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 |
|---|---|
|
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia |
62% |
|
Cornish College of the Arts
Seattle, Washington |
62% |
|
University of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia |
62% |
|
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
62% |
|
Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas |
63% |
|
Central Baptist College
Conway, Arkansas |
63% |
|
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California |
63% |
|
Young Harris College
Young Harris, Georgia |
63% |
|
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois |
63% |
|
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois |
63% |
|
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana |
63% |
|
Asbury University
Wilmore, Kentucky |
63% |
|
Union Commonwealth University
Barbourville, Kentucky |
63% |
|
Madonna University
Livonia, Michigan |
63% |
|
Concordia College at Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota |
63% |
|
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, New York |
63% |
|
The New School
New York, New York |
63% |
|
New York School of Interior Design
New York, New York |
63% |
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.