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 |
|---|---|
|
Visible Music College
Memphis, Tennessee |
28% |
|
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania |
27% |
|
Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
Ellendale, North Dakota |
26% |
|
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
26% |
|
Trinity University
San Antonio, Texas |
26% |
|
Pitzer College
Claremont, California |
25% |
|
Spelman College
Atlanta, Georgia |
25% |
|
Reed College
Portland, Oregon |
25% |
|
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, Massachusetts |
25% |
|
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
New York, New York |
24% |
|
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota |
23% |
|
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Concord, North Carolina |
23% |
|
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
22% |
|
Dallas Christian College
Dallas, Texas |
22% |
|
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia |
22% |
|
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts |
21% |
|
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale, Michigan |
21% |
|
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, New York |
21% |
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.