 years of age respectively. 

From age 15 years and up, students can audit select courses by registering for a noncredit level. While grades and academic credit will not be given for noncredit courses, students can still expect to see these courses on their transcripts. 

However, before planning course schedules, it’s advised to ensure that enrollment for courses hasn’t filled up. In the event that a class has reached full capacity, students may have the option to join the waitlist until a spot becomes available. 

While flexibility remains in the structure of programs, courses can be offered seasonally through Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. It is recommended that students frequently check the course catalog and verify which courses are offered per term and their availability. 

In addition, specific courses may require placement tests before registering. As an example, math diagnostic tests help students prepare for the level of coursework covered in mathematics and economics. 

Harvard Extension School Notable Alumni

Notable alumni come from diverse industries, which have even led some to become professors at Harvard University. 

With two teaching positions, Dr. Latanya Sweeney is the Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 

Graduating with a degree in computer science from HES, Dr. Sweeney recently received a $3 million grant from the Ford Foundation funding her tech initiative, Public Interest Technology Lab. 

Mark Plotkin, a graduate of HES, is a world-renowned ethnobotanist and co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team. In 2019, the HES alumni association awarded Plotkin with the Michael Shinagel Award for Service. 

Plotkin was inspired to continue his education at HES after taking a course by the leading expert in biocultural conservation, Richard Schultes. Continuing both of their legacies, Plotkin and Schultes introduced the first course on rainforest conservation, as co-teachers, at HES. 

In the art world, a notable alum is Boston-based artist Allan Rohan Crite. Earning his Bachelor of Arts at HES in 1968, Crite’s artwork, which spans over seven decades, depicted the daily experiences of African Americans in the greater Boston area. In 1986, Crite was awarded with the 350th Harvard University Anniversary medal. 

Jenny Allard is the current head coach of the Harvard University softball team. Allard is an alum from both HES and Harvard University, earning two master’s degrees in education and psychology, respectively. 

What is the Course Catalog At Harvard Extension School?

For students who are unsure about what curriculum to pursue, HES features courses that can assist students in finding their desired programs. Whether those courses are online or in-person, there are over 1000 offered through HES. 

A newly added and defining course at HES is the Academic Gap Year, where students can access the classes that will prepare them for their continued education. This year-long course focuses on all pertinent topics students will need to maintain momentum in their academic careers. 

An exceptional feature for students looking to pursue medicine is the school’s premedical program. Students can receive personalized programs, advising for the med school application process, and discounted online courses from Harvard Medical School. 

With over 20 fields to pursue, students have the incredible opportunity to earn a graduate degree of their interest. While admissions for graduate degree programs will require students to apply, prior education history is not required.

HES will only require graduate applicants to demonstrate their educational abilities at the time of application.

For students interested in attending online, in-person, or live courses, the course catalog provides a breakdown of classes for each category. Based on their preferences, professionals can structure how they’d like to learn that suits their lifestyle. 

HES offers an incredible joint degree program where students can receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees at once. Without taking gaps in between, HES provides the students an efficient way to build a full academic career in over nine fields of study. 

Should You Attend Harvard Extension School?

The Harvard Extension School is the ideal institution for students and professionals looking to advance their careers with both rigor and ease. While the courses and programs at HES will be challenging, students won’t need to upend their lives in order to succeed. 

Being enrolled at HES means having access to the greater Harvard University experience. Students can enjoy on-campus resources such as libraries, study spaces, and the community.

For degree candidates, unique study opportunities at Harvard University schools, and renowned institutions, are made available. Students can gain access to internships, workshops, and other exclusive events for specific programs.

With flexible online and live classroom experiences, learners of any age can find a program that’s compatible with their interests and mode of learning. There is a program for anyone with a passion for taking their education to the next level.

Attending HES means being a part of a leading institution on the edge of pioneering technology and innovation in the fields of medicine, technology, business, law, health, and beyond. For professionals, their education can lend itself to the advancement of these industries.

Career-ready certifications prepare students to pivot themselves to growing sectors. Professionals will receive guidance and support from launching into new careers after graduation.

With a global community of learners, students can experience more than just an education. The virtual classrooms build community and cross-cultural exchange that gives students a valuable international perspective.

At HES, there is something for everyone to learn, not only through their education but as participants in this growing global community.

The post Is Harvard Extension School Worth It? Acceptance Rate, Alumni, and More appeared first on collegegazette.com.

“Ivy Plus” schools don’t belong to that elite group, but they have grown into institutions that offer an education similar in quality to the true Ivies. 

They are often in demand yet highly selective, taking in just a tiny fraction of thousands of applicants who aspire to study there each year.

And these schools have other similarities to the Ivy League schools, too. 

Many Ivy Plus schools have been around for centuries and also count among their alumni famous politicians, scientists, and more influential people. 

Often, they focus a lot on research, with their programs attracting millions in capital to make those efforts possible, and have attracted award-winning faculty members who include some of the best people in their fields.

Students who graduate from Ivy Plus schools get an education that rivals that of Ivy Leaguers, positioning themselves well for success after they say goodbye to campus.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at some of the Ivy Plus colleges and what they offer.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)

Founded in 1861, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sits just in the Boston suburb of Cambridge, not far from the Ivy League’s Harvard University. With more than 1,000 faculty members, it has an extremely low student-faculty ratio of 3:1. 

Numerous organizations and publications have placed MIT at or near the top of their lists of the best universities, including the Center for World University Rankings, which ranked it second overall in the world behind Harvard. 

Thanks to this stellar reputation, however, many people apply, and only a fraction can get in. For the class of 2024, MIT received 20,075 applications and admitted just 1,457.

MIT actually has more graduate students than undergraduates, at 6,893 versus 4,361. One college and five schools make up MIT, which offers programs in numerous sciences as well as engineering, computing, and more.

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Located in the city’s South Side, the University of Chicago opened in 1890 and has more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students. 

At the undergraduate level, the university offers more than 50 majors and 47 minors, while the graduate program includes seven professional schools and four divisions. The university also has a wide presence overseas, with several centers and campuses in places such as Paris and Hong Kong. 

And it attracts and produces the best people in their fields, with 94 Nobel Prize winners affiliated with the university.

Research remains important at the university, which runs a highly respected marine biology laboratory in Massachusetts plus two U.S. Department of Energy laboratories. The different labs embrace collaboration, too, and work with one another on various research.

The university also embraces it place in the city and tries to support the South Side community through various programs, such as workforce development and the arts.

Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)

Carnegie Mellon University has developed a reputation for excellence in innovation as well as the arts. The university grew out of a technical school started and funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century, which merged with another Pittsburgh institution, the Mellon Institute, in 1967 to become Carnegie Mellon University.

Now, it is home to several science-focused colleges as well as the National Robotics Engineering Center and the Software Engineering Institute, two of the university’s more than 100 institutes and research centers. 

But the university also has a thriving arts program, with the drama school, in particular, a popular destination for aspiring performers.

Carnegie Mellon is also focusing on its future with recent improvements, including creating a new quad that connects the school’s seven colleges and is home to the state-of-the art Tepper School of Business. The university has campuses in California’s Silicon Valley and overseas in Qatar, plus over 20 research partnerships in the United States and abroad.

Georgetown University (Washington, DC)

The oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States, Georgetown University began educating students in 1792. Several of its renowned schools also trace their history back more than 100 years, including the School of Medicine, which opened in 1851, and the Law School, which followed in 1870.

Currently, Georgetown has nine schools and over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students taking classes across its various campuses, including one in Qatar. 

The university also has an affiliated hospital, which has numerous residencies and fellowships for doctors.

The university has dozens of degree programs and a relatively low student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Getting into this prestigious school has become pretty tough, though, as more people and high-achieving people have applied through the years. 

In 2020, Georgetown admitted 17% of its applicants.

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

Another Chicago-area school, Northwestern University started educating its first students before the Civil War. The school that saw 10 students take the first lessons in 1855 has ballooned to more than 8,000 undergraduate and over 13,000 graduate students. Today, its student-faculty ratio is a low 6:1.

Northwestern also has a low acceptance rate, 7%, and those who do make it into the university tend to be high achievers, with 70% of undergraduates studying at least two subjects. 

Those interested in research have plenty of options as well, as Northwestern has over 50 research centers where cooperation among different disciplines is common.

Recent Northwestern graduates have done well, too. Within six months of graduating, 95% of the class of 2020 were either working or continuing their education. 

They joined an alumni network that includes many famous faces from across industries, including TV host Stephen Colbert, noted author George R.R. Martin, and philanthropist and former actress Meghan Markle.

Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

Stanford University opened in 1891 and now attracts top students from around the world. 

More than 7,800 undergraduate and 9,300 graduate students can pursue degrees in seven schools. In the classrooms are nearly 2,300 faculty members, giving the university a low 5:1 student-faculty ratio. This is a prestigious bunch, too, with 19 Nobel laureates among the group.

Thanks to its location in Silicon Valley, though, Stanford is widely known for innovation. It has been the location of technological achievements in recent years, and students have access to major companies and networking opportunities in the area. 

That emphasis on research continues. As of the fall of 2021, Stanford’s researchers were conducting more than 7,700 projects sponsored by outside sources with a total budget of $1.64 billion.

California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)

California Institute of Technology not only educates more than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students but also oversees major scientific facilities, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Opened in 1891 as Throop University, Caltech evolved over the next 125-plus years to become a premier science and engineering school whose alumni and faculty members have won 46 Nobel Prizes. 

Undergraduates have 28 majors to choose from, while graduate students have 30, all offered across six divisions of study. These range from different kinds of engineering to geology to the humanities.

Outside the classroom, Caltech has over 50 research institutes and centers, including a seismological lab, and also operates astronomical observatories located around the world. Undergraduate students take advantage of these opportunities, too, with 90% of them engaging in research.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

Founded in 1853, Washington University welcomes students from every state and over 100 countries to study for associate degrees up through doctorates in the heart of St. Louis.

The roughly 15,500 students can choose from majors in eight academic divisions, including business and engineering. It has more than 4,100 faculty members, most of which, over 2,600, teach medicine. 

The arts and sciences division has the second-highest number of faculty, at 683. That division also has the most undergraduate students, with just over 4,300.

In addition to offering schools of law and medicine, the university has a potent mix of research, the arts, and community service. 

Over 3,000 research projects are active each year, but students still find time for community service, with approximately 60% of undergrads participating. The university also is home to the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River and a theater where professionals and students alike take the stage.

Duke University (Durham, NC)

Historically connected to the Methodist Church, Duke University traces began as an institute in the early 1800s and took its current name in 1924. 

Now a major university, Duke remains highly ranked for its academics and attracts students to study a wide range of subjects in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering. 

It has nearly 4,000 faculty members teaching more than 15,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Computer science, economics, and public policy make up the top three choices of major. 

And in addition to offering outstanding academics, Duke also is an athletic powerhouse, winning numerous NCAA Division I championships in women’s golf, men’s basketball, and more.

Duke is a popular choice for college applicants but accepts few. It received 44,481 regular decision applications for the class of 2025 and admitted a record low number, 4.3%. The university aims to keep each class size at 1,720 students.

New York University (New York, NY)

Now one of the country’s biggest private universities, NYU opened in 1831 and has campuses in not only Manhattan but also Abu Dabi and Shanghai.

NYU is highly selective, admitting less than 2% of undergraduate applicants each year. Still, it has more than 50,000 students worldwide who can choose from 650 subject areas and can earn associate degrees up through doctorates. 

They’re led by 5,050 total faculty members who, since 2000, have won five Pulitzer Prizes and five Nobel Prizes.
Students looking for a school that embraces diversity and inclusion will find it at NYU. International students made up 24% of the fall freshman class of 2023, consisting of 19% Asian/Pacific Islanders, 19% Hispanic/Latinos, and 9% African Americans.

Giving first-generation college students a chance also is important to NYU, and first-generation students made up 20% of that class of 2023.

The post Discover 10 Amazing “Ivy Plus” Schools As Good As the Actual Ivies appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Students who want to join the highest learning communities in history make plans to attend Harvard University in Boston, Princeton University in New Jersey, and Brown University in Rhode Island. 

But what about students in Canada? 

First, the bad news: there are no Ivy League schools in Canada. 

The eight members of the Ivy League are all in the United States, many of which date back to before the country’s founding. 

However, there’s good news, too. The Ivy League schools aren’t important because of their location, or even because they belong to the Ivy League. Rather, they matter because they offer excellent teaching and have a strong record of world-changing research. 

By that metric, Canada has many schools that are as good, if not better, than those found in any part of the United States. Each of the ten schools found on this list is part of the U15, a group of Canadian universities renowned for their scholarly research. 

Anyone who goes to one of these ten schools will experience the same support – and the same challenges! – that they would get at Yale or Northwestern, all without having to leave Canada. 

Here are 10 amazing Ivy League quality schools in Canada.

University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)

Since its founding in 1827, the University of Toronto has been associated with five Prime Ministers of Canada, seventeen Supreme Court Justices, twelve Nobel laureates, 94 Rhodes Scholars, six recipients of the Turing Award, and winners of too many honors to list here. 

U Toronto is especially renowned for its contributions to literary criticism and communications theory. The Toronto School, a well-respected group of scholars, has revolutionized our understanding of storytelling and communication. 

In addition, U Toronto has been at the center of numerous STEM achievements. Insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting and Charles Herbert Best at U Toronto in 1921. The earliest stabs at stem cell research occurred at the university, as did the world’s first lung transplant. 

As these examples demonstrate, U Toronto is among the most important institutions in the world, advancing our knowledge of several fields. 

University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON)

Home to the world’s largest post-secondary co-operative education program, the University of Waterloo is one of the U15, Canada’s premier research-intensive institutions. 

The main campus sits on over 998 acres of land located in Waterloo, Ontario. Several historically significant structures can be found on campus, including the Douglas Wright Engineering Building, constructed in 1958. 

Additionally, the campus features a largely undeveloped area, which serves as farm fields for agriculture students and an environmental reserve. 

To augment its research focus, U Waterloo operates 41 research centers and institutions. The Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research is one of the world leaders in the study of cryptography. 

Since its opening in 1998, the institute has brought together experts in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and more. 

Taking advantage of its 285,000 sq. ft. facility, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology strives to develop new smart and functional materials, as well as next-generation energy systems. 

University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)

With over 35,000 undergraduate and more than 6,000 post-graduate students in its body, the University of Ottawa is the largest bilingual university globally. 

But despite the fine work it does for the citizens of Ottawa and Canada, it is not limited only to its home country. Nearly 17% of the student population consists of international students, with representatives from 150 other nations. 

Founded in 1848 as the College of Bytown, the University of Ottawa has grown to become a leading research institution. The school brings in more than $324 million in research income and is one of the U15. 

Many impressive alumni have graduated from U Ottawa, from all types of fields. Political leaders who studied at U Ottawa include former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and former Newfoundland Prime Minister Sir Edward Morris. 

University of Calgary (Calgary, AB)

With an endowment exceeding $380.4 million and with research revenues of over $1.2 billion, the University of Calgary is one of the wealthiest institutions on this list. 

At the center of both U Calgary’s success and research is its work in the petroleum and geoscience industries. 

But the school also enjoys a reputation for advancement across all STEM fields, as well as work in public policy and the arts. 

One of the most important aspects of U Calgary is the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. 

Housed in a 4,000 m2 building that prioritizes environmental sustainability, the Taylor Institute features mock classrooms, a simulation center, and other state-of-the-art technologies to train the next generation of teachers. 

The Taylor Institute is part of the Innovate Calgary initiative, a tech incubator based on the university. Taking advantage of the school’s workspaces and laboratories, Innovate Calgary works to make technology more accessible. 

Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS)

Established in 1818, Dalhousie University is the oldest institution of higher learning in Nova Scotia and one of the oldest in Canada. 

Since that beginning, DU has graduated over 130,000 from all over the world, some of whom have gone on to win major awards and become leaders in business and government. 

The main campus of DU combines respect for the past with an eye toward the future. 

Its oldest still standing structure is the Hart House, which was constructed in 1864, while its newest addition is the Collaborative Health Education Building, completed in 2015.  

Part of this future-first emphasis is the school’s sustainability efforts. Since 2008, the school has worked to reduce the carbon footprint of its buildings, eventually earning a GOLD rating from AASHE STARS.

University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)

Established in 1906 through the University Act, the University of Alberta brings first-class academics and research to the Edmonton area. 

The school currently enrolls approximately 39.300 students, including 7,800 students from over 151 countries. 

The U of Alberta prides itself on the quality of its faculty. The school has been awarded 41 3M Teaching Fellowships to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching, more than any other Canadian Institution.  

The U of Alberta features several respected research programs, which earn the school placement among the top 100 schools in the world for scholarly activity. 

One such program is the Canadian Obesity Network, which aids the study and treatment of health problems across the country. 

The program connects those suffering from obesity with researchers and experts, allowing them to work together for the country’s good. 

University of Montreal (Montreal, QC)

The first of two Quebec-based schools on this list, the University of Montreal, is Canada’s top-ranked Francophone school. 

Thirteen faculties make up the school, including a highly regarded law school.

In addition to training some of the country’s finest legal minds, the U of Montreal Faculty of law features initiatives such as the Centre de recherche en droit public (the Public Law Research Centre). 

This interdisciplinary centre provides practical experience for law students as they address the needs of people in Montreal. 

The Centre is just one of the school’s many initiatives to serve the local indigenous populations. From law centers to economic support to arts programs, the school remains committed to working with First Nations peoples. 

Over the years, the school has been affiliated with some of the most influential figures in Canada, including former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and computer scientist Gilles Brassard. 

McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)

Located on a 300-acre campus in Hamilton, Ontario, McMaster University owes its existence to its namesake, Canadian Senator William McMaster. The Senator’s $900,000 gift allowed for the founding of the school in 1887.

Although now a publicly funded public institution, McMaster University continues to honor the legacy of its founder. 

In addition to a current student body of more than 27,000 undergraduate and 4,000 graduate students, the school boasts alumni throughout Canada and in 139 countries. 

McMaster graduates have gone on to become leaders in politics, business, and the arts, earning recognition as Rhodes Scholars and Nobel laureates. 

The school is famous for its student-focused interdisciplinary approach to teaching, known as the McMaster Model. The Model has become known for its success in creating innovative scholars and creative thinkers. 

University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)

The University of British Columbia is not only the oldest institution of higher learning in the province, having been founded in 1908, but it is also one of the most respected in the country. 

The school has built its reputation on its outstanding research. U of BC sponsors more than 8,000 every year, thanks to its annual research budget of $600 million. 

Some of the school’s most notable research centres include the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, the University of British Columbia Farm, and TRIUMF.

The Wall Institute supports collaborative, interdisciplinary research by bringing together visiting scholars and experts in fields ranging from biochemistry to anthropology to computer science. 

The 59-acre UCB Farm features a wide variety of crops and several animals, providing resources for scholars and students. 

The TRIUMF consortium provides laboratory space and interdisciplinary support for studies in particle and nuclear physics.

McGill University (Montreal, QC)

Montreal’s McGill University is not just the top school on this list and the best school in Canada. It’s largely considered to be one of the world’s best institutions. 

McGill has been associated with some of the world’s most influential figures, including Nobel laureates such as nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford and scientist Jack W. Szostak. 

These and other researchers at the school are supported by McGill’s extensive resources. 

The school enjoys affiliations with over 75 major research networks and centres and brings in more than $547 million in income from sponsored research projects. 

In addition to this highly touted scholarly activity, McGill also has established a reputation for supporting non-traditional students. 

Since 1989, the school has operated the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning, an educational community to encourage academic pursuits for senior learners.

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The third oldest college in New York State, Hamilton’s mascot is a Revolutionary War soldier, a “Continental,” as in the Continental Army. 

Today, the undergraduate institution maintains a student body of around 2,000; its size allows for small classes and a strong campus sense of community.

The top-ranking majors on campus include classic liberal arts studies: economics, mathematics, political science, and literature. 

A strong tradition of creative writing at Hamilton produces writers like John Nichols, Peter Meinke, Terry Brooks, and Kamila Shamsie.

The Rev. Samuel Kirkland founded Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 as part of his mission working with the Oneida tribe, a vision the school did not manage to realize. 

But after Kirkland’s death, Hamilton-Oneida became Hamilton College, providing education for the children of settlers on what was then the frontier.

One of Clinton’s most successful ventures, Bristol-Myers, originated from two Hamilton graduates, William Bristol and John Ripley Myers. 

The pair bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in 1887, and went on to become one of the world’s most successful manufacturers of pharmaceutical and household products.

With its history, its prestige, and contributions to society and economy, many people might wonder if Hamilton College would be considered an Ivy League institution. The answer holds some surprises.

Is Hamilton College Ivy League?

Hamilton is not an Ivy League school.

The Ivy League, officially an athletic conference, includes Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia—not Hamilton College. 

Hamilton College is an elite northeastern college with a rich cultural and historical legacy, but it does not play Yale every year in football.

The “Ivy League” designation brings so much weight to bear in any educational context that people have come to use it as a universal term for excellence. 

Even more confusing are terms like “Ivy Plus,” which refers to schools like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago, often associated with the Ivies in professional and alumni associations.

Since the mid-1980s, terms like “Public Ivies,” “Hidden Ivies,” “Little Ivies,” and now “New Ivies” recognize that the term “Ivy League” has become a kind of branding. These lists take into account that there are many more than eight elite, academically-rigorous campuses in the United States capable of educating the next generation of leaders.

Why Is Hamilton College Confused As an Ivy League School?

Most lists of “Hidden Ivies” include Hamilton College, so when people assume an association with the Ivy League, they’re not entirely out of line. 

Around 60 schools make up the Hidden Ivies; these colleges focus on rigorous liberal arts education, practice selective admissions, and offer a measure of prestige in its own way on par with the Ancient Eight.

Does signing your name in ink into the register of students on the first day of classes every year sound like an Ivy League tradition? What about receiving a cane adorned with a tricorn hat along with your diploma as a graduating senior?

Or Class & Charter Day, an annual event and competition with speeches related to the history and traditions of the school? 

All these rituals belong to Hamilton College, along with an Honor Code over a century in place, and a host of student organizations and clubs dating back to the 19th century.

A strong identification with school culture and history, loyal alumni, and a storybook campus all shape Hamilton in the form of an Ivy League school. 

Hamilton’s campus, however, is exclusively undergraduate, without the professional and graduate schools that characterize many of the Ivy League.

Hamilton College – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

Another reason Hamilton College might be confused with an Ivy League School: its acceptance rate dropped to 14.1% for the Class of 2025. In that same incoming class, 80% of accepted students ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.

Those statistics demonstrate that the student body at Hamilton also represents the highest bracket of academic success and student potential in the country, right alongside Ivy League programs. 

A student attending courses at Hamilton will be among the same level of intellectual spark and creativity as a student on any Ivy League campus.

Hamilton ranks among the top 20 schools in the nation for undergraduate teaching, for best value, and for writing in the disciplines. 

The school ranks overall among the top 15 small colleges or liberal arts campuses on many lists.

It’s a testament to Hamilton’s excellent faculty and innovative open curriculum that so many of its majors, even in a school of only about 2,000 students, rank among the top 30 programs for any school in the United States.

English, public policy, performing arts, history, anthropology, and philosophy all rank among the top 30 departments nationwide; art, international relations, religious studies, and political science follow closely at 31 and 32.

And in a significant ranking for a private liberal arts college, Hamilton ranks at #58 among Forbes’ Best Value Colleges, a system of evaluation that considers the economic benefit of an education, including actual student postgraduate earning, balanced against college debt.

How to Get Into Hamilton College 

Hamilton’s need-blind admissions policy offers full financial assistance to all admitted first-year students without considering financial status during the application process itself. Therefore, Hamilton can be a practical choice for strong applicants without the means to attend a private institution like Hamilton.

A couple of strategies can offer students interested in Hamilton the best possible chance of getting in. But first, students must know that Hamilton’s accepted students earn SAT scores between 1370 and 1520 (ACT 32-34), and most maintain high class rank while taking the most challenging coursework their high school offers.

Like many schools, Hamilton currently does not require standardized test scores. 

Hamilton specifically refers to this change as temporary, so any student with Hamilton as a first choice may want to find a safe way to take and perform well on the SAT or ACT.

Hamilton emphasizes their writing curriculum and critical thinking skills, so applicants should take time crafting an excellent personal essay. 

Hamilton also bases much of its evaluation on high school performance, so securing solid letters of recommendation can lend authority to a strong transcript.

In their personal essays and in the letters of recommendation, students can demonstrate the level of rigor in their high school coursework, highlighting any college-level courses or any instances where students have chosen a greater challenge in their course selections.

Hamilton’s Early Decision program offers a higher percentage chance of acceptance. Since Early Decision is binding, students should only pursue this option if they fully intend to renounce other offers and attend Hamilton if admitted.

Participating in Early Decision allows students to be considered for a secured deferment option, the January admission. 

Hamilton accepts a few Early Decision applicants with the understanding that they can start in January, replacing the students who leave during their freshman year for any number of reasons.

The Common Application and Coalition Application provide the basis for Hamilton’s admissions, but Hamilton also participates in the QuestBridge program, providing another way to increase odds of admission.

Recap: Hamilton College Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked Liberal Arts College

Hamilton is not Ivy League, but it is a musical.

Suppose “Ivy-League” has come to be a descriptor of the kind of school that provides an elite education and opens doors to high level careers, rather than a term referring to eight specific colleges. 

In that case, Hamilton is as Ivy League as it gets.

For students looking for small classes brimming with intellectual energy from motivated students and dedicated faculty, Hamilton provides an Ivy League experience.

For fans of Harry Potter who want a college experience with traditions, a campus with historic buildings, and an overall community feel, Hamilton might provide an even more of a traditional experience than a larger Ivy League school can.

And especially for students interested in a challenging preparation for real-world careers while still pursuing their academic and artistic interests, Hamilton’s experiential learning model and open curriculum provide flexibility that the Ivies don’t.

There’s no compromise on academics or prestige attending this top-ranked U.S. college. And as for that musical, there really needs to be an additional scene that takes place in Clinton.

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The school predates the state of Maine itself; it had to be redesignated and brought under the supervision of the Maine legislature when its campus became part of the land separated from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Bowdoin’s curriculum over the years consistently reflects the school’s mission of broad-based education. 

Students take required courses in writing, mathematical or statistical reasoning, natural sciences, power and inequity, international perspectives, and visual and performing arts.

By providing students with this breadth of foundational knowledge, Bowdoin seeks to create fully developed citizens of the world, capable of ethical leadership. 

And the school has produced generations of leaders, iconoclasts, and fearless individuals.

Social and cultural forces like Geoffrey Canada and Hodding Carter. Mayon clinic founder Augustus Stinchfield. Speaker of the house Thomas Bracket Reed and Supreme Court Chief Justice Melville Fuller. President Franklin Pierce. CEOs of American Express and L.L. Bean; founders of Netflix and Subway.

Not one but two Arctic explorers, Donald MacMillan and Robert Peary—the school’s mascot became a polar bear in tribute. And two foundational American writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Historic campus in the northeast, liberal arts with an ethical mission, illustrious alumni: Bowdoin adds up to Ivy League, doesn’t it?

Is Bowdoin College Ivy League?

No, Bowdoin won’t be found on the list of the Ivy League schools. 

Those are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia.

As a defining term, the “Ivy League” refers to an athletic conference. 

Many people now use “Ivy League” as a universal term for excellence because it conjures up a particular image in an educational context. 

New terms like “Ivy Plus” try to be more accurate while still evoking the prestige of the original phrase. 

Schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago are typically called “Ivy Plus” since they often overlap with the Ivies in professional organizations and collaborations.

Now more terms like “Public Ivies,” “Hidden Ivies,” “Little Ivies,” and “New Ivies” confirm that the term “Ivy League” has become a kind of branding. 

These lists consider that there are many more than eight elite, academically-rigorous campuses in the United States capable of educating the next generation of leaders.

No matter how prestigious, academically rigorous, or selective Bowdoin may be, it’s not technically an Ivy League school. But it’s not the only school people have erroneously associated with the Ivy League.

Why Is Bowdoin College Confused As an Ivy League School?

It’s hard to blame anyone for mistaking Bowdoin for an Ivy League school. The Economist referred to Bowdoin as one of the “almost-Ivies” in an article noting Bowdoin’s increasingly selective admissions process. 

Besides the benefit of an outstanding curriculum, Bowdoin traditions and amenities provide its students with experiences quite comparable to those on an Ivy League campus. 

Since the 1990s, fraternities have been banned on campus, in favor of the college-house system that mirrors that of many Ivy League campus housing societies.

The oldest continuously published student weekly newspaper in the United States, The Bowdoin Orient, comes from Bowdoin. Its dining services, where students enjoy an annual lobster bake and produce from the school’s organic garden, rank among the best in the nation.

The quality of education and the capabilities of the student body at Bowdoin reach the standards of the Ivy League. When Bowdoin students leave for graduate school, four of their five top choices are Ivy League institutions.

Bowdoin ranks, based on student SAT scores, among the smartest liberal arts schools in the country, according to Business Insider. And Bowdoin’s tuition, before scholarships and aid, comes in at an Ivy-League level.

And that ivy-planting tradition the sportswriter invoked when he named the Ivy League in the first place? Bowdoin practiced its own ivy planting starting in 1865.

Bowdoin College – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

Bowdoin’s ranking shows that it doesn’t even need the Ivy League comparison to prove its value. It’s often listed in the top three liberal arts schools and the top three small colleges in America.

Bowdoin ranks among the top ten for undergraduate teaching and for value. A survey of college administrators placed Bowdoin among the top 25 schools nationally for first-year experience, acknowledging Bowdoin’s programs designed to help new students acclimate to college life with ease.

The Class of 2025’s admissions cycle marked the lowest rate of acceptance in the school’s history, and 60% of students accepted Bowdoin’s offer of admission, the highest rate of student acceptance Bowdoin has seen.

Bowdoin has a reputation as a selective institution; CBS ranks it among the top 20 hardest schools to get into. 

How to Get Into Bowdoin College 

A hundred years ago, Bowdoin was known for educating the elite of Maine. But 71% of the Class of 2025 hails from outside New England, and 17% represent the first generation of their families to attend college.

Bowdoin evaluates applications on a need-blind basis; the school assists all accepted students\, providing financial aid packages. Student aid at Bowdoin consists of grants and scholarships, as the school gave up loans in hopes that students would choose careers based on their passions and their desire to serve the common good, rather on their ability to repay student loans.

While many schools have adopted a test-optional policy for the SAT and ACT in the wake of the pandemic, the SAT has been optional since 1970 at Bowdoin. 

Knowing that Bowdoin admissions doesn’t see the SAT as the best indicator of success at Bowdoin, applicants should only include their SAT scores if they bring exceptional benefit to their overall application.

Bowdoin’s process prioritizes high school record above all other features of the student portfolio. While the school does not require a particular course of study in high school, most admitted Bowdoin students take four years each of English, mathematics, social science, and foreign language, along with three to four years of laboratory sciences.

Besides a high GPA and consistent coursework in the liberal arts, students hoping to attend Bowdoin should enroll for the highest level of academic coursework available through their high school. Participating in AP, International Baccalaureate, or other advanced coursework can enhance a student’s transcript.

Bowdoin looks at a student’s grade history and choice of coursework as evidence of academic potential. 

The school places weight on teacher recommendations as well, and students should cultivate relationships with their high school teachers so that they will be able to provide as full a picture as possible of the student’s ability to perform well in the rigorous academic environment at Bowdoin.

Since Bowdoin wants to gauge each student’s ability to do well as an undergraduate in their curriculum, the application essay serves an important purpose in the process.

Bowdoin’s freshman course plan includes an intensive writing program; writing and critical thinking skills are important to the Bowdoin experience.

Students applying to Bowdoin can take advantage of an optional supplement, a spontaneous video response to a question from Bowdoin. Students receive a link in their application portal where they can activate a randomly-selected question, and in 30 seconds, the recording begins.

Bowdoin offers this option as a way for students to communicate about themselves in a less formal manner. No editing or planning is involved in the process.

Bowdoin accepts the Common Application and the Coalition Application. Bowdoin’s participation in QuestBridge’s National College Match provides another excellent opportunity for students to matriculate at Bowdoin.

Recap: Bowdoin College Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked Liberal Arts College

The term “Ivy League” has come to stand for an elite college education. In fact, there are only eight schools officially part of the Ivy League.

But many more schools offer elite education, prestigious faculty, rich traditions, and historic campuses. Whether it’s called a Little Ivy, New Ivy, an Almost-Ivy, or a Hidden Ivy, Bowdoin College in Maine gets mentioned alongside those Ancient Eight of the Ivy League.

Bowdoin draws some of the highest achieving students across the country, and while it is a private institution, it’s committed to graduating students without debt. 

Dating back to the origins of the nation and graduating leaders in politics, the arts, and industry, this small college plays a big role in American culture.

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Centers for the study of topics as diverse as public policy, nanotechnology, emergency preparedness, data mining, and entertainment industry studies bring scholars from around the world to work and teach at Drexel. 

Alumni include CEOs, world leaders, and inventors.

Popular majors at Drexel can be technology-oriented engineering degrees, but the school also offers an outstanding music program. 

Drexel Publishing Group, run by faculty and student interns, edits and releases Painted Bride Quarterly, a long-running, prestigious literary journal (among its many other publications).

Drexel may be most known for its strategic, practical educational approach, offering students the opportunity to integrate up to 18 months of paid work experience while they complete undergraduate degrees.

From their freshman year, students have two advisors, one academic and one for their co-op experiences. 

All students take courses to learn how to market themselves, write a resume, participate in a successful interview process, and present themselves professionally.

Drexel students, then, tend to be motivated, self-starting individuals of high intellectual capability, expansive imaginative capacity, and exceptional aspirations. 

These students find at Drexel the academic rigor, mentorship, and real-world challenges they need to set themselves on their chosen career path with the right tools.

Is Drexel University Ivy League?

Drexel University is not an Ivy League school.

Judging by the success of its graduates and the renown of its program, it’s not hard to see how many people might wonder if Drexel can be counted as a member of the Ivy League. 

While it’s not one of the original eight in that famed athletic conference, it’s still a school whose reputation reaches far beyond its region and throughout many disciplines.

Many people don’t realize that the Ivy League really did start as an athletic association. 

The term itself came from a sportswriter who, in the mid-1930s, referred to the cluster of eastern schools as “ivy” colleges, possibly evoking the ivy-planting tradition practiced by many colleges at that time. 

In 1954, the term became the official name for the NCAA Division I athletic conference, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia.

But the traction that the “Ivy League” designation brings to bear in any educational context makes many people use it as a universal term for excellence. 

The confusion deepens when terms like “Ivy Plus” emerge, referring to the practice of associating non-Ivy League, though traditionally excellent, schools with Ivy League schools, either for alumni events, cooperative research, or academic conferences. 

Schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago are typically called “Ivy Plus.”

Lists of “alternate Ivies” proliferate annually. Students can investigate the “Little Ivies,” the “Public Ivies,” the “HBUC Ivies,” the “Southern Ivies,” the “West Coast Ivies.” 

Greene’s Guides now publishes an entire work devoted to The Hidden Ivies, a guide to over fifty colleges reported to be as rigorous, prestigious, and effective as any Ivy League school.

Since acceptance rates at Ivy League institutions sit at all-time lows, the tremendous resource the nation has in its bright, motivated youth will be squandered if that group of eight remains the only goal for exceptional students. 

The best school for any brilliant student is the one that fits their academic and career goals, and the Ivy League doesn’t always offer the correct answer.

Why Is Drexel University Confused As an Ivy League School?

Drexel fits a few markers of an Ivy League profile: it’s a private school in a historic Northeastern location. 

The school graduates highly successful alumni from its undergraduate and professional schools, including a law school, a medical school, and the renowned LeBow College of Business.

It’s also situated close to the University of Pennsylvania, which numbers among the eight official Ivy League institutions. 

In 2011, the venerable Academy of Natural Sciences, the oldest natural history museum in the United States, became part of Drexel University, bringing its history and research reputation under the Drexel umbrella and enhancing its profile as a revered campus.

Drexel, then, embodies many of the traits associated with the Ivy League: prestige, professional programs, history, research entities, and academic rigor. 

But Drexel operates under very different educational principles than the traditional academic approaches practice at most Ivy League institutions: experiential learning and paid work intervals are built into the undergraduate curriculum.

Making use of a quarter system structure and often continuing program activity through summers, Drexel students complete at least one and up to three six-month co-op work experiences while matriculating as undergraduates.

Working professionals lead in the classroom at Drexel as well; the faculty draws from the industry as much as from academia, as befits a leader in business, engineering, and in experiential learning.

Drexel boasts an international profile, offers an innovative curriculum and close mentorship, and offers even more academic rigor through its Pennoni Honors College, a program providing special coursework, guest speakers, and travel opportunity for accepted students. 

Drexel University – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

According to U.S. News, Drexel comes close to cracking the top 100 national universities overall and ranks at an impressive #58 for undergraduate teaching. 

With its sweeping program, Drexel ranks at #2 for co-ops and internships; its focus on placing students on their defined career track also places Drexel in the top 100 for best value.

Known for business and engineering, other highly-considered top-50 ranking Drexel programs include culinary arts, nursing, and design.

Drexel’s acceptance rate comes in at a healthy 77%, with 23% of accepted applicants having GPAs in the highest range, 3.75-3.99. 

Drexel’s admissions process considers multiple factors, focusing on traits like independent work habits and a drive to succeed. In that light, some accepted applicants (4%) occupy the lowest GPA range as well (2.50-2.99).

While 40% of 2020’s incoming freshmen came from the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 94% came from the top 50% of their graduating cohort. 

The diversity of Drexel’s undergraduate student body demonstrates the way Drexel defines its own results-oriented terms of academic success.

How to Get Into Drexel University 

Drexel currently does not require standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT. In the wake of the pandemic, many schools refocused their application priorities.

However, Drexel will accept SAT or ACT scores from students who have been able to take the tests safely. If a student performs well on standardized tests, a high SAT or ACT score might be a way to set their application materials apart.

At this point, no one can say for sure that avoiding the test makes sense when applying to test-optional schools. 

Any student who can’t safely take a standardized test yet (or anyone who has disappointing test scores) would be better off to take advantage of the allowed omission.

If a student chooses to apply to a school with no standardized test scores, that absence should be addressed in essay materials or in supplementary options. 

Drexel’s admissions process uses the Common Application and the Coalition Application platforms.

Drexel’s application includes additional materials and instructions for specific departments. Students must provide supplementary materials like portfolios, additional essays, and evidence of satisfying departmental prerequisites. 

Applicants should be sure to check the departmental instructions for their intended major.

Any student seriously considering Drexel can access a higher acceptance rate by applying through Drexel’s Early Action and Early Decision programs. Both programs promise an admission decision on an expedited timetable; Early Decision requires a binding commitment to attend if accepted.

Recap: Drexel University Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked University

While the Ancient Eight members of the Ivy League leave out Drexel University, the school’s prestige and reach centers in a different academic ethos altogether. 

Drexel’s program offers superior opportunities and options for students interested in getting a running start to their careers, earning money while in college, and charting their own course of study.

Drexel looks for students ready to meet the world actively. It’s a bustling city campus brimming with activity and opportunity, ready to connect its students with all types of career plans.

With one of the country’s only dedicated entrepreneurship schools, Drexel provides the proper training ground for students who want to start their own businesses. 

A student with a game-changing idea or invention, a person who envisions a nonprofit to help their community, or those who want to be their own boss can all find a home at the Close School of Entrepreneurship.

Within the School of Entrepreneurship, the Baida Institute for Entrepreneurship provides office facilities, technological tools, and industry and alumni mentorship. 

Abundant funding opportunities exist for student startups, including numerous grants and competitions like Dragon Pitch, where the Drexel alumni network provides prize money for early-stage funding for student projects.

Work at a Fortune 500 company. Earn early acceptance to medical school. Accelerate your path to law school.

Or let Drexel’s Steinbright Career Development Center help you discover your strengths and interests as you embark on your best career. Drexel demonstrates that the life of the mind can actually make a difference and a profit.

The post Is Drexel University Ivy League? Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Baylor’s history dates back to 1845 when what was then known as the Republic of Texas chartered the school. The university, which began in Independence, Texas, but now is located in Waco, remains as committed to its Christian affiliation today as was on Day 1. 

It is home to the George W. Truett Theological Seminary, which offers degrees in divinity, ministry, and theological studies, as well as the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, where scholars go to do research about religion.

Although its Christian affiliation remains strong, today’s campus community welcomes people from all backgrounds, with students hailing from nearly every state and over 85 countries. 

Its students come from the top of their high school classes to pursue 126 undergraduate degrees as well as dozens of master’s degrees and doctorates. 

Baylor also is home to the state’s first law school, and its alumni “continue to record the highest bar (exam) passage rate” in Texas, according to the university.

Students learn all of this and more on a vast, 1,000-acre campus by the Brazos River in this mid-sized city. Classes are on the smaller side, with the average undergraduate course consisting of 26 students thanks to a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. 

The university has produced numerous well-known and successful alumni, including HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at what Baylor has to offer, whether it fits in with the Ivy League, and more about this prestigious school in the heart of Texas.

Is Baylor University Ivy League?

No, Baylor University is not an Ivy League school, but it has been educating students for more than 175 years.

All Ivy League schools are located in the Northeast, with many dating to colonial times. 

The term “Ivy League,” though, actually is fairly newer, having been first used in the 20th century to refer to certain schools competing in athletics. 

The name became more official after the NCAA  formed a Division I athletic conference for the schools in the 1950s, and today “Ivy League” is used in general to describe the group of eight prestigious schools that include Harvard, Yale, and Columbia universities.

Baylor, while a well-established and well-respected university, sits on the opposite side of the country from the Ivies. 

Its campus consists of buildings constructed throughout the 20th century, giving it a different look and feel from places like Princeton and Dartmouth, which have buildings dating back centuries. 

Although numerous states and countries are represented in Baylor’s student body, just like at the Ivies, it is a popular destination for Texans. More than 60% of its students came from within the state as of fall 2020. 

For the same year, the Ivy League school Cornell University, which has a similarly sized student body, just 27% of its students came from its home state, New York. 

Why Is Baylor University Confused As an Ivy League School?

Although Baylor University does not belong to the Ivy League, it has similar credentials to those that do. 

The school actually was founded about 20 years before Cornell and has a similarly sized student body compared to many of the Ivies. 

As of fall 2020, Baylor had nearly 14,400 undergraduates and over 5,100 graduate or professional students, while the Ivies had 6,292 to 30,391 undergraduate and graduate students for the 2020-21 school year. 

This means, like the Ivy League schools, Baylor competes in the NCAA’s Division I.

Students will find they can get a high-quality education to rival that of the Ivy Leagues at Baylor. 

In 2019, the Princeton Review ranked Baylor’s John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship No. 6 in the country, and the school’s undergraduate accounting program landed at 47th in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings. 

Many of Baylor’s graduate programs, too, ranked in the top 100 of their field in the United States in a recent survey by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor also is home to a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the country’s oldest academic honor society, which only 10% of American universities, including all of the Ivies, have. 

A Baylor education also will cost students more than what they would pay to learn at an Ivy League school. 

For the 2021-22 school year, Baylor charged $50,232 for tuition and estimated students would pay an average of $12,682 for room and board. 

The average undergraduate Ivy League student, on the other hand, paid $56,425 in tuition and fees during the 2020-21 academic year. 

Baylor University – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

Baylor’s unique mix of academic prowess and affordability has earned it accolades through the years. 

According to EduRank, Baylor ranks 135 out of 2,523 colleges and universities in the United States. 

At the same time, looking at the cost of attending school, the Fiske Guide to Colleges included Baylor in its 2017 list of the 47 “Best Buy” colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. 

Kiplinger echoed that decision, placing Baylor 61st on its list of Best Values in Private Colleges in 2018. 

The university’s efforts to make the world a better place also has attracted attention. 

In its 2019 Sustainable Campus Index, which recognizes schools for their sustainability efforts, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education named Baylor University a top-performing higher education institution.

It isn’t just Baylor’s academics that have earned its awards, either. 

Its student publications (the Lariat newspaper, Focus magazine, and Roundup yearbook) earned the Triple Silver Crown and several other awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2018.

Luckily for students interested in attending Baylor, this high-ranking education is within easy reach, since the university has an acceptance rate of 68%. This is about 12 times as high as the acceptance rate for all Ivy League schools. 

For the class of 2025, the Ivies received a total of 401,480 applications and accepted 21,803 students, for an overall acceptance rate of 5.4%. 

This is a historically low acceptance rate for those schools, according to Shemmassian Academic Consulting.

How to Get Into Baylor University 

When it comes to admissions, Baylor says it looks for students who have experience with demanding academics and are excited about learning. 

Baylor does not require applicants to have a minimum high school GPA or to have taken certain classes, but it does recommend that they come prepared with four years of English, math, and natural science classes. 

Applicants also will want to have taken three years of social sciences classes and two years of a language.

The university no longer requires applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, although they can if they want. 

Students interested in pursuing certain degrees, such as chemistry or calculus, should note that some classes in those programs require standardized test scores for admission. 

Students who began at Baylor in 2020 had a mean SAT score of 1278 and a mean ACT score of 28.6.

While Baylor is a Christian university, students do not have to belong to that faith or sign a statement of faith to attend, but Baylor does say that it looks for students who want to be part of a community that places a value on “faith and personal calling.” 

Prospective students also do not need to interview with Baylor representatives as part of the admissions process.

Baylor accepts students for the fall, spring, and summer terms. Prospective students can apply in one of three ways: Baylor’s online application, the Common Application, or ApplyTexas, an online application for colleges and universities located in that state. 

It also offers two early-decision deadlines for prospective students who consider Baylor to be their top choice for college. 

For fall admission, students must apply for early decision by November or February.  Early decision is binding, meaning that students are committed to attending Baylor if the university accepts them.

Recap: Baylor University Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked University

Although Baylor University is not an Ivy League school, students who want to attend a well-respected school in a small-city setting can find all that and more on this Texas campus. 

With a history that predates the Civil War, Baylor has spent nearly two centuries educating students across a wide range of subjects, from business and music to law and theology, and from bachelor’s programs to terminal degrees. 

The university also aims to make a further impact on the world from its numerous centers and institutes that focus on areas like Global Engagement and Faith & Learning. 

Students can find additional opportunities for learning and fun outside of class in the 330 clubs and organizations available on campus. 

This includes a thriving Greek community of 40 national and local fraternities and sororities. And thanks to its membership in the NCAA’s Division I, the university also attracts top athletes to participate in its 19 varsity sports teams.

The university’s Baptist background continues to drive its mission, but Baylor also welcomes people from all religions and other backgrounds to study within its walls. 

That uplifting spirit continues off-campus as well, as the university’s students and employees spend more than 150,000 hours volunteering in the local community each year.

If its alumni are any indication, Baylor students leave the university well-prepared and ready to make a difference in their world. Within 90 days of earning their diplomas, 83% of Baylor alumni have either started jobs or graduate school.

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The private university has a unique history, having been founded by American Jews in response to the discrimination they and other minorities were experiencing in colleges and universities at the time. 

Brandeis opened in Waltham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, in 1948, emphasizing undergraduate studies and research.

While it has strong Jewish roots, Brandeis welcomes students from all religious and cultural backgrounds. 

Still, it emphasizes values “rooted in Jewish history and experience,” including revering learning, emphasizing critical thinking, and encouraging students to use their talents and actions to make the world a better place, according to the university.

Brandeis offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a low student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. At the undergraduate level, the nearly 3,700 undergraduates have 44 majors to choose from in the School of Arts and Sciences plus a business major in the Brandeis International Business School.

Graduate students, meanwhile, can pursue 40 master’s degrees and 17 doctorates in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The business school also offers a five-year BA/MA program. Its Heller School for Social Policy and Management has seven graduate programs. 

Brandeis also has a flexible option for people interested in graduate studies: the all-online master’s degree and online professional development classes offered through the Brandeis Graduate Professional Studies. 

People seeking professional development beyond their degrees or who are just interested in learning new subjects can take courses through The Rabb School of Continuing Studies.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at what it means to be an Ivy League school, Brandeis University, and what it has to offer both in the classroom and out.

Is Brandeis University Ivy League?

No, Brandeis University is not a member of the Ivy League, but students can still receive a high-quality education at this New England school.

Ivy League schools have been around for centuries, with several actually opening their doors before the American Revolution. 

While the names Harvard, Yale, and Princeton evoke images of ivy-covered, historic buildings, that isn’t actually why this collection of eight schools is known as the Ivy League. 

The name actually dates to the 20th century and initially referred to the athletic conference the schools belonged to. 

It’s moved on from that athletic connection and today is used to refer to this prestigious group of universities and the much-desired education they offer.

Brandeis, however, is a fairly newer school on the educational landscape, at least compared to the Ivies, having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2018. 

With around 5,400 total students in fall 2020, Brandeis has a smaller enrollment than Ivy League schools, which, for the 2020-2021 academic year, had 6,292 to 30,391 undergraduate and graduate students. 

This size puts Brandeis into the NCAA’s Division III, while Ivy League schools compete in Division I. 

Although it is home to just a few thousand students, Brandeis remains committed to keeping that group diverse, fulfilling its original mission by providing a place where anyone can pursue an education. 

The university considers freedom of expression a key part of education and aims to make the campus as inclusive as possible.

Why Is Brandeis University Confused As an Ivy League School?

Brandeis has many things in common with several Ivy League schools, which makes it natural that some people might confuse it for one. 

First, it’s located in New England, as are Harvard, Yale, and Brown universities. Brandeis sits on 235 acres in the Boston suburbs, giving students a great place to learn on campus and off, with all the amenities and educational experiences a major city can offer just a few miles and a shuttle ride away. 

Although it’s a fairly newer college, its campus has the look and feel of an older university, with a mix of stone and brick, modern and classical architecture reminiscent of an Ivy League institution. 

And within those walls, the academics have earned high rankings from numerous publications, and its research efforts routinely pull in notable awards. 

The university brought in $63 million worth of outside funding for its research in the 2020 fiscal year.

A Brandeis University education comes with a similar price tag to that of an Ivy League school. Brandeis students paid nearly $75,000 in tuition, room/board, and other fees for the 2021-22 school year. 

During the 2020-21 academic year, the average undergraduate Ivy League student paid $56,425 in tuition and fees. Brandeis students did receive financial aid to make this cost more affordable, with an average need-based award of almost $47,800.

Like the Ivies, Brandeis’ alumni have gone on to achieve great things in the arts, business, and more, such as best-selling author Mitch Albom, who graduated from the university in 1979. Notable Hollywood names have come from Brandeis, too, including “Friends” creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, “Will & Grace” star Debra Messing, and “Scandal” actor Tony Goldwyn.

Alumni have shown how well Brandeis prepared them for life after university, too. Of the class of 2020, 94% were either working, in graduate school or “engaged in meaningful experiences” within six months of earning their degrees.

Brandeis University – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

Brandeis University has ranked as one of the best universities in not only America but also the world. The school tied for 42nd on U.S. News & World Report‘s list of National Universities and also tied for No. 31 on the publication’s list of Best Undergraduate Teaching. 

EduRank, which takes into account schools’ reputation outside academics, their research, and the impact of their well-known alumni, placed Brandeis at No. 370 out of 14,160 schools worldwide.

Several of Brandeis’ bachelor’s degree programs have earned top rankings as well for how much their graduates earn after college, according to Grad Report. 

Brandeis’ anthropology degree landed at fifth in the nation, with 91% of its graduates employed within a year of earning their bachelor’s and earning a median salary of $37,210. The university’s neuroscience program also scored well with Grad Report, ranking 14th.

While Brandeis has a strong reputation like the Ivies, it has a much higher acceptance rate than  they do. Of the 10,223 applications it received for the class of 2025, Brandeis accepted 34%. For the same class year, Ivy League schools had an overall acceptance rate of just 5.4%.

Prospective students also can choose to apply for early decision if Brandeis is their first choice for college. Brandeis has two early decision deadlines, and students find out in December and February if they’ve been admitted. The acceptance rate for early decision applicants is higher than that of regular applicants, at 46%.

How to Get Into Brandeis University 

When it comes to considering prospective students, Brandeis said it looks at three areas: their academic record, their potential for succeeding academically and socially, and what they can provide to the campus community.

The 747 students who enrolled in Brandeis in fall 2020 were high achievers in high school. They had an average GPA of 3.84, and most took honors or Advanced Placement classes or international baccalaureate-level courses. In standardized tests, they scored from 1390 to 1500 on the SAT and 30 to 33 on the ACT.

High-schoolers considering attending Brandeis will want to make sure they take certain classes, including four years of English and three years each of math, lab sciences, and social sciences. They also should take two or three years of a foreign language.

To apply, students must fill out the Common Application and submit their transcripts, a school report, and one letter of recommendation each from a school official and a teacher who taught them in a core class, such as math or science. 

Brandeis no longer requires applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores, but those who don’t include them will need to fulfill the school’s testing requirement in another way. 

This could be submitting three exams from various subjects or providing a paper they wrote for a high school class plus another letter of recommendation from a teacher they had in their junior or senior years.

Students’ activities outside the classroom, such as community engagement, also come into play in the admissions process. Brandeis considers how students have used their skills and time to help others, and it also wants to see if students have persevered through challenges and demonstrated critical thinking skills through other projects or activities.

Recap: Brandeis University Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked University

Although Brandeis does not belong to the Ivy League, it still provides a well-respected education that leads students into successful careers. 

Alumni have shown how well Brandeis prepared them for life after university. Of the class of 2020, 94% were either working, in graduate school, or “engaged in meaningful experiences” within six months of earning their degrees.

This could not be possible without the quality of the education available at Brandeis, provided by faculty members who have won Nobel Prizes, been MacArthur “genius grant” Fellows, and belonged to the National Academy of Sciences. 

More than half of Brandeis’ classes have fewer than 20 students, giving students a more intimate setting in which to learn. And in addition to lessons in the arts, sciences, and other core subjects, students can engage in classes that take on more unusual topics, such as Hip-Hop History and Culture.

In their time away from class, students have plenty of opportunities to engage in clubs and sports. 

Outside its 19 Division III teams, Brandeis has several intramural and club sports. The campus also is home to the Rose Art Museum and regularly presents concerts, theatrical shows, and more in addition to presenting the annual campus-wide Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. 

On top of this, students can participate in more than 200 other clubs and activities. They also are passionate about giving back to the world around them. 

The university ranked sixth on the Princeton Review’s list of colleges whose students are the most engaged in community service.

Brandeis University may not be an Ivy League school; however, considering its alumni, faculty, and accolades, it is an elite university among the best colleges in the entire world.

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Located in Middletown, Connecticut, a quaint town along the Connecticut River, Wesleyan opened in 1831 as an all-male school named in honor of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist religious denomination. 

Today, the historic campus is no longer affiliated with the Methodist Church and is co-ed, but it still has many traditions tying current students to its prestigious past. 

Wesleyan now has about 3,200 students, mostly undergraduates, who can choose from 45 majors. 

At the graduate level, students can earn master’s degrees and PhDs. The school embraces interdisciplinary study, but no matter what path they take, students learn from distinguished faculty members in a welcoming, diverse environment.

The university also has become one of the more affordable places to earn a college education, too. 

The university estimates its three-year degree program can save students up to $50,000, and students with annual family incomes under $60,000 receive grants rather than loans.

Despite its smaller size, Wesleyan has produced some big names. Alumni of Wesleyan’s much-lauded theater program, for instance, include the Tony award-winning creator of “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, and “Mad Men” and “The Sopranos” creator Matthew Weiner. 

Other programs have produced equally prestigious graduates, including influential politicians like Sen. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet and sports figures like Bill Belichick, the Super Bowl-winning head coach of the New England Patriots.

Is Wesleyan University Ivy League?

No, Wesleyan University is not an Ivy League school, but it does belong to a prestigious group of schools known as the “Little Ivies.” 

While the history of its schools dates back centuries, the actual term “Ivy League” only came about in the 20th century as a result of athletic competition among some of the schools. 

This solidified in the 1950s when the NCAA officially formed an athletic conference for Division I. Today, the term refers to eight schools, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton universities.

The name stuck, though, and today it evokes images of intellectually rich universities with world-class reputations. It’s also spawned other groups, like the Little Ivies. 

Like their Ivy League counterparts, these are selective, private liberal arts colleges with challenging academic programs. Most are located in New England, and as their name suggests, their student bodies are much smaller than those of Ivy League schools. 

Student-athletes at Wesleyan and its counterparts compete in NCAA Division III, while Harvard and the like are members of Division I.

Of the Little Ivies, just Wesleyan and Tufts are universities; many of the schools only have undergraduate programs. 

Wesleyan, however, offers numerous undergraduate and graduate programs. Students also have hundreds of extra-curricular activities to choose from that can not only add to their academic experience, but also offer ways for them to feed their bodies and souls, too.

Why Is Wesleyan University Confused As an Ivy League School?

Wesleyan has many similarities to Ivy League schools, making it easy for people to mistake it for one. 

Founded more than 30 years before Cornell University, an Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, Wesleyan is located in the midst of Connecticut, just half an hour northeast of Yale University. 

Full of historical, red-brick facilities alongside state-of-the-art buildings, Wesleyan looks every bit the Ivy League university.

A Wesleyan education actually is more expensive than an Ivy League one. For the 2021-22 academic year, Wesleyan undergraduates paid $61,449 in tuition plus more than $18,000 in room, board, and other fees. 

The average undergraduate Ivy League student, meanwhile, paid $56,425 in tuition and fees during the previous academic year. 

The university’s liberal arts curriculum and open-minded approach to instruction also resemble those of Ivy League universities. 

Thanks to the school’s “open curriculum,” which means students don’t have to take specific required classes outside their major, students can pick from more than 900 classes running the gamut of subjects. 

These varied offerings are apparent in the different colleges that make up Wesleyan, which include more traditional options like the College of Letters and the College of Social Studies as well as more unique ones, such as the College of Film and the Moving Image and the College of Education Studies. 

The campus also is home to numerous centers that focus on different social and academic causes, such as the Center for African American Studies and the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life.

Wesleyan University – Ranking, Acceptance Rate, and More

Wesleyan consistently ranks among the best universities in the nation, as do many of its programs. 

For 2021, Forbes magazine placed Wesleyan at 12th on its list of best liberal arts universities in the nation and at 54th on its ranking of best colleges in the country. 

Niche, meanwhile, gave Wesleyan an overall rating of A+, and the school earned an A+ for academics, diversity and value as well. 

The site took a closer look at Wesleyan’s different departments and amenities, too, naming it the fourth-best college for film and photography in America out of 278 schools. 

Other academic areas that landed Wesleyan in the top 25 in the country were global studies (No. 8), performing arts (No. 21), and English (No. 22).

It might come as no surprise then that getting into Wesleyan can be tough. 

The university received 13,145 applications for its class of 2025, the most recently admitted, and accepted just 2,540. 

This amounts to a total acceptance rate of 19.3%, down from 20.7% for the class of 2024.

While the class of 2025’s acceptance rate might seem low, it is actually higher than those for the classes of 2021 to 2023, which hovered around 16% to 17%.

In the end, 919 students ended up accepting places in the class of 2025. The majority of students admitted were female, and most came from outside New England. 

Eleven percent of admitted students lived overseas, with countries such as Egypt, Jamaica and Zimbabwe represented.

How to Get Into Wesleyan University 

Students interested in attending Wesleyan University should show they have a strong background in academics as well as their communities.

In looking at the profile of its class of 2025, Wesleyan noted that students who succeed at the university and contribute to its community tend to have experience not just in school activities, but also in the arts, politics, and community and religious groups.

They excelled in high school, with 76% of students admitted to the class of 2025 ranking in the top 10% of their graduating classes. 

More than 80% of admitted students took calculus, three sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), and four years of a foreign language in high school.

Wesleyan decided a few years ago not to require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores with their paperwork. Those who did for the class of 2025, though, earned top marks on the standardized tests. 

Those admitted to Wesleyan’s class of 2025 had a median ACT score of 34 and a median SAT score of 1520.

Wesleyan accepts both the Common and Coalition applications. Students need to include two  recommendations from teachers who know them well and can talk about their experiences in class. 

The university recommends that these letters come from teachers the student had in 11th or 12th grade and that they come from different academic departments. Prospective students also will interview either at Wesleyan or with an alumnus in their area.

Students set on attending Wesleyan University may want to apply for early decision if past admission cycles are any indication. 

Of the applications received for the class of 2025, 888 were for early decision, and the university ended up accepting more than half of them.

Recap: Wesleyan University Is Not an Ivy League School. However, It Is a Top-Ranked Liberal Arts College

While Wesleyan is not an Ivy League school, its graduates still receive an Ivy League-caliber education alongside other high achievers.

Wesleyan has shown in recent years that it only accepts the best of the best, with admitted students coming from the tops of their high school classes and demonstrating their proficiency in challenging courses. 

This 316-acre campus with a history stretching back nearly two centuries gives students a comfortable place to learn and grow. 

It offers a more intimate environment than the larger Ivy League schools, as it has just around 2,900 undergraduate students. 

That personal approach carries over into the classroom, too, as 74% of classes have fewer than 20 students. The university also enjoys a low student-faculty ratio of 8:1.

Like Ivy League schools, Wesleyan’s academics often land it among the best in the nation. Several of Wesleyan’s graduate programs, too, have earned high rankings, with mathematics and several science programs landing in the top 150 for their respective subjects.

But Wesleyan knows how to have fun, too. Its students compete on 30 varsity sports teams in the NCAA but also can join 21 club sports teams and five intramural. 

Outside of sports, over 200 student groups offer outlets for a wide range of interests, from volunteering to theater to politics.

While tuition and fees amount to more than $60,000 per year, Wesleyan has begun offering several attractive incentives, including making it possible for students to earn a bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four, thereby saving them thousands of dollars. 

U.S. News & World Report ranked Wesleyan 14th on its list of the Best Value Schools in the country, which considers academic quality and costs for out-of-state students.

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