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 |
|---|---|
|
Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa |
68% |
|
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary
Ankeny, Iowa |
68% |
|
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, Massachusetts |
68% |
|
Cleary University
Howell, Michigan |
68% |
|
Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, Missouri |
68% |
|
Drew University
Madison, New Jersey |
68% |
|
Daemen University
Amherst, New York |
68% |
|
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York |
68% |
|
Keuka College
Keuka Park, New York |
68% |
|
Mars Hill University
Mars Hill, North Carolina |
68% |
|
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, Ohio |
68% |
|
Salve Regina University
Newport, Rhode Island |
68% |
|
Converse University
Spartanburg, South Carolina |
68% |
|
Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina |
68% |
|
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
68% |
|
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee |
68% |
|
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah |
68% |
|
Hollins University
Roanoke, Virginia |
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.