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 |
|---|---|
|
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina |
66% |
|
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, Oklahoma |
66% |
|
Abilene Christian University
Abilene, Texas |
66% |
|
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois |
67% |
|
Bryan College of Health Sciences
Lincoln, Nebraska |
67% |
|
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, New York |
67% |
|
Bluffton University
Bluffton, Ohio |
67% |
|
Bushnell University
Eugene, Oregon |
67% |
|
New England Institute of Technology
East Greenwich, Rhode Island |
67% |
|
North Greenville University
Tigerville, South Carolina |
67% |
|
Cumberland University
Lebanon, Tennessee |
67% |
|
Howard Payne University
Brownwood, Texas |
67% |
|
Westminster University
Salt Lake City, Utah |
67% |
|
Sterling College
Craftsbury Common, Vermont |
67% |
|
Carroll University
Waukesha, Wisconsin |
67% |
|
California Jazz Conservatory
Berkeley, California |
67% |
|
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas |
68% |
|
Menlo College
Atherton, California |
68% |
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.