Well…it’s easier to be a recruited athlete at the D3 schools…not easy, but easier than the Ivy D1 schools.

Anonymous wrote:I think the best thing is probably getting into a feeder school, then excel there. The chances from a non-feeder is really really tiny.

+1

Less is expected extracurricular-wise from feeder schools IMO. Even for HYP, but those still demand a lot from the unhooked.

Anonymous wrote:these are all excellent universities, whether these are 2025's admission data doesn't make it irrelevant. they probably all stay on this list next year.

At least 5 are on my junior's list for next year. Hopefully we'll get some best practices from Class of 2030 soon!

Anonymous wrote:I think the best thing is probably getting into a feeder school, then excel there. The chances from a non-feeder is really really tiny.

100% true on the feeder high school.

Our non-DMV private gets 5-10% of class into Northwestern; 5-10% into WashU and 5% into Vanderbilt (but not this year - unclear what happened), and many test-optional into Tufts and Rice, provided not STEM.

The school doesn't place well with some of the others on this list (CMU or JHU), other than a random one-off in certain years.

I think the best thing is probably getting into a feeder school, then excel there. The chances from a non-feeder is really really tiny.

these are all excellent universities, whether these are 2025's admission data doesn't make it irrelevant. they probably all stay on this list next year.

Anonymous wrote:This data is old, it’s even harder now =)

First step: Apply to them all. Even with 75th%+ stats, amazing ECs, legacy, etc… you simply cannot guess how any school is shaping its class, nor does anyone know where the bar is until all the applications are in.

+1

Best practice: stop creating another useless thread and care for your child instead. This is like the “we gunned our kid for an Ivy and lost” thread in different clothing. Your kid will never get into these schools because of cookie-cutter advice by strangers on the internet.

Anonymous wrote:Tip #1: Start preparing for SAT or ACT. While most on this list are technically test optional, they really behave as test preferred.

Good luck!

facts

Tip #1: Start preparing for SAT or ACT. While most on this list are technically test optional, they really behave as test preferred.

Good luck!

A truly useless thread. Many undesirables on that list.

Great another dumb list with off numbers. Some of those schools are over 40% test optional admits as well so lol at median test scores.

Can the first step pretty please be not calling them new ivies.

This data is old, it’s even harder now =)

First step: Apply to them all. Even with 75th%+ stats, amazing ECs, legacy, etc… you simply cannot guess how any school is shaping its class, nor does anyone know where the bar is until all the applications are in.

The Private New Ivies
INSTITUTION STATE UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT ACCEPTANCE RATE 50th PERC. SAT 50th PERC. ACT
Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania 7,497 11% 1540 35
Emory University Georgia 7,606 11% 1520 33
Georgetown University District of Columbia 8,670 13% 1500 33
Johns Hopkins University Maryland 8,654 8% 1550 35
Northwestern University Illinois 10,210 7% 1530 34
Rice University Texas 4,712 8% 1550 35
Tufts University Massachusetts 7,631 10% 1510 34
University of Notre Dame Indiana 9,157 12% 1500 34
Vanderbilt University Tennessee 7,284 6% 1540 35
Washington University in St Louis Missouri 8,821 12% 1540 34

Sources: National Center For Education Statistics, college websites.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2025/03/26/the-new-ivies-2025-20-great-colleges-employers-love/