Ivy League universities explained
What is the Ivy League?
The Ivy League is a group of 8 Universities in the United States of America that was formed in 1945 after an agreement between the eight university presidents regarding the operations of each university’s American football team.
This agreement between the eight Ivy League members was later expanded in 1954 to include all sports. As the sporting and academic achievements of the Ivy League grew, the members began to be recognised as the top-ranked universities in the north-eastern region of the USA.
The Ivy League universities generally represent the highest standards of academic excellence and provide great career prospects for international students. But they are not the only top-ranked universities in the US, and it is important to choose the ideal top-ranked university for you as an international student.
Ivy League universities
The Ivy League comprises seven large-scale universities offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs, and one college which offers undergraduate programs only. The list of Ivy League members is as follows:
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
Columbia University is an urban university located in New York City, and Yale University is only about an hour away from New York City in the nearby state of Connecticut.
Princeton University is about 1.5 Hours away in New Jersey state, while the University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia which is two hours away from New York.
Cornell University is in the north-west region of New York state, and is a 4 hour-drive from the city. Brown University is also a short drive away from New York City in Providence, Rhode Island.
Finally, Harvard University is located in the popular city of Boston in Massachusetts, while Dartmouth College is nearly five hours away from New York City and is a two-hour drive from Boston in Hanover, New Hampshire state.
Admissions to Ivy League universities
It is highly unlikely that there will ever be new Ivy League members; each of the current members are founding members. Even today, the eight Ivy League members share many similar policies towards important aspects of their admissions and education programs.
For example, no Ivy League member grants athletic scholarships. Only academic scholarships are offered by each member to domestic and international students.
Over the years, the Ivy League members have begun to have different policies for international students as well. This is seen in the issue of need-blind admissions, a program in which applicants including international students are either admitted or rejected based on only the qualities of their application and not on the amount of scholarship requested.
If admitted as a domestic or international student, you are guaranteed the full scholarship that has been requested.
Of the Ivy League members, only Harvard, Yale and Princeton University offer need-blind admissions for all applicants, including international students. At all of the other Ivy League universities, your scholarship request is not guaranteed to be fulfilled even if you are granted admission, so this is something to keep in mind when you are planning your applications.
Ivy League Universities by ranking
| University | QS World University Rankings 2026 | THE World University Rankings 2025 |
| Harvard University | 5 | 3 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 15 | =14 |
| Cornell University | 16 | 20 |
| Yale University | 21 | 10 |
| Princeton University | =25 | 4 |
| Columbia University | =38 | =18 |
| Brown University | 69 | =58 |
| Dartmouth College | =247 | =168 |
As the chart shows, 7 of the 8 Ivy League member universities are ranked in the top 70 worldwide on both QS and Times Higher Education (THE) Global Rankings. But where the THE World Rankings have 3 Ivy League member universities in the top 10, the QS world Rankings only feature Harvard University in the top 10.
It is important to note that in addition to the 8 Ivy League members, the United States offers many more top-ranked universities for international students. These include high-quality specialised institutes such as:
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GeorgiaTech)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
There are also plenty of top-ranked universities on the American West Coast. For example, Stanford University in North California regularly features in most top 10 worldwide rankings for universities, while the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is widely recognised as the United States’ best public university for international students.
You should research top-ranked universities outside the Ivy League as well, in order to ensure that you have a complete understanding of American universities and which ones are right for you.
What are the Public Ivies?
In 1985, an admissions officer at Yale coined the term ‘public ivies’ to describe eight public institutions offering high-quality education and career prospects. However, unlike the privately-operated Ivy League members, the public ivies are far more affordable for domestic and international students because they are public universities, and funded by the American government.
The 8 original Public Ivies are:
- College of William & Mary
- Miami University
- University of California
- University of Michigan
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia
Today, over 30 American institutions are popularly referred to as Public Ivies. For international students considering scholarships, applications to at least one or more Public Ivies is a great addition to your list of preferred universities.
Is Ivy League the same as Russell Group?
The Russell Group is a group of 24 Universities in the United Kingdom with a shared focus on research and a reputation for academic achievement. Russell Group Universities include the original six red brick Universities including Oxford and Cambridge, which are usually seen as the top-ranking institutions in University league tables in the United Kingdom.
Unlike the American Ivy League member institutions, all members of the Russell Group are located in the United Kingdom. Just like Ivy League Universities in the United States, almost all of the leading Universities in UK rankings are Russell Group Universities.
There are also some comparisons to be drawn between the Ivy League and the Group of Eight, which is a group of eight universities located in Australia. The Go8 universities are all highly-ranked and are primarily research focused.
Russell Group vs Ivy League: Key Differences
| Ivy League | Russell Group | |
| Degree Structure (Undergraduate) | 4 Years | 3 Years (4 Years with year abroad) |
| Degree Structure (Post-Graduate) | Master’s: 2 Years PhD: 4 to 6 Years | Master’s: 1 or 2 Years PhD: 3 or 4 Years |
| Average Costs | $50,000 + Per Year for international students | £20,000 – 30,000 Per Year for international students |
| Application Components | Grades, Personal Essay, Supplemental Essay, 2+ Letters of Recommendation, SAT/ACT/GMAT/GRE Scores, Language Tests, Extracurricular Activities | Grades, Personal Statement, Language Test, Academic Reference, (Subject-related) Extracurricular activities |
| Interviews | Personal: assessment based on extracurriculars, goals, and candidate qualities | N/A* *With some exceptions for specific courses and Universities |
| Nature of Application Process | Holistic: Consider Interests inside and outside classroom | Academic: Grades and Subject-related motivations |
| Application Deadlines | November for Early Action/Decision, December-January for Regular Applications | January via UCAS |
Ivy League degree advantages: Will it boost my employment Prospects?
All Ivy League Universities offer world-class research and academic facilities for graduate study. Aside from Dartmouth College, international students can also enrol at each of the other member universities for high-quality postgraduate programs including PhDs, MAs and such with top-ranked professors and specialists teaching on campus every day.
Many international students who enrol at an Ivy League university for their undergraduate degree, especially in courses such as Biology or Medical Sciences which involve large-scale research, prefer to pursue their post-graduate programs at the same university due to their familiarity with their research lab members, faculty and the overall academic environment.
Your employment prospects as an international student in the USA will depend mostly on your cumulative grades, related work experience and interviews with the employer. But a degree from an Ivy League member university or college will give you an advantage in the eyes of many employers.
Additionally, every Ivy League member offers international students the chance to join ‘professional fraternities’. These are groups of like-minded students with common ambitions in specific fields, such as Law or Consulting.
By joining these groups and interacting with similarly-oriented students who are also searching for employment in the field you’re interested in, international students can expand their base of professional contacts in the field and multiply their chances of finding ideal career opportunities.
This is because many of the top executives at American firms today will likely be members of such professional fraternities during their own time in university.
Ivy League members represent a prestigious university group which ambitious international students with high-quality grades and extra-curricular activities should definitely apply to. Even though admission to an Ivy League member institution does not guarantee you employment in the US, it can provide international students with an edge over others.
It is essential to realise that for admission to an Ivy League member or a similarly-high quality institution such as Stanford University, you will be competing with tens of thousands of students worldwide.
But you need not worry as an international student; regardless of whether you are admitted to your desired university, there is always an exciting education and career path out there waiting for you!