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 |
|---|---|
|
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama |
82% |
|
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California |
82% |
|
Woodbury University
Burbank, California |
82% |
|
Palm Beach Atlantic University
West Palm Beach, Florida |
82% |
|
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois |
82% |
|
Grace College and Theological Seminary
Winona Lake, Indiana |
82% |
|
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, Maryland |
82% |
|
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts |
82% |
|
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Michigan |
82% |
|
Baker College
Owosso, Michigan |
82% |
|
Augsburg University
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
82% |
|
Molloy University
Rockville Centre, New York |
82% |
|
St Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, New York |
82% |
|
Muskingum University
New Concord, Ohio |
82% |
|
Mount Aloysius College
Cresson, Pennsylvania |
82% |
|
Baptist Health Sciences University
Memphis, Tennessee |
82% |
|
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington |
82% |
|
Whittier College
Whittier, California |
81% |
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.