The 20 most exclusive colleges and universities in the US

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The 20 most exclusive colleges and universities in the US

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Brian Snyder/Reuters

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  • Some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the US are also the country's most exclusive.
  • Using data from the Department of Education, we found the 20 colleges with the lowest admissions rates.
  • Many of the most selective schools also appear at the top of many college and university rankings.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the US are also the country's most exclusive.

Using data from the Department of Education's College Scorecard database, we found the colleges and universities in the US with the lowest admissions rates for the 2017-2018 academic year, the most recently available data. We looked specifically at schools that were predominantly four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions, as reported to the Department.

Several of the most selective colleges and universities also appear at the top of many college and university rankings, such as the list published annually by U.S. News and World Report. (Stanford University, the second most selective school on our list, ranked seventh in the most recent U.S. News and World Report on the best universities in the country, for example.)

Read more: The 25 top colleges in the US, and how much you might be earning 6 years after graduating

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Here are the 20 US colleges with the lowest admissions rates, along with their sticker-price tuition and undergraduate enrollment in the 2017-18 academic year:

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20. Swarthmore College had a 10.7% admissions rate.

20. Swarthmore College had a 10.7% admissions rate.

Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $50,822

Enrollment: 1,565

19. Dartmouth College had a 10.5% admissions rate.

19. Dartmouth College had a 10.5% admissions rate.

Location: Hanover, New Hampshire

Tuition: $53,368

Enrollment: 4,315

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18. Claremont McKenna College had a 10.4% admissions rate.

18. Claremont McKenna College had a 10.4% admissions rate.

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition: $52,825

Enrollment: 1,334

17. Duke University had a 9.9% admissions rate.

17. Duke University had a 9.9% admissions rate.

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Tuition: $53,500

Enrollment: 6,552

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16. The United States Military Academy had a 9.6% admissions rate.

16. The United States Military Academy had a 9.6% admissions rate.

Location: West Point, New York

Tuition: $0

Enrollment: 4,491

15. University of Pennsylvania had a 9.3% admissions rate.

15. University of Pennsylvania had a 9.3% admissions rate.

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $53,534

Enrollment: 10,660

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14. Northwestern University had a 9.2% admissions rate.

14. Northwestern University had a 9.2% admissions rate.

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Tuition: $52,678

Enrollment: 8,489

13. University of Chicago had an 8.7% admissions rate.

13. University of Chicago had an 8.7% admissions rate.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Tuition: $56,034

Enrollment: 6,298

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12. Brown University had an 8.5% admissions rate.

12. Brown University had an 8.5% admissions rate.

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Tuition: $53,419

Enrollment: 6,670

11. The United States Naval Academy had an 8.4% admissions rate.

11. The United States Naval Academy had an 8.4% admissions rate.

Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Tuition: $0

Enrollment: 4,495

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10. Pomona College had an 8.4% admissions rate.

10. Pomona College had an 8.4% admissions rate.

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition: $51,075

Enrollment: 1,567

9. The California Institute of Technology had a 7.7% admissions rate.

9. The California Institute of Technology had a 7.7% admissions rate.

Location: Pasadena, California

Tuition: $48,908

Enrollment: 961

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8. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a 7.2% admissions rate.

8. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a 7.2% admissions rate.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Tuition: $49,892

Enrollment: 4,489

7. Yale University had a 6.9% admissions rate.

7. Yale University had a 6.9% admissions rate.

Location: New Haven, Connecticut

Tuition: $51,400

Enrollment: 5,742

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6. Columbia University had a 6.6% admissions rate.

6. Columbia University had a 6.6% admissions rate.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition: $57,208

Enrollment: 8,170

5. Princeton University had a 6.4% admissions rate.

5. Princeton University had a 6.4% admissions rate.

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Tuition: $47,140

Enrollment: 5,246

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4. The Juilliard School had a 5.9% admissions rate.

4. The Juilliard School had a 5.9% admissions rate.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition: $43,170

Enrollment: 486

3. Harvard University had a 5.2% admissions rate.

3. Harvard University had a 5.2% admissions rate.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Tuition: $48,989

Enrollment: 7,532

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2. Stanford University had a 4.7% admissions rate.

2. Stanford University had a 4.7% admissions rate.

Location: Stanford, California

Tuition: $49,617

Enrollment: 7,056

1. The Curtis Institute of Music had a 3.3% admissions rate.

1. The Curtis Institute of Music had a 3.3% admissions rate.

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $2,675

Enrollment: 131

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