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

Canton, New York

54%

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

54%

La Puente, California

55%

San Francisco, California

55%
55%

Wichita, Kansas

55%

Annapolis, Maryland

55%

Kansas City, Missouri

55%

Meadville, Pennsylvania

55%

Anderson, South Carolina

55%

Conway, Arkansas

56%

Bourbonnais, Illinois

56%

Lindsborg, Kansas

56%
56%

Shreveport, Louisiana

56%

Southfield, Michigan

56%
56%

Pottersville, New York

56%

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.