Eight research schools make up the “Ivy League,” including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Columbia University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Cornell University. Each university has a rich history with outstanding programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and amazing networking opportunities. They’re also highly selective. Here’s a quick look at the list of Ivy League schools and what you need to know about them.
Ivy League Schools: Quick Facts
| Ivy League School | Location | Current Rank | Admission Rate | Sticker Price (For 2025) |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | #1 | 4.5% | $81,462 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | #2 | 3.0% | $87,166 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | #5 | 5.0% | $94,118 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | #6 | 6.0% | $88,717 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | #8 | 4.3% | $93,175 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | #11 | 6.3% | $91,382 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | #13 | 5.2% | $93,610 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | #17 | 8.5% | $82,854 |
What Is an Ivy League School?
An “Ivy League school” refers to one of the eight prestigious private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The name is believed to have been coined by a sports writer in the 1930s, and the colleges founded the Ivy Group, a conference for their football teams, in 1954.
Each of the schools is known for their strong academics, historic campuses, large endowments, state-of-the-art facilities, notable alumni, unique networking opportunities, and more. Every Ivy League is highly selective – in 2023, Harvard accepted just 3% of applicants. Cornell was the least selective, yet only 8.5% were accepted.
List of Ivy League Schools
Eight universities make up the Ivy League conference. Below, we’ve listed them, along with their acceptance rates and for the 2023 admissions cycle, current enrollment, sticker prices for, and some other fun facts.
RELATED >> 2025 College Raptor Top 50 Best Colleges in the United States.
Harvard University
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Total enrollment: 30,631
- Admission rate: 3%
- Sticker price: $87,166
- Notable Alumni: John Adams, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Ralph Waldo Emerson, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Carney, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Flickr user Ian Lamont
Harvard University was originally known as Harvard College, named so for clergyman John Harvard. It was founded in 1636, offered its first classes in 1642, and chartered in 1650. With a 98% first-year retention rate, students today experience a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 66% will graduate within 4 years.
Students are known as the Crimson and the athletes, wearing crimson, white, and black are cheered on by their mascot and namesake, John Harvard.
Yale University
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Total enrollment: 14,776
- Admission rate: 5%
- Sticker price: $94,118
- Notable Alumni: Gerald Ford, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jodie Foster, Lupita Nyong’o, Ben Stein, Anderson Cooper, Samuel Morse
Flickr user Francisco Anzola
Yale University was originally known as the Collegiate School and was meant to educate Calvinist Congregational ministers. Founded and chartered in 1701, the school originally only taught theology and sacred languages. Today, the most popular major at this Ivy League school is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics followed by History and Political Science and Government.
Known as the Bulldogs, Yale athletes wear Yale Blue and their mascot is Handsome Dan (who, of course, is a bulldog!). The current Handsome Dan, also known as Kingman, is the 19th (XIX).
Princeton University
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Total enrollment: 8,842
- Admission rate: 4.5%
- Sticker price: $81,462
- Notable Alumni: Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Madison, James Stewart, Woodrow Wilson, Brooke Shields, Eric Schmidt
Flickr user Dieter Weinelt
Princeton University, first known as the College of New Jersey and located in Princeton, was founded and chartered in 1746. The first courses would be offered the following year. They would get their current moniker in 1896. Princeton boasts a 97% first-year retention rate and a 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
Princeton students and athletes are known as the Tigers and (it should come as no surprise) wear orange and black.
University of Pennsylvania
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Total enrollment: 28,201
- Admission rate: 6%
- Sticker price: $88,717
- Notable Alumni: Warren Buffett, John Legend, William Henry Harrison, Doc Holliday, Alice Paul, Noam Chomsky, Elizabeth Banks, Sundar Pichai
Flickr user X.
Also known as Penn or UPenn, this Ivy League school was founded under the name College of Philadelphia in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. The early courses offered by the school were not focused on the clergy, but instead focused on overall higher education. It would be renamed University of Pennsylvania in 1791. University of Pennsylvania currently has over 28,000 students attending and an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
The Quakers wear red and blue and the mascot is aptly named “The Quaker.”
Columbia University
- Location: New York, NY
- Total enrollment: 34,782
- Admission rate: 4.3%
- Sticker price: $93,175
- Notable Alumni: Theodore Roosevelt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel Walton, Art Garfunkel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jack Kerouac, Upton Sinclair
Flickr user Mike Steele
Originally called the King’s College, Columbia University was founded and chartered in 1754, with the first classes opening the same year. It’s the oldest institution of higher education in New York! The Ivy League school would become Columbia College in 1784 and Columbia University in 1896. Today, the most popular majors among students include Computer Science, Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, and Political Science and Government.
Columbia University students and athletes are called the Lions and wear Columbia blue and white. Roar-ee the Lion cheers them on from the sidelines.
Brown University
- Location: Providence, RI
- Total enrollment: 11,189
- Admission rate: 5.2%
- Sticker price: $93,610
- Notable Alumni: Andrew Yang, John D. Rockefeller, Ted Turner, Emma Watson, John F. Kennedy Jr., Laura Linney, Julie Bowen, Sidney Joseph Perelman
Source: Flickr user dlthurston.
Brown University was first known as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations or Rhode Island College. The future Ivy League school was founded in 1764. And, although its founding was by Baptists, it was actually the first college on the continent that accepted students regardless of their religious affiliation.
The Bears wear seal brown, cardinal red, and white when they compete in the Ivy League and their mascot is known as Bruno the Bear.
Dartmouth College
- Location: Hanover, NH
- Total enrollment: 6,744
- Admission rate: 6.3%
- Sticker price: $91,382
- Notable Alumni: Robert Frost, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Dr. Seuss, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, David Benioff, Fred Rogers, Mindy Kaling, Kirsten Gillibrand
Source: Flickr user sarunas_b.
Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, founded in 1769, originally opened to teach Native Americans about Christian theology and English ways of life in an effort to turn them into missionaries. The school changed over the years before getting a major facelift at the turn of the 20th century and becoming nationally known.
Athletes at this Ivy League school are known as the Big Green and wear Dartmouth Green and white. The college has been without an official mascot for decades.
Cornell University
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Total enrollment: 25,898
- Admission rate: 8.5%
- Sticker price: $82,854
- Notable Alumni: Anthony Fauci, Bill Nye, Christopher Reeve, E.B. White, James McLamore, Henry Heimlich, Lauren Weisberger
via Colleges That Change Lives
Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, classes started at Cornell University in 1868. All areas of study were available at this Ivy League school from day one. Today, the university has satellite campuses in New York City and Qatar, has a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and a 97% first-year retention rate.
Known as the Big Red, students and athletes wear red and white. Cornell’s unofficial mascot is currently Touchdown the Bear or Big Red Bear.
The Ivy Leagues schools are world renown, but each one is unique. If you’re thinking about applying to one of these prestigious schools, it’s important to find the right one for you. College Raptor can give you insight into the best matches and your acceptance chances. Start today with our College Match Tool.
