A better way to say "enrolled in a program" to signify the difficulty of attaining admission in the face of stiff competition?

I’m trying to write a personal statement in which I’ve to account for my past educational experiences. One of my courses is from a prestigious institute in my country, where its difficult to attain admission for that particular program.

How do I say so, without mentioning that in explicitly (As space is a requirement, and also I don’t want to look too smug – after all, the institutes I’m applying to are leaders in their fields, and might view it as arrogant of me) ? If I say “enrolled in the program”, it may mean I simply paid the tuition fees, which is incorrect (all the students receive full scholarship by default if they pass the multiple rounds of exams, making it a much difficult feat to secure entry)….