While it can be easy to evaluate a college based on its acceptance rate, there is a large variety and number of schools and universities that might have exceedingly low admissions rates but might be less scholastically challenging.

To help parents and students truly separate colleges with those particular qualities, today's article will list the United State's top and most highly selective colleges. The blog will also discuss the reasoning behind some universities admit such few student candidates and provide you with the advice and recommendation on how to apply effectively.

But before you get to reading today's blog, go ahead and check out yesterday's read on the Bay Area's top schools GPA scale to see how you fare on the grade point average range.

To begin sifting through your potential university list, you need to understand what makes a "selective college".

Typically most parents and students consider a college selective when the school chooses to accept a small proportion of the high school students who apply. For this blog in particular, the discussion will follow universities that accept fewer than ten percent of their student applicants.

Are you aware of the differences between unweighted and weighted grade point averages? Learn here.

Why Are Certain Colleges Picky?

The common question that most parents and students seem to ask first when applying to a restrictive university is why the school is so particular about its admissions.

Well to make things simple, certain colleges are highly selective because they are evaluating high school students that fit specific criteria and character for their university. Student applicants who meet the standards and requirements are admitted in low numbers because generally there are scarce amounts of individuals who fit the criterions.

To get a better understanding, you could think of The Julliard School, where most students are looking at a future in music and have rightfully demonstrated a remarkable ability to perform.

Students looking to apply to Julliard anticipate auditioning in front of the school's faculty as a college application requirement.

Into sports and athletics? Then you need to learn more about the "Big Ten" universities and their collegiate conference. Click here.

Or how about the United States Military Academy West Point, where student applicants are expected to successfully pass an athletic evaluation and receive a designation by their Congress or Senate representative in order to be considered for acceptance.

Of course, let's not forget of renowned Ivy Leagues. These other schools are highly selective not because of specific character criteria, but because they are assessing students comprehensive academic capabilities.

With such a large pool of high school student applicants, with excellency in academics, these colleges are only able to admit the uppermost remarkable candidates. These particular universities are schools like Yale or Harvard.

Do you know what SAT and ACT scores for Bay Area's top private schools? Are they really higher than in public schools? Find out here.

So What Colleges Are The Most Selective?

The big answer that you all came here to read is in this particular section of the blog. What colleges are the most selective?

7EDU has grouped these schools from specialized to non-specialized.

Non-Specialized Selective Universities

These are the colleges that have a low acceptance rate due to the fact that they are well-known academic institutions and can easily choose amongst a strong collection of student applicants.

At your convenience, 7EDU has compiled the list of the top non-specialized restrictive schools in the United States. These are colleges with ten percent or less admission rate.

The universities listed below start from the topmost selective college, alongside with their relative acceptance percentage:

1. Stanford: 4%

2. Harvard: 5%

3. Princeton: 6%

4. Columbia: 6%

5. Yale: 6%

6. Caltech: 7%

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): 7%

8. University of Chicago: 7%

9. Brown: 8%

10. Northwestern: 8%

11. Pomona: 8%

12. University of Pennsylvania: 8%

13. Claremont McKenna: 9%

14. Dartmouth: 9%

15. Duke: 9%

16. Swarthmore: 9%

17. Bowdoin: 10%

18. Vanderbilt: 10%

What courses need to be taken in high school so that you are well-prepared for college? Learn here.

Specialized Selective Universities

Moving onto the colleges that are highly selective but have particular programs that are intended for certain student applicants with specific characteristics and traits.

High school students looking to enroll in any of these specialized colleges should expect great competition as test scores and grades are not the major component of the admission requirement. These universities examine and assess a student's exceptional talents more so than their academic achievements.

7EDU has compiled the list of the supreme specialized and selective schools in the United States. These are colleges with ten percent or less admission rate.

The list starts with the topmost selective college in addition to the particular traits and talents they are looking for in applications and student candidates:

1. Curtis Institute of Music: 4% | Performing Arts, Music

2. The Julliard School: 6% | Performing Arts, Music

3. Alice Lloyd College: 8% | Liberal Arts

4. US Naval Academy: 9% | Mission: "To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government."

5. US Military Academy (West Point): 10% | Mission: "To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."

Are you into after-school extracurriculars? Well, which are the ones that are the best and are the ones that colleges are looking for? Find out here.

Now that you have both lists of specialized and non-specialized colleges in the United States, start planning out your college list and prepare!

These universities are highly selective for a reason and if you would like to apply and send in an application, a successful candidate always prepares beforehand.

7EDU Impact Academy offers online and on-site college prep services ranging from counseling, one-on-ones, to full courses. If you want to learn more about something we wrote, feel free to contact us at (408) 216-9109 or email us at info@7edu.org.

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