United States Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 1198 private colleges in the United States with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. California Institute of Technology leads the list by accepting 3% 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.

List of United States Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Providence, Rhode Island

51%

Waco, Texas

51%

San Antonio, Texas

51%

San Diego, California

52%

Oskaloosa, Iowa

52%

Spring Arbor, Michigan

52%

York, Nebraska

52%

Annandale-On-Hudson, New York

52%

Spartanburg, South Carolina

52%

Lakeland, Florida

53%

Jacksonville, Florida

53%
53%
53%

Troy, New York

53%

Irving, Texas

53%

Santa Fe, New Mexico

53%

Fayetteville, North Carolina

53%

Danville, Kentucky

54%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.