Ah, the Ivy League: the crème de la crème of American higher education. It’s where the best and brightest high school seniors aspire to spend the next four years, where ambitious graduate students scramble to make important connections, and where innovative professors carry out world-changing research. “Ivy” is pretty much synonymous with academic excellence these days, but did you know that the league was actually formed because of football? Ironic, we know.

Since the Ivy League is talked about so much in popular culture (honestly, it feels like every single character on TV goes to an Ivy…like aren’t there any other schools in America?) it can be kind of embarrassing if you aren’t exactly sure what it is. That’s totally okay though, because we are here to help you.

This article will answer all the questions you could ever have about these mystery schools. We’ll cover what is an Ivy League school, who is in the Ivy League, how do I get into the Ivy League, and more!

Let’s get started.

What is an Ivy League school?

Like we mentioned, the Ivy League was formed to facilitate sports, mainly football games. Here’s the story:

Way back in 1937, a New York Tribune reported named Caswell Adams labeled an emerging sports alliance as the “Ivy League.” While Adams’ reasons for this name remain mysterious, some people think that perhaps he misheard someone say the “IV League” (because of the original four schools: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth), although this theory remains unconfirmed. However, the press of the time loved the name, so it ran with it, and the original intended name “The Eastern Football League” was abandoned.

For years before this, the athletic directors of all of these schools had been facing each other in basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and swimming for years but decided to make things “official” via their football teams. So, in 1945 the first Ivy League agreement was signed and eight New England schools pledged their support to each other, acknowledging that their academics, admissions standards, and athletic financial aid were similar, if not the same. But this was only the beginning: in 1954 the Ivy Group Agreement was reissued to confirm that each year the eight schools involved would round-robin schedule in football, beginning with the 1956 season. This marked a new era in college sports.

These days, the Ivy League is less about sports and more about prestige. The eight schools are symbols of American academic excellence and a great source of pride.

So, no matter the origins of their names, it is still an honor to attend one.

Keeping reading to find out all about them!

Who is in the Ivy League?

This is list has everything you need to know about the schools that make up the Ivy League. Check it out:

Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island, the biggest city in America’s smallest state. As of 2015, it has about 6,316 undergraduate students and a highly competitive acceptance rate of 9%. Tuition runs at $47,434.

Brown is famous for its “open curriculum” system that lets students explore many different academic fields throughout their time at the university, ensuring that they graduate as well-rounded individuals. Open-minded, friendly, and eccentric students fill Brown’s halls – making for a one of a kind, enjoyable undergraduate experience.

If you are curious to learn more, make sure to check out our article about Brown AP® scores here.

Columbia University is located at the heart of it all in New York, New York. As of 2015, it accepts 6% of its applicants and has roughly 7,160 undergraduate students. It costs a hefty $65,860 to attend, although generous financial aid packages are available for those who qualify.

Columbia’s students are true New Yorkers; they are driven, determined, and dedicated. You won’t be able to find another place filled with such innovative and focused students. If you plan on entering the fields of publishing, banking, or high-end real estate, Columbia is an excellent place for you to make connections to jump-start your career, as New York serves as the headquarters for these industries.

If you are taking AP® classes and are wondering if they will transfer into Columbia, you should check out this article.

Cornell University is in Ithaca; a town nestled in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of upstate New York – the only state to house two Ivies. In 2015, Cornell accepted 14% of its applicants and cost $45,539 per year for undergraduates to attend. There were also 13,931 undergraduates – the highest of any Ivy League member.

Because there are so many students at Cornell, its “isolated” campus becomes a non-issue. There are well over 1,000 students clubs and organizations that you can join from Acapella singing groups to a Woodmen’s club – there is literally something for everyone. Students who attend Cornell are also known to be especially tough because they are able to survive Ithaca’s particularly harsh winters.

If you would like to learn more about the school, check out its AP® policy and fast facts here.

Dartmouth College is located just north of Boston in Hanover, New Hampshire. The college accepts 10.3% of its applicants, as of 2015, and costs $46,764 to attend. There are currently about 4,248 undergraduates on campus, making it the smallest of the Ivy League schools. Because of this, undergraduate students are often afforded research and publishing opportunities that are only available to graduate students at other universities – a real plus.

Dartmouth also operates on a quarter system instead of that of the traditional semester. This offers its students the unique ability to choose the terms that they spend on campus. This way, most of its students are able to pursue internships during non-competitive times (i.e. not during the summer) and study abroad – both things that make them compelling candidates for lucrative jobs.

If you are interested in learning more about Dartmouth, its quarter system, and how it handles AP® credits, then you should check out our article here.

Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a cute college town that is literally right next door to Boston. It was founded in 1636 making it the oldest college in not only the Ivy League, but also in the entire country. As of 2015, Harvard accepts only 5.2% of its applicants and will cost you $59,550 a year to attend. There are also 7,181 undergraduate students on campus.

Because of its age, competitive admissions rate, and name recognition, Harvard is often considered to be the “best” Ivy, or at least one of the “top three” joined by Princeton and Yale. Although the quality of a school is certainly in the eye of the beholder, Harvard certainly lives up to its “excellent” reputation by offering unparalleled research opportunities, student life, and alumni connections.

If you are interested in how your AP® credits will serve you at this member of the Ivy League, or are looking for more general information about the school, be sure to check out our article on Harvard here.

The University of Pennsylvania is literally located in West Philadelphia – how cool is that? As of 2015, it has 10,337 undergraduate students and costs $66,800 a year to attend. As with all of the other members of the Ivy League, financial aid is readily available to those who qualify. Be sure to contact the school for more information.

Called Penn for short, the school is home to hard-working, creative, and cheese-steak crazy students. It’s a great place to be if you want to go to Medical, Law, or Business school – as they are all top in the nation. Penn is also a great place to make connections, as alumni tend to prefer other alums when filling open positions in their companies. Penn even had a Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) that’s sole purpose is to connect undergraduate to these exciting opportunities.

Princeton University is aptly located in Princeton, New Jersey, which is nestled in the Northwest portion of the state. It had 5,133 undergraduate students during the 2015-2016 school year and cost $41,820 to attend. Getting in is still tough, as the school boats a 6.5% admissions rate.

Princeton has a very social campus and is famous for its high alumni satisfaction rates. Each year, thousands of former students return to campus for homecoming and reunions, proving that they just can’t get enough of Princeton.  Eating clubs, which you can read about here, are another aspect of the school’s fun, tradition-filled history, which includes more than a dozen movies being filmed on campus, including A Beautiful Mind, Admission, Transformers, Across the Universe, The Happening, I.Q, and more!

To find out more about Princeton, and how your AP® scores can help during your time there, be sure to check out this article.

Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, which is about one hour outside of New York City by train. As of 2015, it has 5,275 undergraduate students, costs $45,800 to attend, and admits about 6.3% of its applicants.

Along with Harvard and Princeton, Yale is considered to be one of the “top three” members of the Ivy League and certainly lives up to its reputation. At Yale, every single professor teaches, so even as a freshman, you might get the opportunity to learn from a Nobel Prize-winning scientist or Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

Students at Yale are also assigned to one of twelve unique residential colleges upon admission, which they live in for all four years. This fosters a great since of community on campus and makes it easy to find friends. If you are interested in learning more about life at Yale, as well as how the college will treat your AP® scores, please click here.

Which Ivy League School Should I Attend?

Which Ivy you attend, if you end up going to one at all, depends on a lot of things. There is truly an Ivy for everything: big city or small town, strict curriculum or open curriculum, lots of students or not so many. This way, no matter your personality and academic preferences, you can find one that fits your needs.

It is also important to remember that while attending an Ivy League school definitely has a lot of prestige attached to it, and name-dropping your alma mater will probably never get old, just going to Harvard does not guarantee you a prosperous future. You will still need to work hard to achieve your goals, although because of their extensive alumni networks, Ivy League schools tend to offer their students more opportunities than most other institutions.

It also is entirely possible to receive an excellent education at a non-Ivy like a state school, or smaller, local college. The University of California system is known for academic excellence, as is the University of North Carolina, Stanford, Clemson, Vassar, and more.

A Quick Review

Here are a few important things to remember when thinking about the Ivy League schools:

• There are eight Ivy League schools.
• They are located in the Northeastern United States, across seven states.
• They have very low admissions rates; so it’s hard to get in.
• They offer unparalleled academic opportunities.

Qualifying for admission to an Ivy League school is going to be difficult, but not impossible. It is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, but all of us at Albert.io are here to make your Ivy dreams come true.

We have everything you need to prepare for the AP® exams (it is essential to take AP® classes if you want to get into an Ivy), the ACT®, and the new SAT®, so you will never be unprepared. Be sure to check out all of our study guides.

Good luck out there!

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