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
63%

Due West, South Carolina

63%

Harrogate, Tennessee

63%
63%

Wheeling, West Virginia

63%

Beloit, Wisconsin

63%

Fresno, California

64%

Lakeland, Florida

64%

Atlanta, Georgia

64%

Mount Berry, Georgia

64%

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

64%

Des Moines, Iowa

64%

Chesterfield, Missouri

64%
64%

Appleton, Wisconsin

64%

Orange, California

65%

Fairfield, Connecticut

65%
65%

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.