A genuine methodology note before this section: unlike most other countries in this directory, US universities officially publish their acceptance rates every year as part of federal reporting requirements (the Common Data Set). So the percentages below are official figures, not third-party aggregator estimates — a rare exception to the caveat that applies everywhere else in this document. It's also worth being upfront that international acceptance rates at nearly all of these universities run meaningfully lower than the overall published rate, since international applicants compete for a smaller, capped share of each class. Rankings below are from QS World University Rankings 2027.
| # | University | QS 2027 | Overall Acceptance Rate | Known For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | ~4.6% | Engineering, computer science, physical sciences |
| 2 | Stanford University | 2 (tied) | ~4% | Engineering, computer science, business |
| 3 | Harvard University | 5 | ~3% | Law, medicine, business, broad research |
| 4 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 8 (tied) | ~3% | Physics, engineering, applied sciences |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | 15 | ~4.9% | Business (Wharton), medicine, law |
| 6 | Cornell University | 16 (tied) | ~8% | Engineering, agriculture, hospitality, broad research |
| 7 | Yale University | 16 (tied) | ~5% | Law, humanities, drama, broad research |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins University | 20 (tied) | ~6% | Medicine, public health, international relations |
| 9 | University of California, Berkeley | 24 | ~10–11% | Engineering, computer science, public policy |
| 10 | University of Chicago | 27 | ~5% | Economics, law, broad research |
| 11 | Columbia University | 43 (tied) | ~3–4% | Journalism, business, international affairs |
| 12 | Princeton University | 43 (tied) | ~4% | Public policy, physics, mathematics |
| 13 | Northwestern University | 49 | ~7% | Journalism (Medill), business (Kellogg), engineering |
| 14 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 51 | ~9% | Film, business, engineering, broad research |
| 15 | University of Michigan | 55 | ~15.6% | Engineering, business, broad public research |
| 16 | Carnegie Mellon University | 58 | ~10.5–11% | Computer science, robotics, AI, engineering |
| 17 | New York University (NYU) | 66 (tied) | ~7–10% (school-dependent) | Business (Stern), arts, film, broad research |
| 18 | Brown University | 66 (tied) | ~6% | Open curriculum, humanities, medicine |
| 19 | Duke University | 72 (tied) | ~6.2% | Medicine, business (Fuqua), engineering |
| 20 | University of Texas at Austin | 72 (tied) | Varies — 90% of seats reserved for Texas residents by law | Engineering, business (McCombs), computer science |
Note on acceptance rates: US universities officially publish their acceptance rates, so the figures shown here are official institutional data.
University profiles
- 1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Engineering, computer science, physical sciences
- QS 2027 1
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~4.6%
- 2
Stanford University
Engineering, computer science, business
- QS 2027 2 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~4%
- 3
Harvard University
Law, medicine, business, broad research
- QS 2027 5
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~3%
- 4
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Physics, engineering, applied sciences
- QS 2027 8 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~3%
- 5
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Business (Wharton), medicine, law
- QS 2027 15
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~4.9%
- 6
Cornell University
Engineering, agriculture, hospitality, broad research
- QS 2027 16 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~8%
- 7
Yale University
Law, humanities, drama, broad research
- QS 2027 16 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~5%
- 8
Johns Hopkins University
Medicine, public health, international relations
- QS 2027 20 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~6%
- 9
University of California, Berkeley
Engineering, computer science, public policy
- QS 2027 24
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~10–11%
- 10
University of Chicago
Economics, law, broad research
- QS 2027 27
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~5%
- 11
Columbia University
Journalism, business, international affairs
- QS 2027 43 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~3–4%
- 12
Princeton University
Public policy, physics, mathematics
- QS 2027 43 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~4%
- 13
Northwestern University
Journalism (Medill), business (Kellogg), engineering
- QS 2027 49
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~7%
- 14
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Film, business, engineering, broad research
- QS 2027 51
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~9%
- 15
University of Michigan
Engineering, business, broad public research
- QS 2027 55
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~15.6%
- 16
Carnegie Mellon University
Computer science, robotics, AI, engineering
- QS 2027 58
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~10.5–11%
- 17
New York University (NYU)
Business (Stern), arts, film, broad research
- QS 2027 66 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~7–10% (school-dependent)
- 18
Brown University
Open curriculum, humanities, medicine
- QS 2027 66 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~6%
- 19
Duke University
Medicine, business (Fuqua), engineering
- QS 2027 72 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate ~6.2%
- 20
University of Texas at Austin
Engineering, business (McCombs), computer science
- QS 2027 72 (tied)
- Overall Acceptance Rate Varies — 90% of seats reserved for Texas residents by law
Ready to plan this properly?
A StudVisor counselor reviews your profile, budget and timeline — free, and with no obligation.
Book a Free Consultation with Us