Most Selective Colleges in Pennsylvania

10 colleges in Pennsylvania admit 35% of applicants or fewer, which puts them in the competitive tier where grades and scores are the entry ticket rather than the deciding factor. The list starts with University of Pennsylvania (5%), Swarthmore College (7%), and Carnegie Mellon University (12%). 0 are public and 10 are private, and the median admitted-student SAT (75th percentile) across the group is 1445. Every one belongs in the Reach or Target column for most applicants, so pair them with likelier Pennsylvania options from the full state ranking.

Schools

Median acceptance

27%

Most selective

University of Pennsylvania

5% acceptance

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Estimated chance of admission for three typical students, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA; 2, 4 and 7 AP courses respectively; Regular Decision; no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook.

Which of the Most Selective Colleges in Pennsylvania can I get into with a 3.7 GPA and a 1300 SAT?

By CollegeCalcAI's model, a student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT has no Likely or Safety estimate among the 10 colleges here. 6 more are Target (25 to 44%), such as Lehigh University and Villanova University. The other 4 are Reach. Estimates assume Regular Decision and no hook; courses, activities and essays move them.

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT
College	3.3 GPA1150 SAT	3.7 GPA1300 SAT	4.0 GPA1500 SAT
University of Pennsylvaniaadmits 5%	5%Reach	7%Reach	10%Reach
Swarthmore Collegeadmits 7%	7%Reach	9%Reach	14%Reach
Carnegie Mellon Universityadmits 12%	9%Reach	13%Reach	23%Reach
Haverford Collegeadmits 12%	10%Reach	14%Reach	24%Reach
Lehigh Universityadmits 26%	17%Reach	34%Target	61%Likely
Villanova Universityadmits 27%	17%Reach	33%Target	61%Likely
Franklin & Marshall Collegeadmits 28%	18%Reach	38%Target	64%Likely
Bucknell Universityadmits 29%	19%Reach	41%Target	70%Safety
Bryn Mawr Collegeadmits 29%	18%Reach	38%Target	67%Likely
Lafayette Collegeadmits 31%	20%Reach	44%Target	73%Safety

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities or compare your own list with the free admissions API.

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27%median acceptance rate, most selective colleges in pennsylvania (10 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI

<a href="https://collegecalcai.com/data/most-selective-colleges-in-pennsylvania?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=statcard" style="display:inline-block;padding:16px 20px;border:1px solid #E5E9F0;border-radius:14px;text-decoration:none;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;background:#fff">27%median acceptance rate, most selective colleges in pennsylvania (10 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI</a>

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Acceptance rates and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.