Blog

You are currently viewing Is Stanford an Ivy League School?

Is Stanford an Ivy League School?

  • Post author:TransferGoat
  • Post category:Why Transfer?

The Ivy League is a well-known group of colleges, but not everyone knows which schools are included. Is Stanford University is considered an ivy league school?

This article seeks to explore which schools are actually in the world-renowned Ivy League, how they compare to other well-known but non-“Ivy” institutions, and what implications being part of the league has.

Is Stanford an Ivy League? 

Although it may be surprising, Stanford is not in the Ivy League. But don’t let this fool you; Stanford is still a very prestigious school known for its academic excellence; it’s just not part of the Ivy League.

If you’re confused, don’t worry. Let’s start by looking at the Ivy League and why it was created.

The Ivy League features eight private universities located in the northeastern United States. The members of the Ivy League include:

  • Brown University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Dartmouth College
  • Harvard University
  • Princeton University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Yale University

Keep in mind that, at the end of the day, if a school is not one of the eight aforementioned schools, it cannot lay claim to being an Ivy League institution.

Although they are now some of the most selective and highly-ranked schools in the nation, this wasn’t originally the intent when unifying the Ivy League Universities.

The Ivy League began as an athletic conference during the 1950s. With time, due to the esteemed reputations of its members, the phrase “Ivy League” has become associated with more general ideas of prestige and academic rigor. In reality, “Ivy League” is nothing more than a name for a collegiate sports conference!

Although Stanford is a highly esteemed institution with comparable low admittance rates to that of the Ivy League schools, they are not a part of the Ivy League. However, it is easy to see why Stanford is sometimes mistaken for an ivy league school.

Making Sense of U.S. News Rankings

According to the U.S. News rankings, many schools, such as Stanford and MIT, are just as good if not better than Ivy League schools. In fact, MIT is currently ranked #2, beating out all Ivies except Princeton, and Stanford is tied #3 with Harvard!

Likewise, UChicago (#6), Johns Hopkins (#7), and Caltech (#9) are ranked highly, giving them rankings loftier than Dartmouth (#12), Brown (#13), Cornell (#17), and Columbia (#18).

The eight Ivy League schools are some of the most prestigious and competitive institutions in America, and usually, the universities rank in the top 20 nationally. And within the Ivies themselves, there’s a shocking range of difficulty to get in: Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia have acceptance rates below 4%, while Cornell is sitting around 10%.

Schools Similar to Those of The Ivy League 

Although Ivy League schools boast a great reputation, they are not the only excellent colleges in America.

While schools such as Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago boast stronger academic reputations than many Ivies, they don’t compete in the same athletic conference and, therefore, can’t be considered Ivy League schools.

Next, we take a look at the top liberal arts schools. The most prestigious liberal arts colleges consist of Williams College, Amherst College, Swarthmore College, and Pomona College. Though well-known for their academic requirements, liberal arts focus, and small undergraduate populations, these schools are also not part of the Ivy League.

Then we also have to consider the “public Ivies.” The “public ivies” consist of schools like the University of Virginia, UC Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, which offer a comparable education to that received at an Ivy League school but without the same expensive price tag.

Are Any Ivy League Schools Easy to Get Into?

It’s notoriously difficult to get into any of the Ivy League schools, but Cornell University might be considered the easiest one to get into. Cornell has an acceptance rate for first-year applicants of around 10%. By comparison, most other Ivies had acceptance rates that were only 3-6%.

How Do You Get Into Ivy+ Schools?

In order to attend an Ivy League school or equivalent, the majority of students need more than just good grades; they must submit a perfect or near-perfect application. This usually requires top standardized test scores and grades, beautifully written essays, strong extracurriculars, and fabulous letters of recommendation.

Please keep in mind that meeting these standards does not guarantee admission into an Ivy League Plus School. With the increasing number of applications received by Ivy League schools, admissions officers are often left with no choice but to reject many eligible applicants.

Wrapping Up

Even though Stanford is not a part of the Ivy League, it is still a very renowned and competitive university that often surpasses Ivy League schools in rankings, such as those by U.S. News and World Report.

Stanford University was founded in 1885 with a focus on bringing together engineering and liberal arts, but it has since become known as one of America’s leading centers for innovation.

There is no denying that Stanford alumni are having a major impact across all sectors of society. From business and politics to education and the arts, former students of this prestigious university are making their mark on the world – and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon!