The Hardest Colleges to Get Into in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa

As we near the end of another school year, I'm sure college is top of mind for many students. I know my 9th grader is already talking about college visits and all his hopes and dreams for post-high school. I'm not crying, you're crying.

Anyway, when it comes to colleges, there are certain prestigious institutions that establish exceptionally high standards, resulting in the rejection of the majority of applicants. But, what about in the Midwest? How challenging is it to gain admission to colleges in this region?

Just for perspective before we look at the local colleges: Columbia in NYC has a 3.9% admission rate, MIT in Massachusetts has a 4% admissions rate, and Yale in Connecticut, a 4.6% admission rate. The hardest college to get into in the entire country - Stanford.

Also See: Wisconsin and Minnesota College Towns Among Safest in the Country.

The admission rate at the California University is a mere 3.7%. The median SAT scores are 760 in reading and writing, 790 in math. Stanford has an impressive 96% graduation rate! Meanwhile, the median annual earnings 10-years after entry is $106,987. Wow!

Now, lets dive into the hardest colleges to get into in the Midwest according to 24/7 Wall St. 

Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW Madison has the highest admission rate of the three Midwest states accepting 49.1% of its applicants, but is the hardest college to get into in Wisconsin. The median SAT scores are 690 in reading and writing, 740 in math.

The average annual cost of attendance for the University of Wisconsin Madison is $16,708. The graduation rate is 88%. While the median annual earnings 10-years after entry is at $70,586.

Iowa: Grinnell College

Grinnell College, a private liberal arts college is the hardest college to get into in Iowa. Grinnell has an admissions rate or 10.8%. The SAT scores are 730 in reading and writing and 750 in math.

The average cost of attendance is $28,610/year. They have an 87% graduation rate. The median annual earnings 10 years after entry for Grinnell grads is $62,529 according to 24/7 Wall St. 

Minnesota: Carleton College in Northfield.

The hardest college to get into in Minnesota is Carleton College where the admission is 16.6%. The median SAT scores are 740 in reading and writing, 750 in math.

The average cost for annual attendance is $31,800 and the graduation rate is an impressive 93%. Meanwhile, the average yearly salary for Carleton grads is $70,334.

To see 24/7 Wall St's list of the hardest colleges to get into by state, click here.

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