‍The Little Ivies are very selective, with acceptance rates in the single digits at the most competitive colleges, like Bowdoin, Swarthmore, Amherst, and Williams, which have rates around 7 to 9%. The number of applicants can range from the thousands to tens of thousands. For example, Swarthmore received over 13,000 applications for the Class of 2029, and Amherst received a similar number for 2028. The chart below shows recent acceptance rates for each school.

‍These colleges also differ in yield, which is the percentage of admitted students who enroll. Many Little Ivies get a significant part of their admits through binding Early Decision, which improves their yields. Bowdoin has a yield of about 57%, and Colby is around 50%. In contrast, schools like Union and Sarah Lawrence have yields of only about 14%, indicating that many of their admits choose other options. The chart below shows yield rates, from Bowdoin’s 54% down to Union’s 13%:

‍Regarding test scores, the middle 50% SAT ranges at these colleges typically fall in the mid-1300s to mid-1500s. For instance, Amherst's middle 50% is about 1410 to 1530 (ACT 31 to 34), and Williams's is similar (SAT around 1460 to 1550, ACT around 33 to 35). Many Little Ivies are test-optional, so published averages only include those who submitted scores. However, scores are usually very strong. For example, Bowdoin’s enrolled students average around 1420 SAT and 32 ACT. High school class rank and GPA are also very high; a large majority of incoming students graduated in the top 10% of their high school class when reported. Overall, admissions are extremely competitive. These colleges look for academically accomplished, well-rounded students, similar to the Ivy League. Most Little Ivies have low single-digit admit rates for regular decision and fill a significant part of the class through early rounds, indicating a highly competitive admissions process.

Common Data Set (CDS – acceptance rates, yield, SAT/ACT, class rank)
https://commondataset.org/
(Primary source for admit rate, yield, test scores across Little Ivies)
College Admissions Institutional Research Pages (examples)
‍Amherst CDS & admissions stats: https://www.amherst.edu/offices/institutional-research/common-data-set
‍Swarthmore CDS & admissions stats: https://www.swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/common-data-set
(Application volume, admit rates, yield)
NCES College Navigator (comparative admissions & enrollment data)
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
(Acceptance rates, enrollment size, standardized data across institutions)
U.S. News & World Report – Admissions Statistics
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges
(Acceptance rate, yield, SAT/ACT ranges for each school)
Common Application Annual Reports (application growth context)
https://www.commonapp.org/about/annual-report
(Explains rising application volumes affecting selectivity)
College Scorecard (context on competitiveness & outcomes)
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
(Supports comparisons across institutions and selectivity context)