People often ask us about the other Ivies…you know, those that aren’t in the northeast. The reality is, there actually are none outside of the northeastern region and there are definitely no Ivy League schools on the west coast. That’s because the Ivy League was formed a trillion years ago as a sports league. While the Ivy League wasn’t officially formed until 1954 (though the term was used as early as the ‘30s), most of its partner schools have been around since the colonial period. Harvard has been around since the 17th century. Columbia University (then known as King’s College) awarded degrees to the likes of Alexander Hamilton in 1777, nearly 100 years before California joined the union. While the west coast is devoid of ye old American collegiate institution, there are plenty of ivy-caliber schools to consider checking out:
STANFORD
Stanford is the one that got away from the Ivy League. While a competitive acceptance rate does not necessarily an Ivy League make, a low acceptance rate is usually an indication of the quality of university and Stanford’s (coming in at just 4 percent for 2020) is about as low as it gets. In fact, in 2019, it was the hardest school to get into in America. Located in northern California, Stanford gives students the opportunity to learn at an Ivy League-caliber school without all the snow.
CAL TECH
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located outside of Los Angeles in Pasadena, California. It is easily one of the best schools for science and engineering in the nation. Cal Tech is so darn prestigious that it manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. If you aspire to become one of the brightest minds in modern science, Cal Tech is a great place for you…if you can get in.
USC
You might be noticing a theme here…that all of the top schools (or most anyway) are in California. California is not only the most populous state in the West, it’s home to great industry and culture and the University of Southern California, located in Los Angeles is in the heart of it. The oldest private research university in the state, USC’s acceptance rate in 2020 was 11 percent. It’s majors are strong across the board with alumni ranging from cinematic masterminds like George Lucas to astronaut Neil Armstrong.
UC BERKLEY
UC Berkley, located in the heart of Berkley, CA in the northern part of the state, is the hippie cousin of USC. But don’t be fooled by its location in one of the chillest parts of the country. With an acceptance rate of 16 percent, Berkley is extremely competitive. This is a great place for really driven young activists and deep -thinkers who care about social issues of today.
THE CLAREMONT SCHOOLS
The Claremont Colleges are a consortium of seven universities (five undergraduate, two graduates) located near Los Angeles. These are true liberal arts schools. With 8,500 students total, the Claremont schools offer a close-knit environment for anyone interested in spending a few years on one of the schools’ beautiful campuses.
UCLA
Another city school located in Los Angeles, UCLA is also highly-competitive with an acceptance rate of 14 percent. UCLA is a public research university. This is a great school for anyone interested in a top-notch education with all of the perks and excitement of a big university. The undergraduate population is over 30,000 and there are varying majors and classes for just about anyone regardless of their interest.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE
The University of Washington is a public research university located in—you guessed it—Seattle. The acceptance rate isn’t as low as the others (52 percent) but the school is still considered very selective. Established in 1861, it’s one of the oldest universities in the West. It has turned out 20 Nobel Prize laureate, among alumni with other high accolades.
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