What Are the Ivy Plus Schools? All the Ivy Equivalents

What’s Covered:

• What is the Ivy League?
• What are the Ivy Plus Schools?
• Other Ivy Equivalents
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at Ivy Plus Schools?

There are many prestigious colleges in the United States besides the well-known Ivy League schools. Other elite schools are sometimes known as Ivy Plus schools. These schools are good to have on your radar because they are just as competitive and prestigious, but may not be in the Northeast. Keep reading to find out about Ivy Plus schools, Public Ivies, Little Ivies, and more!

What is the Ivy League?

The Ivy League schools are considered to be the most prestigious and selective colleges in the United States. The term “Ivy League” was coined in 1954, when the NCAA Division I athletic conference was formed. The universities within the Ivy League were praised for their impressive athletic ability—however, these universities today are known for their academic excellence. There are eight schools within the Ivy League.

Although these acceptance rates can feel intimidating, there are plenty of other prestigious universities across the United States that we will discuss below.

What are the Ivy Plus Schools?

Unlike the Ivy League schools, which are primarily located in the Northeast, Ivy Plus schools are scattered across the United States and carry a similar reputation for academic prestige and competitiveness. These schools consistently rank among the best in the nation. Although there is no agreed-upon list, below are some schools that are commonly considered Ivy Plus.

Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California

Acceptance Rate: 4%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1510-1570 / 34-35

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,554

Stanford consistently ranks among the top 10 national universities and in the company of Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. In fact, it’s considered on par with Harvard and Yale, and with MIT, these four schools make up HYPSM, arguably the most selective and prestigious schools in the country. The campus looks like a resort, but don’t be fooled, Stanford students are extremely hardworking!

Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Acceptance Rate: 5%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1520-1570 / 34-36

Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,543

As you have probably heard, MIT is one of the most renowned schools in the world for students interested in STEM majors, particularly the hard sciences. Located in Cambridge, MA, MIT attracts some of the brightest students and distinguished faculty from across the world.

University of Chicago | UChicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Acceptance Rate: 5%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1510-1560 / 34-35

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,488

Centered in the heart of the Windy City, UChicago consistently ranks ahead of many of the Ivies and is strong across the board in all majors. Perhaps best known for its history of academic research in the sciences and humanities, UChicago is home to some of the nation’s most famous and revered economics and law professors. UChicago values intellectually passionate students and has extremely quirky essay topics that allow students to demonstrate their intellectual creativity.

California Institute of Technology | Caltech

Location: Pasadena, California

Acceptance Rate: 3%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: N/A

Undergraduate Enrollment: 987

Nestled in Los Angeles, Caltech is a renowned science and engineering university. Computer science is Caltech’s most popular major and 90% of undergraduate students participate in research during their time at the school. Caltech and MIT have a fierce rivalry, and the two schools are known for playing pranks on one another.

Northwestern University

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Acceptance Rate: 7%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560 / 33-35

Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,715

Northwestern is located in Evanston, a few miles outside of Chicago, Illinois. The Kellogg School of Business offers one of the best business programs in the United States. However, Northwestern isn’t just known for business—the school was ranked among Playbill’s top 10 most represented universities on Broadway, and its Medill School of Journalism is consistently top-ranked and even offers the chance to report from Washington, D.C.

Duke University

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Acceptance Rate: 5%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: N/A

Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,523

Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is one of the most elite yet also fun universities in the country. Aside from its exciting basketball program, Duke is most well-known for its amazing academic programs that tailor to students’ interests. Duke has especially strong computer science, economics, and public policy programs.

Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1530-1560 / 34-36

Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,356

Johns Hopkins is a top-notch research university with a reputation for its health sciences programs, such as biomedical engineering, public health, and pre-med track. The nearby Johns Hopkins Hospital is commonly thought of as one of the best hospitals in the country. Johns Hopkins is also one of the few schools in the country to have an undergraduate creative writing program.

Vanderbilt University

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1510-1560 / 34-35

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,175

Vanderbilt is known for its amazing campus, which is filled with beautiful buildings and serene greenery. Vanderbilt gets a lot of attention for its awesome schools of computer science, education, and management. Located in Nashville, students are exposed to a vibrant artistic culture.

Rice University

Location: Houston, Texas

Acceptance Rate: 8%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560 / 34-36

Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,483

Rice University is a designated arboretum and is dedicated to maintaining the landscape—and more than 4,600 trees—spread across campus. It’s known as one of the most affordable top-tier universities after financial aid and has top-ranked architecture and music programs.

Washington University in St. Louis | WashU

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri

Acceptance Rate: 12%

Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1570 / 33-35

Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,220

Named after George Washington, WashU offers over 90 programs and is strong in pretty much all of them. Although you might think the college is in Washington state or Washington, D.C., it’s actually located in the beautiful city of Saint Louis. The school is most known for its business, engineering, biology, and law programs. It’s also a top pre-med school.

Other Ivy Equivalents

Public Ivies

The term “Public Ivies” refers to public universities that provide a comparable academic experience to those in the Ivy League in terms of their academic rigor, notable faculty, and impressive students. Public Ivies tend to be much more affordable, especially for those residing in the same state as the university. Similar to Ivy Plus schools, there is no agreed-upon list. However, the universities below are consistently found at the top of public school rankings.

Find out more about the Public Ivies to see if it’s the right approach for you.

Little Ivies

As the name suggests, the “Little Ivies” are small, prestigious liberal arts colleges located throughout the Northeast. Though not officially part of the Ivy League, they rival it in academic excellence and highly selective admissions. Despite their size, these schools are known for having substantial financial endowments.

Southern Ivies

While the eight original Ivy League schools are located in the northeastern U.S., the term “Southern Ivies” refers to prestigious universities in the South. Although there is no official list, the schools below are among the most highly regarded in the region. Like the others mentioned in this article, they offer exceptional academic programs.

Hidden Ivies

Howard Greene and Matthew Greene’s 2016 college education guide, The Hidden Ivies, lists over 50 colleges that rival the Ivy League. The Greenes utilized the same metrics often used to evaluate the Ivy League schools to create a distinctive list of universities that are small in size and carry a reputation of prestige and academic excellence. Here are some of the universities that made the list:

Howard Greene and Matthew Greene’s 2016 college education guide, The Hidden Ivies, lists over 50 colleges that rival the Ivy League. The Greenes utilized the same metrics often used to evaluate the Ivy League schools to create a distinctive list of universities that are small in size and carry a reputation of prestige and academic excellence. Here are some of the universities that made the list:

Learn more about the Hidden Ivies and whether they’re right for you.

Black Ivies

The “Black Ivies” refer to an unofficial group of schools in the United States that are historically Black colleges and universities, also known as HBCUs. These HBCUs were originally built for Black students and today these universities continue to attract high-achieving Black students. Below are some of the schools that make up the Black Ivy League:

Learn more about the Black Ivy League and whether it’s right for you.

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at Ivy Plus Schools?

While all of these universities have low acceptance rates, your personal chances of acceptance may actually be higher or lower. To better understand your chances at these universities, we recommend using our free admissions calculator. Using your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance, and give you tips on improving your profile.

With competitive universities like these, it’s important to have a balanced college list to maximize your chances of getting into a good fit school. We recommend you apply to 8-12 schools, with 25% being safety schools, 40% target schools, and 35% reach schools.

You can also search for schools based on preferences like location, major, cost, and more. Give it a try to jumpstart on your college strategy!