United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate
Below is a ranking of the 1198 private colleges in the United States with the highest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Amridge University leads the list by accepting 100% of high school students that applied.
Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.
| College | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|
|
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Columbus, Ohio |
84% |
|
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon, Ohio |
84% |
|
Cedar Crest College
Allentown, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Houston Christian University
Houston, Texas |
84% |
|
Emory & Henry University
Emory, Virginia |
84% |
|
New Saint Andrews College
Moscow, Idaho |
84% |
|
Urshan University
Wentzville, Missouri |
84% |
|
Williams Baptist University
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas |
83% |
|
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, California |
83% |
|
University of Redlands
Redlands, California |
83% |
|
Thomas Aquinas College
Santa Paula, California |
83% |
|
University of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut |
83% |
|
The Catholic University of America
Washington, District Of Columbia |
83% |
|
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, Georgia |
83% |
|
Moody Bible Institute
Chicago, Illinois |
83% |
|
Oakland City University
Oakland City, Indiana |
83% |
This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026
Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.