College Raptor’s Hidden Gems rankings highlight amazing schools across the U.S. that may not have heard of before. These designations are based on College Raptor’s overall national rankings as well as the number of factors unique to the Hidden Gems lists.
When we talk about hidden gems, they all have three things in common:
- They are accessible.
- They are good schools (generally within the top third of College Raptor’s overall rankings).
- They are “hidden” from the standpoint that they don’t get as many applications (like Harvard).
In addition, to be considered a “Hidden Gem” College, schools must:
- Receive fewer than 5,000 applications a year.
- Have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students enrolled.
- Have an acceptance rate higher than 10%.
- Have 5 or more unique majors.
For more information on methodology behind our college rankings, check out our ranking methodology breakdown.
