What exactly are the "New Ivies"?

"New Ivies" are a group of public and private universities recognized by publications like Forbes for offering elite academic experiences, attracting high-achieving students, and delivering strong career outcomes similar to the traditional Ivy League, but with broader national reach and sometimes lower costs. Coined by Newsweek in 2006 and updated by Forbes in recent years, these lists highlight institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, and Emory, signaling a shift where top talent isn't confined to the original eight Ivies.

Which schools are considered the new Ivies?

The "New Ivies" list, notably from Forbes (2025), identifies top public and private universities employers highly regard, including Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, WashU, Emory, Rice, Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Tufts for private schools, and Georgia Tech, Purdue, UNC-Chapel Hill, UMich, UVA, UT Austin, Illinois, Pitt, William & Mary, and West Point for public institutions, showcasing strong academics and career outcomes beyond the traditional Ivy League. 

What are the 63 hidden Ivies?

The 63 Hidden Ivies are a list of highly selective, prestigious liberal arts colleges and universities outside the traditional Ivy League, identified by educational consultants Howard and Matthew Greene for offering an Ivy-level education with strong academics, resources, and reputation, including schools like Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona, Duke, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins. They are grouped by region (Northeast, South, Midwest, West) and chosen for their exceptional resources, faculty, and vibrant campus life, making them excellent alternatives to the Ivies. 

What exactly are the Little Ivies?

The “Little Ivies,” which are private liberal arts colleges, offer academic rigor and selective admissions similar to the Ivies and Public Ivies. The Little Ivies include all the schools of the New England Small College Athletic Conference and several schools outside New England.

Why is Pitt a new ivy?

Earlier this year, news organization Forbes named Pitt a “New Ivy,” marking it as one of 20 highly selective universities whose students are “outpacing most Ivy Leaguers in the eyes of employers.” The list was drawn from a list of highly selective, world-class schools and then chosen by executives surveyed by Forbes.

New Ivies? Not really.

What is the easiest public ivy to get into?

There isn't one single "easiest" Public Ivy, as they're all selective, but schools like University of Maryland (College Park), Penn State, Indiana University Bloomington, Rutgers, or University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) often have higher acceptance rates (40-80%) compared to highly selective ones like UC Berkeley or UVA, though specific rates vary by year and state residency. The University of Colorado Boulder also boasts a very high admit rate (~93%), making it statistically easier, but consider your major and state residency for the best fit and chance. 

Is it harder to get into Pitt or Penn State?

It's very close, but recent data suggests University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) might be slightly harder to get into than Penn State's main campus (PSU), with Pitt having a slightly lower acceptance rate (around 49.7% vs 54.2% in one source) and higher average SAT/ACT scores, though both are considered moderately selective and focus on holistic reviews for different strengths, making your profile key. 

What is the easiest little ivy to get into?

The "easiest" Little Ivy to get into depends on your profile, but Lafayette College often shows higher acceptance rates (around 30-40%) compared to highly selective schools like Swarthmore or Bowdoin (often <10%), making it more accessible for strong students, while schools like Union College are also targets with higher acceptance rates; however, "easy" is relative, as all Little Ivies are selective, with Union (around 40-44%) and Lafayette (around 30-34%) generally being less exclusive than Amherst, Williams, or Swarthmore. 

Why is Stanford not an Ivy school?

Stanford isn't an Ivy League school because the Ivy League is a specific NCAA Division I athletic conference for eight historically East Coast universities, established primarily for sports competition, with geographical and athletic rule restrictions (like no athletic scholarships) that don't fit Stanford's West Coast location or its athletic policies. While Stanford is academically comparable and often ranked alongside Ivies, its exclusion stems from its athletic conference (Pac-12, though not named), its distance from the Northeast, and its allowance of athletic scholarships, making it a top-tier "non-Ivy" institution. 

What is a hidden Ivy college?

In short, the Hidden Ivies are a group of 63 schools that are so excellent academically and otherwise, they're seen as worthy of the “Ivy” title, even if they're not part of the traditional Ivy League. These colleges got their name from the book published by educational consultants Howard and Matthew Greene.

What is the easiest Ivy academically?

Here is a list:

1. Cornell University. Cornell is the easiest and youngest Ivy League school. ...
2. Dartmouth University. The second most accessible Ivy League school to get into is Dartmouth, established in 1769 and based in Hanover, New Hampshire. ...
3. Brown University. ...
4. University of Pennsylvania.

What are the sister Ivies?

The Seven Sisters colleges—Wellesley, Vassar, Smith, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, and Radcliffe—were elite women's colleges founded as counterparts to the all-male Ivy League schools. Today, most remain top liberal arts institutions, with Vassar now co-ed and Radcliffe merged into Harvard.

What is the prettiest Ivy League?

1. Princeton University: Princeton's campus is renowned for its beautiful, spacious, and well-maintained grounds. Gothic and collegiate architecture dominate the landscape. Their eating clubs also add to the uniqueness of campus life.

What are the 8 public Ivies?

Our Public Ivies List

• UCLA. Location: Los Angeles, California. ...
• UC Berkeley. Location: Berkeley, California. ...
• UMich — Ann Arbor. Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan. ...
• University of Virginia. Location: Charlottesville, Virginia. ...
• University of North Carolina. ...
• University of Florida. ...
• U Texas at Austin. ...
• Georgia Tech.

Why is MIT not an Ivy League?

MIT isn't an Ivy League school because the "Ivy League" is an athletic conference of older, private Northeastern universities with historical roots, while MIT is a technologically focused institute that competes in a different athletic division (DIII), despite its comparable or superior academics in science and engineering, and is often grouped with non-Ivy powerhouses like Stanford and Caltech in rankings.
 

What is the hardest Ivy League to get into?

Harvard is overall the hardest Ivy to get into — with an acceptance rate below 4% over the past four years.

What are the fake Ivy schools?

A 2016 article by Bloomberg Businessweek lists the members of the Little Ivies as:

• Amherst College.
• Bates College.
• Bowdoin College.
• Bucknell University.
• Colby College.
• Colgate University.
• Connecticut College.
• Hamilton College.

What is the most prestigious non-Ivy League school?

While prestige is subjective, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Chicago are consistently cited as the most prestigious non-Ivy League schools, often considered "Ivy-Plus" due to their elite academics, research, and selectivity, alongside institutions like Caltech, Duke, and Johns Hopkins. These universities offer world-class education, especially in STEM (MIT, Caltech) and interdisciplinary studies (Stanford, UChicago), rivaling the Ivy League in reputation and outcomes. 

What is the cheapest Ivy to attend?

There's no single "cheapest" Ivy League school, as costs vary by aid, but Princeton and Harvard often have lower sticker prices due to large endowments, while offering substantial need-based aid, potentially making them cheapest for low-income students (free tuition for families under ~$150k-$200k), with Columbia, Cornell, and Penn also providing generous aid for lower incomes. Cornell also stands out for meeting 100% need without loans for many domestic students.
 

What's harder to get into, Brown or Cornell?

If you're looking at acceptance rate alone, then Brown University is more difficult to get into. However, each college is looking to fill its incoming class with a variety of students with different strengths, backgrounds, etc.

Is a degree from Pitt respected?

Pitt is in the top 50 universities in global research and has risen to No. 8 for U.S. public universities, according to the U.S. News and World Report's 2024 Best Global University Rankings.

What is the #1 hardest college to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it varies slightly by year and source, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top, often with acceptance rates below 4%, with some lists pointing to Harvard or even Minerva University as the absolute lowest (around 1-3%) due to extreme competition and high standards. 

Who is Pitt's biggest rival?

Pitt's biggest rival is the West Virginia Mountaineers, a fierce and historic college football rivalry known as the "Backyard Brawl," due to their close proximity, with Penn State also being a major in-state rival, particularly in the "Keystone Classic" series.