The 20 best colleges in America that accept the fewest students

Cornell University students

With over 20 million students expected to attend college in 2016, it's no wonder admittance to some of the nation's top schools is getting even more difficult.

Business Insider recently published its list of the 50 best colleges in America. Our methodology didn't give significant weight to selectivity — we instead focused more on graduation rates, early-career earnings, and quality student life experience — but a number of highly selective schools made it on the list.

To determine the toughest schools to get into, Business Insider sorted the colleges on our top 50 list by their acceptance rates — gathered from the US government's College Scorecard — using their overall rank as a tie-breaker.

Read on to find out the 20 top colleges that are the hardest to get into.

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20. Bowdoin College

Location: Brunswick, Maine

Acceptance rate: 15%

Median salary 10 years after enrolling:$54,800

Average SAT score: 1423

Student life score: A+

At Bowdoin College, the second-ranked liberal-arts school on our list, first-year students can choose from 35 first-year seminars and are required to take a course in each of five general subject areas. As for postgraduation, Bowdoin's 1,500-member alumni Career Advisory Network helps prepare students for their future careers.

19. Rice University

Location: Houston

Acceptance rate: 15%

Median salary 10 years after enrolling: $59,900

Average SAT score: 1454

Student life score: A+

Rice University is home to pioneering applied sciences programs, including nationally recognized nanotechnology and biomedical engineering departments. The only Texas college on our list was founded in 1912 and is the youngest of the 10 best colleges.