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 |
|---|---|
|
Caldwell University
Caldwell, New Jersey |
71% |
|
Saint Elizabeth University
Morristown, New Jersey |
71% |
|
Roberts Wesleyan University
Rochester, New York |
71% |
|
Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina |
71% |
|
Walsh University
North Canton, Ohio |
71% |
|
Warner Pacific University
Portland, Oregon |
71% |
|
Holy Family University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
71% |
|
Misericordia University
Dallas, Pennsylvania |
71% |
|
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania |
71% |
|
Lee University
Cleveland, Tennessee |
71% |
|
Florida College
Temple Terrace, Florida |
70% |
|
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, Florida |
70% |
|
Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana |
70% |
|
Indiana Institute of Technology
Fort Wayne, Indiana |
70% |
|
College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor, Maine |
70% |
|
Merrimack College
North Andover, Massachusetts |
70% |
|
Regis College
Weston, Massachusetts |
70% |
|
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts |
70% |
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.