What's the average Ivy League acceptance rate?

Across all 8 Ivy League schools, the average published acceptance rate is approximately 5.0%. The range spans roughly 7.9% (Cornell) to 3.6% (Harvard).

Easiest Ivy League School to Get Into (2026 Acceptance Rates Compared)

Q: What is the easiest Ivy League school to get into?

Among the 8 Ivy League schools, Cornell University currently has the highest published acceptance rate at 7.9%. That makes it statistically the easiest Ivy to be admitted to, though all 8 remain extremely selective.

#	School	Accept	SAT	Early
1	Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York	7.9%	1480–1550	ED 16.6%
2	University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania	5.4%	1500–1570	ED 14.2%
3	Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island	5.4%	1500–1570	ED 13.9%
4	Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire	5.3%	1500–1580	ED 17.1%
5	Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey	4.5%	1500–1580	SCEA
6	Columbia UniversityNew York, New York	3.9%	1490–1570	ED
7	Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut	3.7%	1500–1580	SCEA 9.4%
8	Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts	3.6%	1500–1580	REA 8.7%

Why “easiest” is misleading

The easiest-Ivy ranking is real but misleading taken alone. Cornell's headline acceptance rate of 7.9% sounds dramatically more accessible than Harvard's 3.6%, but the gap closes when you look at the applicant pools. Cornell draws a slightly less self-selected pool than Harvard, which inflates the headline rate without making admission proportionally easier for any individual applicant.

For an unhooked applicant with strong-but-not-extraordinary credentials, all 8 Ivies fall in roughly the same odds range. The differentiator is fit and how the application reads, not which Ivy you target. Apply to whichever 1–3 Ivies you genuinely like and that match your interests, then calibrate the rest of your list with target and safety schools at lower rejection rates.

The early decision boost

Most Ivies offer a binding Early Decision (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Penn, Dartmouth) or non-binding Single-Choice Early Action (Harvard, Yale, Princeton). Early-round acceptance rates run roughly 2–4× higher than regular decision rates, but the gap is mostly composition rather than a real admit boost. ED pools concentrate recruited athletes, legacies, and other hooked applicants. The unhooked-applicant boost is real but smaller than the published rate suggests.

FAQ

What is the easiest Ivy League school to get into in 2026?

Cornell University currently has the highest published acceptance rate among Ivies at 7.9%, making it statistically the easiest. Cornell typically ranks at or near the top of this list cycle to cycle because its larger applicant pool relative to class size produces a higher rate than other Ivies, though “easier” remains a relative term in this group.

What is the hardest Ivy League school to get into?

Harvard University has the lowest published acceptance rate among Ivies at 3.6%. Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia all swap positions cycle to cycle within a narrow band, all admitting fewer than 5% of applicants in most recent cycles.

Should I apply to the easiest Ivy because my odds are better?

Only if you actually want to attend. ED to a school you wouldn't happily attend is a bad strategy. The acceptance-rate spread among Ivies is much smaller than it looks once you adjust for hooked applicants. Apply where you'd genuinely thrive and where your essays will read as authentic.

Are the “Ivy Plus” schools (Stanford, MIT, Duke) easier or harder than the actual Ivies?

Generally similar or harder. Stanford and MIT typically have lower acceptance rates than most Ivies. Duke, Northwestern, and other “Ivy Plus” schools fall in roughly the same range. Selectivity at the top of U.S. higher education has compressed substantially over the past decade.