Private colleges on the East coast tend to be more selective than public universities. This is why it is important to be prepared for this college application season and to familiarize yourself with holistic college admissions policies.
In order to be considered a competitive applicant, you will want to know how to write a unique college essay and include meaningful extracurricular activities. You may want to learn more about Early Decision programs as well, in order to strengthen your overall chances of admission.
While many students favor private colleges, public colleges and universities have their advantages as well. This is why it is important to understand the differences between private and public colleges. In this article, we will review some of these key differences as well as provide important facts and figures for some of the best private colleges on the east coast.
According to U.S. News, there are nearly 4,000 degree-granting academic institutions in the United States. But how many private colleges are in the U.S.? Currently, there are 2,357 — 1,660 of which are nonprofit and 697 of which are for-profit.
Due to their private funding and endowments, private colleges can offer generous scholarships and financial aid packages. This is partly why private colleges tend to be more selective than public colleges and universities and why private colleges are better for many students.
While it’s true that private colleges and universities have high costs of tuition, they are able to offer generous funding to students with demonstrated financial need. In fact, in many instances, students who qualify for financial aid and are admitted to private colleges, find that attending a private college is more affordable than attending a public university.
This is one of the advantages of attending a private college and the reason why private universities are better than public universities for many students.
Is a private or a public university better? It all depends on the school and the student, but the reason why private universities are better for many students is that private colleges have a lot of funding and are able to offer generous financial aid packages.
The fact that private colleges and universities have generous endowments also means that more money is available for the school to provide additional educational opportunities for students. Many private colleges host notable speakers, conferences, and funding for student projects.
In contrast, public universities receive their funding from the government. Students who attend in-state public colleges and universities receive a lower cost of tuition, subsidized by the government. Public universities also have much larger student bodies and offer more academic programs.
Due to their differences in size, students who are self-directed, independent learners tend to do well in public universities. Students who value more individual attention tend to favor smaller private colleges.
Is a private or a public university better? It all depends on the school and the student, but the reason why private universities are better for many students is that private colleges have a lot of funding and are able to offer generous financial aid packages.
The fact that private colleges and universities have generous endowments also means that more money is available for the school to provide additional educational opportunities for students. Many private colleges host notable speakers, conferences, and funding for student projects.
In contrast, public universities receive their funding from the government. Students who attend in-state public colleges and universities receive a lower cost of tuition, subsidized by the government. Public universities also have much larger student bodies and offer more academic programs.
Due to their differences in size, students who are self-directed, independent learners tend to do well in public universities. Students who value more individual attention tend to favor smaller private colleges.
The eight Ivy League colleges — Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Brown University, and Columbia University — are the most renowned private colleges and universities in the United States. In fact, each of these schools is internationally recognized for its academic excellence.
That said, there are lots of esteemed private colleges and universities on the East Coast, in addition to the eight Ivy League colleges. Let’s take a look at 20 top private colleges on the east coast (listed in alphabetical order).
In this section, we will review key facts and figures for private universities (East coast). For each of these East coast private colleges, we will include its:
If you are interested in learning more about the top private colleges and universities in the U.S., refer to the following section.
Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and has an undergraduate population of 9,445. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 16% and its annual tuition and fees are $61,706. According to the U.S. News, Boston College is tied for #36 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Brandeis University is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and has an undergraduate population of 3,493. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 29.3% and its annual tuition and fees are $60,391. According to the U.S. News, Brandeis University is tied for #42 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and has an undergraduate population of 7,073. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 15.4% and its annual tuition and fees are $58,924. According to the U.S. News, Carnegie Mellon University is tied for #25 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina, and has an undergraduate population of 6,717. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 6.2% and its annual tuition and fees are $60,489. According to the U.S. News, Duke University is tied for #9 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Emory University is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and has an undergraduate population of 7,010. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 15.8% and its annual tuition and fees are $55,468. According to the U.S. News, Emory University is ranked #21 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Georgetown University is located in Washington D.C. and has an undergraduate population of 7,357. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 12% and its annual tuition and fees are $59,957. According to the U.S. News, Georgetown University is tied for #23 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
John Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and has an undergraduate population of 6,331. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 6.5% and its annual tuition and fees are $58,720. According to the U.S. News, John Hopkins University is tied for #9 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Lehigh University is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and has an undergraduate population of 5,203. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 35% and its annual tuition and fees are $57,470. According to the U.S. News, Lehigh University is tied for #49 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has an undergraduate population of 4,361. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 3.9% and its annual tuition and fees are $55,878. According to the U.S. News, MIT is tied for #2 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
New York University is located in New York City, New York, and has an undergraduate population of 27,444. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 12.2% and its annual tuition and fees are $56,500. According to the U.S. News, New York University is tied for #28 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is located in Troy, New York, and has an undergraduate population of 6,283. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 47% and its annual tuition and fees are $58,526. According to U.S. News, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is ranked #55 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Stevens Institute of Technology is located in Hoboken, New Jersey, and has an undergraduate population of 3,670. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 53% and its annual tuition and fees are $56,920. According to the U.S. News, Stevens Institute of Technology is tied for #83 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and has an undergraduate population of 6,114. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 9% and its annual tuition and fees are $63,000. According to the U.S. News, Tufts University is tied for #28 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
University of Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida, and has an undergraduate population of 11,334. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 29% and its annual tuition and fees are $54,760. According to U.S. News, the University of Miami is tied for #55 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
University of Rochester is located in Rochester, New York, and has an undergraduate population of 6,521. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 29% and its annual tuition and fees are $59,344. According to the U.S. News, the University of Rochester is tied for #34 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and has an undergraduate population of 7,057. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 6.1% and its annual tuition and fees are $56,966. According to the U.S. News, Vanderbilt University is tied for #14 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Villanova University is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and has an undergraduate population of 7,037. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 23% and its annual tuition and fees are $59,900. According to the U.S. News, Villanova University is tied for #49 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and has an undergraduate population of 5,441. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 25% and its annual tuition and fees are $59,770. According to the U.S. News, Wake Forest University is tied for #28 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and has an undergraduate population of 4,892. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 59% and its annual tuition and fees are $55,531. According to the U.S. News, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is tied for #63 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Yeshiva University is located in New York City, New York, and has an undergraduate population of 2,017. Its 2022 acceptance rate is 7% and its annual tuition and fees are $47,500. According to the U.S. News, Yeshiva University is tied for #68 in the 2022 Best National Universities.
Private colleges and universities have ample funding. Oftentimes this means that private colleges offer generous financial aid packages and are able to offer additional educational resources and opportunities for students. These are two reasons why private colleges are favored by so many students.
If you are interested in attending an East Coast private college, you will need to assemble a thoughtful and thorough college application. This can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Thankfully, there are lots of resources available for you. If you feel like you could benefit from professional guidance during this process, reach out to learn more about our services.
Private colleges have a lot of funding and are able to offer generous financial aid packages. The fact that private colleges have generous endowments also means that more money is available for the school to provide additional educational opportunities for students. Many private colleges host notable speakers, conferences, and funding for student projects. Students who value more individual attention tend to favor smaller private colleges.
As an incoming college freshman, it’s important to be familiar with all of the resources available to you. After all, these resources are meant to help you succeed. From social tips to financial tips, learn how to prepare for your freshman year of college.
The best way to express your passion for the school is through a letter of continued interest (LOCI).
If you were waitlisted or deferred from your dream school, there are still opportunities to prove to admissions offices that you are a competitive applicant. Just because you have already submitted your personal statement, supplemental essays, resume, and transcript does not mean there is nothing else you can do. The best way to express your passion for the school is through a letter of continued interest (LOCI). The LOCI is a way to express interest in the school despite your current waitlist or deferral status.
Current students interested in proving they are still interested in gaining acceptance at an institution should write a formal letter to their designated admissions officer. The letter should stress that the school you are writing to is your first choice and dream college. By indicating that the school is your top choice, colleges are more likely to pay attention to your application. After all, they want to accept high school students they believe will ultimately enroll in their institution.
You also want to prove you are continuously improving yourself to be the best version of yourself.
You can use letters of continued interest strategically to prove you are still interested in a school and bring attention once again to your original application. This may be factored into admissions committees’ decisions as they reevaluate your college application during regular decision. There are many things you can include in your LOCI to help convince the admissions committee that you deserve to gain acceptance at the university.
Here are some examples of additional information you can include in your letter of continued interest:
Improved GPA proves that you have not caught senioritis. In fact, you have done the opposite! You are continuing to strive for greatness in high school, improve test scores, and learn more before heading off to college.
Publications and awards are a great way to highlight your unique and exceptional qualifications. New achievements highlight your dedication to your interests even after the application process.
If you choose to highlight a leadership position, be sure to explain your accomplishments. For example, it isn’t enough to say you are now the President of the Science Club. You should explain what work you’ve done to improve the organization.
Since your decision, I became the President of the Science Club, where I spearheaded a recycling project on our school’s campus. The initiative collects nearly 100 soda cans a week.
Some colleges and universities ask students to perform certain tasks before gaining acceptance. One of the most common waitlist stipulations is achieving a higher test score. Once you have the ACT scores or SAT scores they require, be sure to send them in as soon as you can along with an additional letter of continued interest. Notify the college that you achieved the scores necessary and are still interested in attending the school.
Your letter should focus on the new strengths you bring to the table as well as your continued interest in the school. In other words, do not include information the school knows. Include new information that makes you look more competitive.
Mentioning other choice schools does not make you look more competitive. Instead, it may come off as if you are bragging or underscoring the fact that you have options. Mentioning other schools can actually work against you as the college may believe you will ultimately choose to enroll at another university. Instead, focus on why the school you are writing to is most important to you.
Begin with “Dear [the name of the college admissions officer you are writing to]”. Try to avoid cliches such as “to whom it may concern” Then, say thank you for the consideration in the form of a waitlist or deferral. Explain that you are still interested and that this school is your first choice. After that, highlight one of the above bullet points to prove you are improving yourself and your profile to be a more competitive applicant in the regular decision pool. Be sure to be respectful and thankful of the admissions officers’ time.
Send your letter of continued interest to the person who sent you your deferral or waitlist. If there was no name on the letter, try looking for the admissions office email on the school’s website.
While sometimes used interchangeably, deferrals and waitlists are different. Deferrals mean they are choosing to make a decision about your application status at a later date. If you apply early action or early decision, you will most likely be deferred to the regular decision pool. A deferral may also mean the college wants more information to consider you. This may mean grades from the spring semester of your senior year or additional test scores.
The waitlist means the admissions committee read your application and is still unsure of your application. There is no guarantee that waitlisted students will gain admission to the college or university. You should do some research on the school to learn more about your chances of coming off of the waitlist. Some schools often pull from the waitlist while others seldom choose students on the waitlist. An informed decision will help you make the best decision about how to move forward.
It is better to focus your energy on your top choice university than trying to send a LOCI to many different institutions. It may complicate your process if you send multiple LOCIs and every school accepts you. Try to be strategic when sending these types of letters.
Dear Dr. Smith,
My name is Alyssa Rodriguez and I applied Early Action to Prepory University on November 1st, 2021. Firstly, I would like to thank you for your time in reviewing my application. Although I am currently deferred, I would like to formally declare my continued interest in Prepory University. I know that the PU is an excellent fit for me.
Although I have received other acceptances, Prepory University is my dream college. As I mentioned in my application, no other school has a Journalism major with a concentration in Reporting in Applied Science. I recently read a report by Dr. Tao about the data visualizations in journalism and was reminded why this school perfectly embodies all of my interests.
Since I submitted my application in November, I raised my GPA from a 3.66 to a 3.84 in a single semester by earning As in my AP Statistics, AP Literature, and Newspaper Publishing classes. I hope to finish my senior year with a strong GPA and even stronger AP exam scores.
In addition to improved academics, I also published my third op-ed article in the San Diego Chronicle. Titled “Misunderstood, Misguided, & Misused,” the article focused on the misinformation campaigns caused by poor journalism and misinterpretation of data. I am excited to share the article has over 1,500 views this month alone and over 25 shares via social media. I have linked the article to my email if you would like to read it.
I have also expanded my leadership skills by heading a new section of our school newspaper. The new section will be focused on new discoveries in the science field. I am tasked with pitching story ideas, overseeing the section layout, and editing stories. My editing skills and interpersonal skills have significantly improved since assuming this role. I am confident these new personal and academic developments will make me an even better fit at Prepory University.
I hope this letter reaffirms my interest in becoming Prepory University student. I am happy to provide more information to help prove my interest and qualifications in PU. If there is any other information I can provide, please let me know. I hope to hear from the admissions committee soon.
Best,
Alyssa Rodriguez
Your letter should be no longer than one page. Admissions officers are busy and may not take too kindly to long-winded letters. Try to stick to the point as much as possible.
In some cases, deferrals may mean you have to meet a few requirements before your official acceptance. In this case, you know exactly what you need to do to be accepted. If this is not the case, neither decision is better or worse. Both mean you have an opportunity to attend the school, but the admissions committee needs more time. The best thing you can do is put your best foot forward!
