Is an Ivy League College for You?

How to improve your chances for admission to ivy league schools.

Ivy League colleges are some of the most prestigious and academically challenging in the country. There are eight universities that make up the Ivy League, all of which can be found in the northeastern United States. High school students would be hard-pressed to find a college that offers a more rigorous 4-year bachelors degree program.

All eight Ivy League universities routinely rank as the top colleges in the country and are also considered some of the hardest schools to get degrees from. If you are interested in earning a bachelors degree or other degree from one of these prestigious schools, read on to find out the credentials you need to have to increase your chances.

Admission Requirements for Ivy League Colleges

Getting an education from an Ivy League college first depends on your ability to get accepted. Each 4-year college in the Ivy League has different entry requirements, but all are relatively demanding compared with other schools. Your GPA and how you score on standardized tests are just some of the factors schools use to determine whether you’ll be accepted. Find average test scores and GPAs for each Ivy League school below:

Brown University

SAT Critical Reading: 650 to 760 SAT Math: 670 to 780 SAT Writing: 660 to 770 ACT Composite: 28 to 33 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 14 percent

Columbia University

SAT Critical Reading: 680 to 770 SAT Math: 680 to 780 SAT Writing: 690 to 770 ACT Composite: 29 to 34 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 11 percent

Cornell University

SAT Critical Reading: 630 to 730 SAT Math: 670 to 770 SAT Writing: NA ACT Composite:29 to 33 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 21 percent

Dartmouth College

SAT Critical Reading: 660 to 770 SAT Math: 670 to 780 SAT Writing: 680 to 770 ACT Composite:29 to 34 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 13 percent

Harvard University

SAT Critical Reading: 690 to 800 SAT Math: 700 to 780 SAT Writing: 690 to 790 ACT Composite:31 to 35 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 8 percent

Princeton University

SAT Critical Reading: 690 to 790 SAT Math: 700 to 790 SAT Writing: 690 to 780 ACT Composite:31 to 34 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 10 percent

University of Pennsylvania

SAT Critical Reading: 650 to 740 SAT Math: 680 to 780 SAT Writing: 670 to 760 ACT Composite:30 to 33 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 17 percent

Yale University

SAT Critical Reading: 700 to 800 SAT Math: 700 to 780 SAT Writing: 700 to 790 ACT Composite:30 to 34 GPA:>3.5 Percent Applicants Admitted: 9 percent

Test scores and percentages are courtesy of the College Board; scores represent the middle 50% of first-year students at each school.

Remember, the test scores above are averages of all students enrolled at each Ivy League school. A lower test score than the average does not automatically disqualify you from admission. However, it does likely mean that your other criteria (GPA, community service, etc.) will need to be exceptional. To find full college profiles on each Ivy League school, use the Campus Explorer college search.

Improving Chances for Admission to Ivy League Colleges

Only about 10% of applicants are accepted into Ivy League schools. So how do you pursue your desired major and earn your bachelors degree at one of these schools? Work hard, test well and find ways to set yourself and your application apart from the pack. Here are some key ways to do this:

• Participate in school clubs – taking a leadership role in an established club or starting your own club are great ways to show your initiative.
• Take demanding classes, including AP classes, in high school, and take core high school classes (English, math, science and social studies) all four years.
• Take 3 to 4 years of a foreign language.
• Get good grades -- most Ivy League students place in the top 10% of their high schools.
• Write a personal essay that highlights your uniqueness to help leave a lasting impression with admissions counselors.

Alternatives to the Ivy League

Worried that the Ivies are out of your league? Ivy League schools are one way to get a quality education, but they’re not the only way. Just ask all the successful people who don’t boast an Ivy education, like Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, who attended Reed College, Colin Powell (City College of New York), Oprah Winfrey (Tennessee State) or Tom Hanks (Chabot College, a community college).

Dive deeper into your college search and you’ll find schools with great reputations that may not have the Ivy League name but may suit you better in terms of cost, location or academics.

• The Public Ivies are public schools with academic standards on par with the private Ivy League schools:
  • College of William & Mary (Virginia)
  • Miami University (Ohio)
  • University of California (all campuses throughout California)
  • University of Michigan
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Virginia
• The Black Ivy League includes these historically black colleges:
  • Morehouse College (Georgia)
  • Howard University (Washington, DC)
  • Hampton University (Virginia)
  • Spelman College (Georgia)
  • Fisk University (Tennessee)
  • Tuskegee University (Alabama)
  • Dillard University (Louisiana)
• The Hidden Ivies are small colleges, mostly liberal arts schools, throughout the US. The 30 schools include:
  • Amherst College (Massachusetts)
  • Bowdoin College (Maine)
  • Carleton College (Minnesota)
  • Haverford College (Pennsylvania)
  • Middlebury College (Vermont)
  • Oberlin College (Ohio)
  • Pomona College (California)
  • Vassar College (New York)
• Schools associated with the Southern Ivies include:
  • Duke University (North Carolina)
  • Emory University (Georgia)
  • Rice University (Texas)
  • Tulane University (Louisiana)
  • Vanderbilt University (Tennessee)

Ivy League Schools Tips & Tactics

• Apply early action or early decision to your top choice to show that school that you’re committed to attending.
• Keep track of upcoming SAT Subject Test dates; they’re required at all the Ivies. You can take up to three subject tests on a test date, but you can’t take the subject tests and the SAT on the same date. So give yourself time to take all the required tests, and retake them if necessary to improve your scores.
• Maintain good relationships with your teachers so they can write compelling, personal letters of recommendation for you. Let them know your high school achievements, careers you’re considering and the majors and programs you’re interested in so they can give a complete profile of you as a student and how you would utilize your education to further your career goals.

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