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

Scranton, Pennsylvania

61%

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

61%

Maryville, Tennessee

61%
61%

Southlake, California

61%

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

62%

San Francisco, California

62%
62%

Washington, District Of Columbia

62%

Decatur, Georgia

62%

Lagrange, Georgia

62%

Waleska, Georgia

62%

Bronxville, New York

62%

Charlotte, North Carolina

62%

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

62%

Tulsa, Oklahoma

62%

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

62%

Latrobe, Pennsylvania

62%

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.