Why is it considered harder to get onto the Forbes 30 Under 30 list than to get into Stanford or Harvard?

The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is considered harder to get onto than getting into Stanford or Harvard due to its extremely low acceptance rate. The list recognizes 600 individuals across 20 different industries each year. With around 20,000 nominations per year in the US alone, there are about 30 applications for every spot, leading to a 2 to 3% acceptance rate. This rate is even lower than the acceptance rates of prestigious universities like Stanford or Harvard.

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This list was eventually expanded to recognize a total of 600 people per year, with 30 individuals selected across 20 different industries. After running the 30 Under 30 program for ten years, Forbes has said there have been 100,000 nominees, with 20,000 nominations per year in the US alone. With 600 spots available per year, there are about 30 applications for every spot, equivalent to a 2 to 3% acceptance rate (source). Forbes says it's harder to get onto the Under 30 list than to get into Stanford or Harvard. (source)

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