<p>“That IS one way of defining “elite”, but it may be too restrictive a way.”</p>
<p>My local community college nursing program. Many Yale graduates who go to Harvard Medical School couldn’t get in (at least a couple of years ago) without repeating courses, 'cause their GPAs in required courses are too low.</p>
<p>Of course, most applicants to the University of Phoenix get in, and that one school dwarfs all Ivy admits combined. And the average undergraduate student in the U.S. is 24.8 years old (or was two years ago), and most didn’t even apply when they were 18. Most of the students in that 2.8% are in the liberal arts - a tiny fraction of American college students.</p>