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 |
|---|---|
|
Tusculum University
Greeneville, Tennessee |
72% |
|
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington |
72% |
|
Maranatha Baptist University
Watertown, Wisconsin |
72% |
|
Viterbo University
La Crosse, Wisconsin |
72% |
|
Milligan University
Milligan, Tennessee |
72% |
|
Arizona Christian University
Glendale, Arizona |
71% |
|
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas |
71% |
|
University of La Verne
La Verne, California |
71% |
|
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California |
71% |
|
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois |
71% |
|
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois |
71% |
|
Manchester University
North Manchester, Indiana |
71% |
|
Morningside University
Sioux City, Iowa |
71% |
|
Endicott College
Beverly, Massachusetts |
71% |
|
Fisher College
Boston, Massachusetts |
71% |
|
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, Michigan |
71% |
|
William Woods University
Fulton, Missouri |
71% |
|
Carroll College
Helena, Montana |
71% |
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.