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 |
|---|---|
|
John Paul the Great Catholic University
Escondido, California |
80% |
|
University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, Connecticut |
79% |
|
Anderson University
Anderson, Indiana |
79% |
|
MidAmerica Nazarene University
Olathe, Kansas |
79% |
|
Stevenson University
Owings Mills, Maryland |
79% |
|
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan |
79% |
|
Hope College
Holland, Michigan |
79% |
|
Concordia University Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
79% |
|
Westminster College
Fulton, Missouri |
79% |
|
Georgian Court University
Lakewood, New Jersey |
79% |
|
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
79% |
|
Manhattan University
Riverdale, New York |
79% |
|
Marietta College
Marietta, Ohio |
79% |
|
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
79% |
|
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania |
79% |
|
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
79% |
|
Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid
Far Rockaway, New York |
79% |
|
University of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama |
78% |
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.