highly rejectiveadj.
Not a synonym for “hard to get into.” A description of institutional behavior: what these schools do, who they serve, and what they have chosen to optimize for.
Coined by Akil Bello, March 12, 2021.
Which colleges, and why
90 schools, drawn from 1,607 four-year colleges with selective admissions. A classification, not a ranking.
See the classification →Why “rejective” instead of selective
When colleges describe themselves as “highly selective,” the language centers the students who got in. “Highly rejective” centers the institutional decision that produced that outcome.
The full definition →Is it me or does it seem that highly rejective colleges only want to enroll students they'll have to teach and support the least in order to get them to graduate “prepared” for career?
The term has been stripped of its meaning
As the term spread into college prep services, consultant blogs, and general media, it was reduced to a neutral synonym for “hard to get into.”
- March 12, 2021
- The first tweet. The term is coined, embedded in a critique not about how hard these schools are to get into, but about who these schools are interested in teaching.
- April 7, 2021
- Higher Ed Data Stories. A leading enrollment researcher publishes “The Highly Rejective Colleges” — the first major adoption outside social media.
- May 7, 2021
- New York Times. Ron Lieber uses the term in his “Your Money” column, the first appearance in a major national newspaper.
- 2022
- Congressional Record. The term is entered into the Congressional Record.
Classification, not ranking
This project does not rank colleges from best to worst. Rankings imply precision the underlying data cannot support. A low admit rate creates the candidate pool. It does not determine the classification by itself.
Degree-granting institutions in the United States
~7,000
Above and public and private non-profit institutions
3,768
Above and grant bachelor's degrees or higher, not fully online
2,389
Above and do not have open admission
1,607
Above and admit rate below 75% in either 2023 or 2024
815
Above and admit rate below 50% in either 2023 or 2024
299
Above and admit rate below 30% in either 2023 or 2024
121
Above and on the list, after the stated exclusions
90
Above and highly rejective
66
Source: IPEDS.
What makes a college good?
What matters is not who a college attracts, but what it actually does for students: success rates (including graduation and successful transfer), value-added graduation rates, economic mobility, and debt-to-earnings outcomes.
CUNY & Baruch CollegeHigh Demand, Not Manufactured Scarcity
Berea CollegeMission as Admissions Criterion
Georgia Institute of TechnologySelective While Growing, Public Mission
SUNY GeneseoMaking More With Less