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 |
|---|---|
|
Northwest Nazarene University
Nampa, Idaho |
65% |
|
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois |
65% |
|
Tabor College
Hillsboro, Kansas |
65% |
|
Northwood University
Midland, Michigan |
65% |
|
Cedarville University
Cedarville, Ohio |
65% |
|
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio |
65% |
|
Bryant University
Smithfield, Rhode Island |
65% |
|
Claflin University
Orangeburg, South Carolina |
65% |
|
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee |
65% |
|
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, Tennessee |
65% |
|
Concordia University Irvine
Irvine, California |
66% |
|
Toccoa Falls College
Toccoa Falls, Georgia |
66% |
|
University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana |
66% |
|
Ner Israel Rabbinical College
Baltimore, Maryland |
66% |
|
Stonehill College
Easton, Massachusetts |
66% |
|
Midland University
Fremont, Nebraska |
66% |
|
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York |
66% |
|
St. John Fisher University
Rochester, New York |
66% |
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.