If there is one thing that comes to mind when a high schooler talks about attending an Ivy League School, it is often how selective these private universities can be. Receiving an admission letter from an Ivy League School demonstrates an applicant’s academic excellence because getting into any of these universities is very difficult.
Admission to any Ivy League School is extremely selective but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You have been searching for answers on how to get into an Ivy League School if you are reading this article. Let’s talk about the Ivy elites and your chances of gaining admission into your ideal Ivy League School.
Read Also: What Are The 12 Ivy League Schools and Their Ranking?
What makes an Ivy League School?
These Ivy League universities are indeed prestigious and recognized for their extremely sophisticated caliber of academics and extremely selective admission process. Still, it is not what Ivy League was all about in the first place.
These eight Ivy League schools are called Ivy League because they belong to a collegiate athletic conference that boils down to sports and nothing like academics. But since people are now attributing the Ivy League to high academic standards, they make the mistake of adding extra for universities that do not belong to the Ivy League School. Colleges and universities with extremely selective admission processes and offer high-quality education are often mistaken as Ivy League.
Every school on the list is prestigious and has a long academic history. For example, Harvard University was founded in 1633, but the Ivy League was formed in 1954 as an athletic conference. But today people now attribute Ivy League less to sports and more to academic prestigiousness.
There is this rivalry between the eight Ivy League universities; it all started with sports competitions and now has stemmed to which school offers the best academics.
Eight Ivy League Schools You Can Apply to
Some people think that what makes an Ivy League school is how prestigious the school is, but I believe you have read the upper paragraph where we discussed what made these Ivy League schools.
How to Get Into an Ivy League School
While it’s difficult to get into Ivy League schools due to their selective admission rate, it’s achievable and we are going to tell you how.
Follow Your Passion and Develop a Skill
One of the deans in an Ivy League School by the name of Logan Powell who is in charge of the admissions at Brown University said something that any prospective student who wants to go to an Ivy League school should take note of.
He made it clear that whether or not a student is involved in community services, athletics, extracurricular activities, and so on, does not matter to him. Mr. Powell said that what he needs to know is why a student is doing what they are doing.
If a student has chosen to take part in community service or athletics, he wants to know why a student has chosen to do that and what they have learned from that experience.
This means that if you are interested in going to any of the Ivy League schools, you need to know why you have chosen your passion and make sure you learn something from it as it will help you to stand out.
The skills you’ve learned from your experience during your involvement in community services, athletics, leadership, discipline, and teamwork will be a factor that will set you apart not just because you took part in those activities.
Be Good to Get a Good Recommendation Letter
Generally, universities want students with good and reputable character who can give back to society. If you possess these qualities in high school, you should have no problem getting a fair recommendation letter from one of your teachers.
It was reported that a student gained admission to an Ivy League school because he was the only student in the school who knew the names of all the janitorial staff. The student is said to also help teachers with a few tasks like turning off lights in empty rooms and helping to clean up when other students have left.
Apply Early
Applying early for anything is generally important -this will give you an early consideration benefit as many reputable institutions follow the first come first serve routine.
You only have to apply to an early decision for only one Ivy League school, therefore you have to choose carefully.
Write a good Admission Essay
An admission essay is one of the opportunities given to prospective students to tell the admission officers who they are. This is why you must maximize this opportunity if you are going to be admitted to one of the Ivy League schools
This is a chance to tell the application readers who you are, what you have passion for, and where you see yourself in a few years to come.
Get Professionals to Help you
Getting professional help includes meeting professors, and teachers to help you; this may not be people in your high school; it can be anyone in a profession you admire.
There are online platforms out there that offer help to students who want to go into elite universities. Research and get involved with any one of them that suits your needs.
Ivy League Schools Ranked According to Their Acceptance Rate for Prospective Applicants
In a bid to help you apply to the least selective Ivy League school, we are going to provide a table showing the rankings of the Ivy League schools according to their acceptance rate.
All eight Ivy League schools including the extra four are all schools are very selective.
This Ivy League school acceptance rate, in general, is extremely very slim. Some of these private universities have single-digit acceptance rates.
It has also been reported that the eight Ivy League schools’ acceptance favors students from the northeastern United States. These stats can be confirmed by the large number of students from this part of America who are studying at most of these universities. If you are from this part of the United States, you may be favored by the Ivy League school you want to apply to.
Table of the Ivy League Schools Ranked According to acceptance rate
Below is a table where the official eight Ivy League schools are ranked according to their acceptance rate. Check the position of your prospective Ivy League school:
| Admission statistics (Class of 2024) | ||
| Applicants | Admission rates | |
| Brown | 36,794 | 5.1% |
| Columbia | 40,084 | 4% |
| Cornell | 51,500 | 10.7% |
| Dartmouth | 21,394 | 6.4% |
| Harvard | 40,248 | 3.2% |
| Penn | 42,205 | 6% |
| Princeton Yale | 32,836 | 4% 5% |
Ivy League Schools Ranked by Acceptance Rate
The Eight Ivy League schools ranked according to National Academics
When it comes to being prestigious the eight Ivy League schools have always been ranked amongst the most prestigious universities.
Disregarding the unofficial four Schools that people consider to make up the twelve Ivy League schools, below is a table that shows the eight Ivy League universities ranked according to National Academics.
| University (in alphabetical order) | ARWU | Forbes | USNWR | WSJ/THE |
| Brown | 38 | 7 | 14 | 5 |
| Columbia | 6 | 14 | 3 | 15 |
| Cornell | 11 | 11 | 18 | 9 |
| Dartmouth | 95–116 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
| Harvard | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Penn | 14 | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| Princeton | 5 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Yale | 9–10 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Ivy League Schools on the map | The location of each Ivy League School on a map
The location of each of the Ivy League Schools on a map:
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Get Into an Ivy League School
What are Ivy League schools?
The Ivy League comprises eight elite private universities which include Brown University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University.
What is the easiest Ivy League to get into?
Based on the recent acceptance rate, Cornell with an admission rate of 10.7% is considered the easiest Ivy League to get into.
Can a normal person get into an Ivy League school?
Ivy League schools are known to be quite selective during admission. To stand a chance of getting to an Ivy League school, an applicant must present outstanding grades with a GPA of at least 4.0 or above. High test scores are required during admission.
What GPA is needed to get into an Ivy League school?
Applicants are expected to have an average GPA within the 3.9-4.0 range (unweighted).
What standardized test scores are required?
Ivy League schools require high test scores –SAT scores in the 1500-1600 range and ACT scores in the 33-36 range are considered competitive.
