Santa Clara University (SCU) is a private Jesuit university located in, you guessed it, Santa Clara. It’s also the oldest college in California. SCU is known for their social sciences (just look up how many politicians and fancy government people have gone here – it’s wild!) and business programs and the proximity to Silicon Valley is great for students who want to break into tech. We think SCU is a bit of a sleeper school, and think it’ll jump in popularity over the next few years. Last cycle, SCU had a record-breaking number of applications and had an acceptance rate of 47%. They’re also test-optional through this year, and it’s good to note that 41% of admitted students didn’t submit scores.

Located in Beyonce’s hometown of Houston, Rice University is a private research university known for their very strong and very competitive STEM programs, as well as a solid business school. Rice is a very hard school to get into; last cycle, they had a 16% acceptance rate for ED and EDII and a 7% RD acceptance rate. Rice is also continuing their test-optional policy this year, but we don’t recommend applying without scores – it’s an 8% acceptance rate overall, and their middle 50% for the ACT and SAT were 34-36 and 1500-1560, respectively.

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is known for pairing a well-respected academic program with a lively and much-beloved social scene centered on Greek Life. They’re also well-respected for offering unique programs that augment the value of your college degree. Lehigh offers a variety of 4+1 programs (masters and bachelors degree in 5 years) to their 5,800 undergraduates across the College of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering, and the College of Health. The Lehigh Launch program kicks off your college experience with a semester in the American West or Santiago, Chile. These programs help make Lehigh so popular. The acceptance rate for the class of 2027 was just under 30%. In 2024, the university saw a 30% increase in Early Decision applications, reducing the acceptance. Basically, it’s only getting more popular. 

Located in gorgeous Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado College (CC) is a very, very unique school that attracts unique students. They’re known for their innovative Block Plan, where students immerse themselves in one class for a whole month, which allows for creative applications like going to D.C. to study policy, camping under the stars for astronomy students, living in the mountains while you get your rock on, or spending a whole month learning nothing but Spanish. Students who are drawn to CC are like, seriously drawn to the school. They’re known for having a crazy low RD acceptance rate (less than 10%), and accept the vast majority of their students from ED, EA, and ED 2. CC is also test optional, and has a very wide range in their middle 50 (1250-1450 SAT, 29-34 ACT). This is because CC says: “Colorado College does not penalize those who submit test scores and will ignore scores that do not strengthen an applicant's candidacy.” Very unique!

Syracuse is a leading university nationally, known for exceptional academics and research opportunities on their Syracuse, NY campus alongside award-winning study abroad programs and Syracuse Abroad centers in Italy, England, Spain, Chile, and more.  There are over 200 majors, 100 minors, and more research and pre-professional opportunities than you can count. The acceptance rate is about 41%.

Scripps is an all-women’s college and part of the Claremont Colleges system in California, just east of Los Angeles. It is also a top liberal arts college in the country, with just over 1000 undergrads and only a handful of graduate students, making it a predominately undergraduate college. The acceptance rate is 34%. If it’s a top school, why is the acceptance rate so high? Well, as an all-women’s college they have a smaller pool of potential students and a smaller pool of applicants. So, the higher acceptance rate is most representative of the popularity of all-women’s colleges in the US. We highly recommend any eligible student who is even considering an all-women’s environment to apply, as these colleges (including Smith, Barnard, and Bryn Mawr) offer an exceptional education with a higher acceptance rate.

Wellesley is an all-women’s liberal arts college at the very top of its game regardless of being a women’s college. It is a premier college, and it is a women’s college — both. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts outside of Boston, the college offers over 50 majors and, for over 150 years, has been at the forefront of liberal arts education and interdisciplinary learning. The acceptance rate has held at between 13% and 14% for two years running, making Wellesley a highly-selective college and one of the most selective all-women’s colleges. The international acceptance rate, though, is merely 6%.

Boston University (BU) is a large, private research university located smack-dab in the middle of Boston. Here’s a fun BU fact for you: the telephone was invented by one BU professor, Alexander Graham Bell, in a BU lab! BU has gotten increasingly competitive over the last few years, currently boasting an acceptance rate of around 14%. That number will probably continue to go down, as BU is keeping their test-optional policy in effect for this year.

Vassar College is a small liberal arts school in Poughkeepsie, NY. Vassar is nestled in  the Hudson Valley region about a two hour train ride from NYC, think wineries, skiing, hikes, it's all very picturesque, but still very accessible from a major metropolitan center (Vassar itself has a nature preserve, golf course, and farm on campus). Academically, Vassar is very flexible. They are proud of having an open curriculum with no general education requirements.

Northeastern University, located in Boston, MA, is a private research university known for their co-op educational opportunities, liberal arts foundation, and tons of study abroad options. Northeastern has become highly, highly competitive over the last few years. We think that’s because they got rid of their supplement in 2018 and then adopted, and have maintained, a test-optional policy during COVID. For the Class of 2028, Northeastern had a 5.6% acceptance rate and almost 100,000 applicants. And, while Northeastern is test-optional, they self-report that test scores are as important in their deliberations as your GPA and essays. It makes sense that their middle 50s were 33-35 for ACT and 1460-1530 for SAT. And yet, with all this competition, Northeastern doesn’t have a supplement. That does not mean you just get to press send and go on your way. With a 5% acceptance rate? No way.

Hamilton College is a small liberal arts school in New York. Nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, it has a stunningly beautiful rural campus. However, it is most known for its rigorous academics. While they have a high academic bar, they notably have very few requirements and an open curriculum model. Their school motto is “know thyself,” and they trust you to follow your academic passions and be interesting and introspective the moment you step on campus. Hamilton is home to around 2k students and notably all of them live on campus. Also they are test-optional.

Bates is a small liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine with 1,800 students and a multitude of opportunities. The college has become immensely popular. In 2010, the acceptance rate was over 30%. Today, the acceptance rate is about 13%. The college isn’t wildly different from what it was just 15 years ago, but the increase in popularity (and subsequent decrease in the acceptance rate) can be linked to a dramatic rise in the number of applicants to well-respected colleges of all kinds across the country. As the acceptance rates at Williams and Dartmouth decrease, Bates, which was historically a target for a student aiming for Dartmouth, is impacted as well. The bottom line is that the college has always been awesome, but now it’s a tougher one to get into.

Smith is a women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts known for an open curriculum with few required courses outside of your major, allowing students to focus on their deepest passions with minimal distraction. For many students, this is a dream situation — and Smith is their perfect fit! There are over 1,000 courses across more than 80 areas of study, and the acceptance rate is a little below 21%.

Colgate is a leading university known for offering an exceptional educational experience in a stunning setting in Hamilton, NY. The school prizes offering an intimate learning environment that emphasizes conversation through small class sizes. There are 56 majors, 3,200 students, and the acceptance rate is 12%.