Hardest colleges to get into in the U.S. in 2022

If you think Ivy League schools are tough to get into — well, you aren't wrong. Last fall, elite schools began to report their acceptance rates for their graduating classes of 2025. Some rates rose, but many fell drastically, thanks in part to an increase in applications. 

One big change for the 2022 Niche rankings: A de-emphasis on standardized test scores. An increasing number of colleges are making such tests optional for prospective students. As a result, test scores were a smaller factor for 2002 — 20%, versus 40% in 2020 and 2021. Ranked as Minnesota's best college for 2022, Carleton College has a 19% acceptance rate.  Northeastern University, one of several colleges on this list located in the Boston area, has an acceptance rate of 18%. Wesleyan University in Connecticut has an acceptance rate of 16%.  A newcomer to the 2022 list, New York University has a 16% acceptance rate. Hamilton College, another newcomer on this list for 2022, is in Clinton, N.Y. The acceptance rate at Pitzer College, in California, is 14%.  The University of California, Berkeley has a 16% acceptance rate.  This school, in Atlanta, has an acceptance rate of 16%.  The acceptance rate at Haverford College in Pennsylvania is 16%.  The acceptance rate at the United States Military Academy at West Point, in New York, is 12%.  The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art has a 15% acceptance rate.  The acceptance rate at Vermont's Middlebury College is 15%.  Colorado College, a small liberal arts school in Colorado Springs, has an acceptance rate of 14%.  Notre Dame has a 16% acceptance rate.  Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, has a 15% acceptance rate.  Carnegie Mellon University has a 15% acceptance rate.  Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, has a 12% acceptance rate. Georgetown University has a 14% acceptance rate.  The acceptance rate at UCLA is 12%.  Located in New Orleans, this school has an acceptance rate of 13%.  United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has an 11% acceptance rate. Barnard College, in New York City, has a 12% acceptance rate. Washington University in St. Louis has a 14% acceptance rate.  The University of Southern California has an 11% acceptance rate.  Harvey Mudd College, in Claremont, California, has a 14% acceptance rate. Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has an 13% acceptance rate. Amherst College has an 11% acceptance rate.  The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland has an 8% acceptance rate.  Claremont McKenna College, in Claremont, California, has a 10% acceptance rate.  Colby College in Maine has a 10% acceptance rate.  Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., has an 11% acceptance rate, according to its latest reported data. Johns Hopkins University has an 7.4% acceptance rate.  Brunswick, Maine's Bowdoin College has an 9% acceptance rate. Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has a 9% acceptance rate. Northwestern University has a 9% acceptance rate.  Nashville's Vanderbilt University has a 9% acceptance rate. Rice University has a 9% acceptance rate. Pomona College in Claremont, California has an 7% acceptance rate. Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, has an 8% acceptance rate. The University of Pennsylvania has an 8% acceptance rate. Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has an 8% acceptance rate.  Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island has a 7% acceptance rate.  New York City's Columbia University has a 5% acceptance rate. Yale University has a 6% acceptance rate.  The University of Chicago has a 6% acceptance rate.  MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a 7% acceptance rate. Princeton University has a 6% acceptance rate. Considered one of the best small colleges America has to offer, Cal Tech, in Pasadena, California has a 6% acceptance rate. Harvard University has a 5% acceptance rate.  Stanford University has a 4% acceptance rate. Here's the 2022 Niche ranking for the 50 hardest schools to get into. It also has no application fee. For 2022, it's ranked on the Niche survey as America's sixth most liberal college. Applicants are not required to take the SATs or ACTs, but those scores are considered. It ranks as the No. 2 school for film and photography, behind only the University of Southern California. It has a 16% acceptance rate and ranks highly for English studies. A high school GPA is required for consideration, but not SAT scores. Despite the school's reputation for left-leaning politics, Niche ranks Berkeley as only the 25th most liberal college in the country; American University, in Washington, D.C., is No. 1. It is ranked by Niche as No. 2 among the top Christian colleges in America for 2022.  SAT scores are considered but not required. The Niche survey gives the school a punishing D+ grade for its party scene, but an A+ for academics. It's also ranked as America's No. 1 school with no application fee for 2022. It specializes in art and architecture, among other majors. It claims to be the first U.S. college to adopt an environmental studies program. It has no application fee. Niche ranks the Indiana university as the top Catholic college in the country for 2022. Niche gives the school high marks for academics, diversity and value. For 2022, the Pittsburgh institution is ranked No. 1 among the best colleges for information technology studies in America. SAT scores are neither required nor recommended for applicants. Niche rates the Washington, D.C. Catholic school highly for academics and diversity and for its party scene. For 2022, Niche ranks its campus and food options as No. 1 out of all colleges. It's also America's top public college. Niche has ranked it as the top party school in the nation for 2022. Its party scene isn't considered particularly interesting, but it is popular among students hoping to major in business. It's the best women's college in the U.S., according to Niche.   It's routinely named by Niche as among the tops on their list of best college campuses. This year, it's also listed as No. 1 for best college dorms. Niche has ranked the Los Angeles school among the best in America for design, film and photography and student life.  Students who apply there also tend to apply to Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College. Engineering and applied mathematics are popular majors. Like many top small liberal arts schools, this one does not require standardized tests, but of those who are accepted, the score range for the SAT is 1410 to 1550. Student who apply to the Amherst, Massachusetts college often also apply to Williams College, Bowdoin College and Middlebury College.  Applicants here also usually apply to the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the United States Coast Guard Academy. A popular major is economics. Of the best colleges with no application fee, Colby ranks No. 4. It's named by Niche as among the best colleges for agricultural sciences in America.  Public health is a popular major at the Baltimore school. Niche has named it among the best liberal arts colleges in the country. The student-faculty ratio is 8-1. The Evanston, Illinois university is often rated as one of the best colleges for communications in America. It's also tops for an education in the performing arts. It's named by Niche as the best college in America to study education. Niche has ranked the Houston school among the best for studying physical therapy and sports management. It's named by Niche as the best liberal arts college in America. There is one faculty member for every seven students. The Philadelphia school was recently ranked by Niche as the best college for business in America.  Duke is known for its high-quality athletics programs, and its public-policy education. The school is known for English studies, as well as its global studies. Economics is a popular major; the university also among the top schools for seeking an English major. For 2022, Niche has ranked its professors as the best in America. The school's history program is also ranked at No. 1. Its most popular majors are economics and computer science. For 2022, it ranks as Niche's overall best college in the United States and ranks especially high in computer science and math. Three alumni of the New Jersey university have served as Supreme Court justices. The school ranks highly for its chemistry and public policy programs. Niche ranks Cal Tech as the best college for physics in America. It also has a reputation as a mecca for budding engineers. The Cambridge, Massachusetts university ranks highly for many majors, according to Niche, including math, psychology, biology and political science.  The California institution also was named by Niche as the No. 1 school for athletics for 2022. The school is also known for its psychology program.