Colleges
The Ivy League schools.
Eight private colleges in the Northeast that started as an athletic conference: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale. Here are their numbers, and the schools people mistake for Ivies.
By Lokesh Pampatti, founder of Clarity Prep · Updated October 18, 2026
| School | Admitted | SAT middle 50% | Early round |
|---|---|---|---|
| HarvardCambridge, MA | 4.2% | 1450–1560 | Restrictive early action, Nov 1 |
| YaleNew Haven, CT | 4.7% | 1480–1560 | Single-choice early action, Nov 1 |
| PrincetonPrinceton, NJ | 4.4% | 1490–1560 | Restrictive early action, Nov 1 |
| ColumbiaNew York, NY | 4.9% | 1510–1560 | Early decision, Nov 1 |
| PennPhiladelphia, PA | 4.9% | 1510–1570 | Early decision, Nov 1 |
| BrownProvidence, RI | 6.3% | 1470–1550 | Early decision, Nov 1 |
| DartmouthHanover, NH | 6.0% | 1440–1550 | Early decision, Nov 1 |
| CornellIthaca, NY | 8.4% | 1490–1550 | Early decision, Nov 1 |
Admit rates and SAT ranges from each school’s Common Data Set (2025–26). Early rounds for 2026–27 from Common App’s requirements grid, and Yale’s from its admissions site.
How hard they are to get into
Harvard admitted 4.2% of applicants, the lowest of the eight. Cornell admitted 8.4%, the highest. Most admitted students scored above 1500 on the SAT. Harvard, Yale and Princeton use restrictive early action; the other five use binding early decision, due November 1.
Each school’s page has its GPA spread, what admissions weighs, cost after aid and a chance check. For financial aid, seven of the eight use the CSS Profile along with the FAFSA; Princeton uses its own aid application instead.
Schools people think are Ivy League
None of these are in the Ivy League, though several are just as hard to get into.
- Is Stanford an Ivy League school? No. Stanford is in California and plays in the ACC. It’s as selective as any Ivy. It admitted 3.8% of applicants.
- Is MIT an Ivy League school? No. MIT is a private research university in Cambridge, next to Harvard, but it was never part of the Ivy League. It admitted 4.6% of applicants.
- Is Duke an Ivy League school? No. Duke plays in the ACC. People call it the “Ivy of the South,” but that’s a nickname. It admitted 5.2% of applicants.
- Is UChicago an Ivy League school? No. UChicago is in the University Athletic Association, a Division III conference. It admitted 4.5% of applicants.
- Is Northwestern an Ivy League school? No. Northwestern is a private university near Chicago that plays in the Big Ten. It admitted 7.5% of applicants.
- Is Notre Dame an Ivy League school? No. Notre Dame is a Catholic university in Indiana, famous for football as an independent. It admitted 9.4% of applicants.
- Is Vanderbilt an Ivy League school? No. Vanderbilt plays in the SEC. It admitted 5.4% of applicants.
- Is Georgetown an Ivy League school? No. Georgetown plays in the Big East. It admitted 14% of applicants.
- Is Purdue an Ivy League school? No. Purdue is a public university in the Big Ten. It admitted 43% of applicants.
- Is Pepperdine University an Ivy League school? No. Pepperdine is a private university in Malibu, California, in the West Coast Conference. It admitted 69% of applicants.
Should you aim for one?
Apply if one fits what you want to study and how you want to live, not for the name. With admit rates this low, every Ivy is a reach for every student, so build the rest of your list with targets and likely schools you’d be glad to attend. The chances calculator sorts a list for you, and the early decision guide covers whether to apply early.
Questions
What are the 8 Ivy League schools?
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn (the University of Pennsylvania), Princeton and Yale.
Why are they called the Ivy League?
The Ivy League is an athletic conference. The eight schools signed an agreement in 1954 to compete against each other in sports, and the name stuck to them as a group of old, selective private colleges in the Northeast.
Which Ivy League school is easiest to get into?
By admit rate, Cornell: it admitted 8.4% of applicants (Common Data Set 2025-2026). Every Ivy admits fewer than 1 in 10 applicants, so none is easy.
Was Cornell dropped from the Ivy League?
No. A viral post in October 2026 claimed Cornell was removed from the Ivy League, and fact-checkers rated it false. Cornell is still one of the eight.
Are Stanford, MIT and Duke Ivy League schools?
No. They’re as selective as the Ivies, but the Ivy League is only the eight schools in its athletic conference.
Want someone to keep your list on track?
A Clarity Prep mentor builds your college list with you, puts every deadline on one calendar, reads your essays and checks in every week until you hit submit. Not sure where you stand? Try the free chances calculator.