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 |
|---|---|
|
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado |
78% |
|
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, Florida |
78% |
|
Truett McConnell University
Cleveland, Georgia |
78% |
|
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois |
78% |
|
University of Evansville
Evansville, Indiana |
78% |
|
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa |
78% |
|
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland |
78% |
|
Hood College
Frederick, Maryland |
78% |
|
McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland |
78% |
|
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan |
78% |
|
Clarkson College
Omaha, Nebraska |
78% |
|
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, New Hampshire |
78% |
|
University of Mount Union
Alliance, Ohio |
78% |
|
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon |
78% |
|
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania |
78% |
|
Southwestern Adventist University
Keene, Texas |
78% |
|
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington |
78% |
|
Appalachian Bible College
Mount Hope, West Virginia |
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.