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.
| College | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|
|
Averett University
Danville, Virginia |
57% |
|
Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary
Los Angeles, California |
58% |
|
Gallaudet University
Washington, District Of Columbia |
58% |
|
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida |
58% |
|
Drury University
Springfield, Missouri |
58% |
|
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio |
58% |
|
Randall University
Moore, Oklahoma |
58% |
|
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania |
58% |
|
East Texas Baptist University
Marshall, Texas |
58% |
|
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
Daytona Beach, Florida |
58% |
|
Bais Medrash Toras Chesed
Lakewood, New Jersey |
58% |
|
Albertus Magnus College
New Haven, Connecticut |
59% |
|
Wesleyan College
Macon, Georgia |
59% |
|
Fordham University
Bronx, New York |
59% |
|
Livingstone College
Salisbury, North Carolina |
59% |
|
Mount St. Joseph University
Cincinnati, Ohio |
59% |
|
Bluefield University
Bluefield, Virginia |
59% |
|
Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia |
59% |
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.