#1135 most searched colleges
The colleges students search most, with verified data
Acceptance rates, net price and outcomes for the colleges families research most, sourced from IPEDS and the College Scorecard, with independent CollegesRef editorial context.
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Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Abilene Christian University
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Academy College
Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations
Adams State University
Adelphi University
Adrian College
AdventHealth University
Aiken Technical CollegeAbilene Christian UniversityAbraham Baldwin Agricultural CollegeAcademy CollegeAcademy for Nursing and Health OccupationsAdams State UniversityAdelphi UniversityAdrian CollegeAdventHealth UniversityAiken Technical College17 colleges
Elite & Ivy-Plus
The 20 most searched colleges
- #1
#2
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#15
#16
#18
#19
#20
Bars: admit rate on a 0–100% scale; average net price relative to $35,780, the highest in this group.
How these compare
Admit rate and net price across the Elite & Ivy-Plus group
The same figures as the cards above, side by side. Sort to see which of the most searched colleges are most selective or most affordable.
Sort by
College Admit rate Avg. net price
- #1Harvard UniversityAdmit rate: 3.6%Average net price: $19,148
- #2Stanford UniversityAdmit rate: 3.6%Average net price: $12,307
- #4Yale UniversityAdmit rate: 3.9%Average net price: $11,340
- #5Princeton UniversityAdmit rate: 4.6%Average net price: $7,815
- #6Columbia University in the City of New YorkAdmit rate: 4.0%Average net price: $15,370
- #7University of Pennsylvania UPENNAdmit rate: 5.4%Average net price: $29,577
- #8California Institute of Technology CalTechAdmit rate: 2.6%Average net price: $8,509
- #9Duke UniversityAdmit rate: 5.7%Average net price: $23,706
- #10Northwestern University-IllinoisAdmit rate: 7.7%Average net price: $34,420
- #11Brown UniversityAdmit rate: 5.4%Average net price: $26,976
- #12Dartmouth CollegeAdmit rate: 5.4%Average net price: $26,707
- #13Cornell University-New YorkAdmit rate: 8.8%Average net price: $33,934
- #15University of California-Berkeley CALAdmit rate: 11.0%Average net price: $14,538
- #16University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main CampusAdmit rate: 15.6%Average net price: $14,362
- #18New York University NYUAdmit rate: 9.2%Average net price: $35,737
- #19Georgetown University-DCAdmit rate: 12.9%Average net price: $33,661
- #20Carnegie Mellon UniversityAdmit rate: 11.7%Average net price: $35,780
Median admit rate by group
- Elite & Ivy-Plus
- 5.4%
- Highly selective
- 21.7%
- Public flagships & major privates
- 61.1%
- High-volume searches
- 75.9%
Median average net price by group
- Elite & Ivy-Plus
- $23,706
- Highly selective
- $16,776
- Public flagships & major privates
- $21,425
- High-volume searches
- $22,443
23 colleges
Highly selective
Search ranks 21–50
#22
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus
Chapel Hill, NC
- Admit rate
- 15.3%
- Avg. net price
- $11,305
#24
#26
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Campus
Champaign, IL
- Admit rate
- 42.4%
- Avg. net price
- $13,042
#27
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#36
#37
#38
#39
#40
#41
#43
#44
#45
#46
#47
#48
#49
#50
Bars: admit rate on a 0–100% scale; average net price relative to $38,930, the highest in this group.
48 colleges
Public flagships & major privates
Search ranks 51–100
#51
#52
#53
#54
#55
#56
#57
#58
#59
#60
#61
#62
#63
#64
#65
#66
#67
#68
#69
#70
#71
#73
#74Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College LSU
Baton Rouge, LA
- Admit rate
- 73.3%
- Avg. net price
- $19,286
#76
#77
#78
#79
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA
- Admit rate
- 54.8%
- Avg. net price
- $25,808
#80
#81
#82
#83
#84
#85
#86
#87
#88
#89
#90
#91
#92
University of Massachusetts-Amherst UMASS Main Campus
Amherst, MA
- Admit rate
- 59.7%
- Avg. net price
- $22,857
- #93
#94
#95
#96
#97
#98
#99
#100
Bars: admit rate on a 0–100% scale; average net price relative to $44,622, the highest in this group.
47 colleges
High-volume searches
Search ranks 101–150
#101
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO
San Luis Obispo, CA
- Admit rate
- 31.3%
- Avg. net price
- $18,832
#102
#103
#104
#105
#106
#107
#108
#109
#110
#111
#112
#113
#114
#115
#117
#120
#121
#122
#123
#124
#125
#126
#127
#128
#129
#130
#131
#132
#133
#134
#135- #136
#137
#138
#139
#140
#141
#142- #143
#144
#145
#146
#147
#148
#149
#150
Bars: admit rate on a 0–100% scale; average net price relative to $50,518, the highest in this group.
Profiles use verified federal data with independent CollegesRef editorial context. Rank reflects search demand, not a quality ranking.