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 |
|---|---|
|
Saint Augustine's University
Raleigh, North Carolina |
34% |
|
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio |
34% |
|
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio |
34% |
|
Hope International University
Fullerton, California |
33% |
|
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut |
33% |
|
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California |
32% |
|
Conception Seminary College
Conception, Missouri |
32% |
|
San Diego Christian College
Santee, California |
31% |
|
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio |
31% |
|
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania |
31% |
|
Yeshivath Zichron Moshe
South Fallsburg, New York |
30% |
|
Trinity College
Hartford, Connecticut |
29% |
|
Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
29% |
|
Mississippi College
Clinton, Mississippi |
29% |
|
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania |
29% |
|
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania |
29% |
|
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary
Jacksonville, Texas |
29% |
|
Franklin and Marshall College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
28% |
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.