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 |
|---|---|
|
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York |
21% |
|
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota |
20% |
|
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida |
19% |
|
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky |
19% |
|
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York |
19% |
|
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island |
19% |
|
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
18% |
|
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts |
18% |
|
Northeastern University Oakland
Oakland, California |
17% |
|
Babson College
Wellesley, Massachusetts |
17% |
|
Denison University
Granville, Ohio |
17% |
|
Wesleyan University
Middletown, Connecticut |
16% |
|
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
16% |
|
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa |
15% |
|
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana |
14% |
|
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts |
14% |
|
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York |
14% |
|
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York |
14% |
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.