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Generally, choosing a college is a crucial life decision, and for many of the 16.6 million American college students today, attending the best school possible is a top priority.
All things considered, elite colleges and universities are believed to position graduates for high-paying careers. Studies show that 38% of Fortune 500 CEOs and 45% of billionaires attended elite post-secondary schools.
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Which college is the most difficult to get into in Indiana?
In Indiana, the University of Notre Dame is the hardest school to get into, according to data from the US Department of Education. All in all, the fall 2021 semester saw only 15.1% of applicants admitted. The median SAT score among enrolled students in the 2020-2021 academic year was 1475 out of 1600.
However, attending the University of Notre Dame comes at a cost, with an average of $74,172 for one academic year of full-time study. This cost is only for full-time, first-time, undergraduates who receive Title IV aid.
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For those looking to attend one of Indiana’s top-tier institutions, the University of Notre Dame is a highly selective option, but it comes with a high price tag.
Accordingly, these rankings were based on data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard. The rankings also include median SAT scores and admissions rates, as well as the National Center for Education Statistics. All schools in Indiana with at least 1,000 applicants in the fall of 2021 were included in the rankings.
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Here is the list of the hardest schools to get into in each state:
| State | Hardest school to get into | Admissions rate, Fall 2021 (%) | Combined median SAT scores (out of 1600) | Avg. annual cost of attendance ($) | Schools considered in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Tuskegee University | 34.2 | 953 | 40,750 | 17 |
| Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks | 64.7 | 1160 | 19,135 | 1 |
| Arizona | Ottawa University-Surprise | 30.5 | 981 | 45,139 | 5 |
| Arkansas | Lyon College | 27.2 | 1091 | 41,396 | 12 |
| California | California Institute of Technology | 3.9 | 1555 | 74,763 | 53 |
| Colorado | United States Air Force Academy | 12.4 | 1325 | N/A | 13 |
| Connecticut | Yale University | 5.3 | 1520 | 76,645 | 14 |
| Delaware | University of Delaware | 72.3 | 1240 | 28,708 | 2 |
| Florida | University of Florida | 30.1 | 1375 | 21,151 | 27 |
| Georgia | Emory University | 13.1 | 1455 | 72,604 | 29 |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 70.0 | 1175 | 23,405 | 5 |
| Idaho | The College of Idaho | 56.3 | 1145 | 45,607 | 6 |
| Illinois | University of Chicago | 6.5 | 1535 | 81,531 | 39 |
| Indiana | University of Notre Dame | 15.1 | 1475 | 74,172 | 27 |
| Iowa | Grinnell College | 10.5 | 1446 | 70,346 | 20 |
| Kansas | Sterling College | 47.4 | 990 | 40,406 | 9 |
| Kentucky | Berea College | 33.0 | 1180 | 54,866 | 18 |
| Louisiana | Tulane University of Louisiana | 9.6 | 1420 | 75,628 | 15 |
| Maine | Colby College | 8.9 | 1450 | 73,600 | 5 |
| Maryland | Johns Hopkins University | 7.5 | 1515 | 74,001 | 12 |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.1 | 1545 | 73,160 | 37 |
| Michigan | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 20.2 | 1430 | 30,926 | 25 |
| Minnesota | Carleton College | 17.5 | 1425 | 74,275 | 19 |
| Mississippi | Mississippi College | 49.0 | 1200 | 34,918 | 8 |
| Missouri | Washington University in St. Louis | 13.0 | 1520 | 76,910 | 20 |
| Montana | The University of Montana-Western | 33.3 | 1005 | 17,790 | 6 |
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 81.1 | 1215 | 24,400 | 6 |
| Nevada | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | 83.5 | 1140 | 18,756 | 2 |
| New Hampshire | Dartmouth College | 6.2 | 1500 | 77,152 | 3 |
| New Jersey | Princeton University | 4.4 | 1510 | 74,150 | 19 |
| New Mexico | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 32.5 | 1055 | 17,897 | 4 |
| New York | Columbia University in the City of New York | 4.1 | 1515 | 79,750 | 81 |
| North Carolina | Duke University | 5.9 | 1520 | 77,846 | 41 |
| North Dakota | University of Mary | 78.8 | 1110 | 30,194 | 4 |
| Ohio | Case Western Reserve University | 30.2 | 1430 | 69,526 | 38 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Baptist University | 55.7 | 1105 | 42,983 | 11 |
| Oregon | Corban University | 37.5 | 1080 | 45,919 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania | 5.9 | 1515 | 78,186 | 61 |
| Rhode Island | Brown University | 5.5 | 1500 | 77,490 | 6 |
| South Carolina | Clemson University | 49.2 | 1300 | 32,254 | 22 |
| South Dakota | Augustana University | 71.8 | 1223 | 47,710 | 7 |
| Tennessee | Vanderbilt University | 7.1 | 1520 | 73,148 | 23 |
| Texas | Rice University | 9.5 | 1515 | 67,102 | 54 |
| Utah | Brigham Young University | 59.2 | 1305 | 18,936 | 5 |
| Vermont | Middlebury College | 13.4 | 1430 | 74,248 | 3 |
| Virginia | Washington and Lee University | 18.8 | 1425 | 73,900 | 33 |
| Washington | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 53.5 | 1327 | 26,825 | 14 |
| West Virginia | University of Charleston | 69.7 | 1073 | 43,829 | 12 |
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 60.4 | 1360 | 26,393 | 13 |
| Wyoming | University of Wyoming | 96.8 | 1140 | 20,258 | 1 |
