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 |
|---|---|
|
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee |
50% |
|
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, Alabama |
49% |
|
The College of Idaho
Caldwell, Idaho |
49% |
|
Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi |
49% |
|
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
New York, New York |
49% |
|
Oklahoma Baptist University
Shawnee, Oklahoma |
49% |
|
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California |
48% |
|
Rollins College
Winter Park, Florida |
48% |
|
Judson University
Elgin, Illinois |
48% |
|
Sterling College
Sterling, Kansas |
48% |
|
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
48% |
|
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota |
48% |
|
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey |
48% |
|
Defiance College
Defiance, Ohio |
48% |
|
Austin College
Sherman, Texas |
48% |
|
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California |
47% |
|
George Washington University
Washington, District Of Columbia |
47% |
|
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, Ohio |
47% |
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.