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 |
|---|---|
|
Hampden Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney, Virginia |
41% |
|
Saint Joseph's University Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
41% |
|
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, Florida |
41% |
|
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary
El Dorado Hills, California |
41% |
|
The University of Tampa
Tampa, Florida |
40% |
|
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts |
40% |
|
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts |
40% |
|
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York |
40% |
|
Paul Quinn College
Dallas, Texas |
40% |
|
Trine University Regional/Non Traditional Campuses
Angola, Indiana |
40% |
|
Carolina University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
40% |
|
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, California |
39% |
|
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois |
39% |
|
Methodist College
Peoria, Illinois |
39% |
|
Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota |
39% |
|
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
39% |
|
Huston Tillotson University
Austin, Texas |
39% |
|
Scripps College
Claremont, California |
38% |
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.