Presenting: The 25 Hardest Colleges to Get Into in America

To go to school in sunny Stanford, California, you need to ace your SATs in the 1420 to 1570 range. (No big deal or anything 😶.) Stanford is well known for its computer science and engineering schools, so if that’s your thing, start studying because this university gets A TON of applicants and accepts only about 4 percent of ’em.

In the words of our lord and savior Elle Woods, “What? Like it’s hard?” Welp, turns out, yeah, it actually is. Harvard accepts only 5 percent of applicants, and students who get accepted have, on average, SAT scores that range between 1460 and 1580. It takes some brains to be able to humble brag that you “went to school in Boston.”

Allow me to inform you about Caltech’s SAT requirements — the 7 percent of students who somehow secure a spot at this small Pasadena school have a scary-high score of 1530 to 1580. But it kinda makes sense, considering that the school often collaborates with NASA!

No surprise that another Ivy League is near the top o’ this list. (#Illuminati. JK.) The 5 percent of applicants to get a big fat acceptance letter will enjoy the gorgeous more-than-200-years-old New Jersey campus. By the way, former First Lady Michelle Obama is an alum.

Turns out, if you want to build innovative robots or engineer cool new computer software with the best of the best, you’re gonna have to beat out a couple (okay, a couple thousands…and thousands) of other applicants. MIT has a 7 percent acceptance rate, and the students who do earn a spot are living in that intimidating 1500 to 1570 SAT score zone.

If serving America's naval forces — aviation, ships, submarines, etc. — is something that you want to do, there's no better school than the United States Naval Academy in Maryland. The young people admitted here are exceptionally accomplished, considering the academy only accepts 8 percent of all that apply. If you choose to attend, you'll be ecstatic to know that it will be completely free. Yep, that's right; the United States Naval Academy is no tuition. However, keep in mind that you must commit to serve five years of active duty for the nation upon graduation, which is no small feat.

Throw caution to the wind(y city) and take your chances with this Midwestern school. Who knows, you could be one of the 7 percent who gets in—as long as you have an SAT score between 1470 and 1570, that is. Quick nerdy fact: UChicago scholars were the first to measure the speed of light!

If you wanna be one of the 6 percent of applicants to channel their inner Rory Gilmore in the Ivy League halls of Yale, you’ll need *not only* a stellar GPA but also some solid extracurriculars (does Netflix count?) and an SAT score over 1460.

The private liberal arts college is located in Massachusetts and known for its intense and challenging academics. Notable alumni include Dr. Drew Pinsky, and Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Yep, that's right, a real-life prince. If a college is good enough for royalty, you can expect that it's prestigious. Just be prepared to spend upwards of 58K a year if you choose to attend.

Lots of people want to get an education right in the heart of New York City, so it won’t come as a shock to you that this school can be pretty picky—only 5 percent of applicants are accepted. Columbia’s freshman retention rate is super high (like, I'm talking 99 percent high), which means the students really, really like it here.

Providence, Rhode Island, is a pretty bomb place to go to school. The city is totally walkable (or bikeable, if you’d prefer) and there’s a sweet art scene thanks to neighboring RISD. If you’re one of the 8 percent of students who get in, just remember to pack your warmest wool socks and a bathing suit. The seasons in New England are crazy, y’all.

If you're looking to major in government, economics, public affairs, finance, or international relations, Claremont McKenna College could be the one for you. Bonus: If you're not a winter person, Claremont, California is an ideal spot to be. Just be sure you're one of the 10 percent accepted.

If you’re already dreaming of raucous basketball games and blue face paint, you better hit the books so you can be one of the 9 percent of people who get into this Durham, North Carolina, school.

UPenn is all about cross-disciplinary education—the real smarty-pants can even earn two different degrees from two different schools at the same time. It’s extremely competitive (only 8 percent of applicants are accepted), although, well, there’s no easy way to say this: Donald Trump is an alum.

Dartmouth is definitely hard to get into (the acceptance rate is just 9 percent) and it boasts some highly successful alumni, particularly writers. I’m talking about the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, and even Dr. Seuss himself!

Pomona is a small liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Emphasis on small—there are only about 1,700 undergrads, so, yeah, it’s competitive. The school is part of a consortium made up of other elite institutions, including the colleges Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer.

Surprise! Another small liberal arts school is Colby, located in Waterville, Maine. If you're one of the 10 percent of people accepted into Colby, you def have an SAT between 1380 and 1520. It's pretty old, too, considering it was founded all the way back in 1813.

Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the schools, apparently. Rice University’s campus sits on a casual 300 acres in Houston. And if athletics are your thing (think: sports management or kinesiology), the programs here are top notch.

IDK what’s in the water over in Nashville, Tennessee, but Jay Cutler, David Price, and Will Perdue are among the talented athletes who played at Vandy. If you’re part of the 10 percent to get accepted, you could go pro too.

What do Meghan Markle, Stephen Colbert, and Zooey Deschanel have in common? They’re all Northwestern grads! In case it isn’t obvious, the school has an amazing performing arts program, among other accolades.