Most selective public colleges
Ranked by how few applicants they admit. Every one of these is a reach for every applicant, whatever the numbers say.
12 colleges
- University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA9% admit~3.94 GPAblind
- University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA11% admit~3.90 GPAblind
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA14% admit1370–1540 SATRequired
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC15% admit1390–1530 SATRequired
- University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI16% admit1360–1530 SAToptional
- University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, VA17% admit1410–1540 SAToptional
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahassee, FL21% admit1030–1180 SAT
- University of FloridaGainesville, FL24% admit1320–1480 SAT~3.92 GPARequired
- Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL24% admit1270–1410 SATRequired
- The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX27% admit1250–1510 SATRequired
- University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA27% admit~3.88 GPAoptional
- William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA34% admit1400–1530 SAToptional
Acceptance rate and cost from U.S. Department of Education reporting; admitted SAT, ACT and GPA from each college’s Common Data Set where it publishes one. Every name links to that school’s full read.
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Common questions
How was most selective public colleges built?
From published federal reporting and each college's own Common Data Set, filtered and sorted on the number the list is about. It is not a ranking and there is no editorial judgment in the order.
What should I do with a list like this?
Use it to find candidates, then check each one against your own numbers. A school being on a list says nothing about whether it fits you, and the fit question is the one that matters.
What Spike does with this
A list is a start, not a plan.
Spike reads your whole profile against every school on it, then works on the parts a list cannot show.
One email when Spike opens. No card, no account. About the waitlist.