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 |
|---|---|
|
Huntingdon College
Montgomery, Alabama |
69% |
|
Webber International University
Babson Park, Florida |
69% |
|
Mercer University
Macon, Georgia |
69% |
|
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois |
69% |
|
Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana |
69% |
|
Gordon College
Wenham, Massachusetts |
69% |
|
Concordia University Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan |
69% |
|
Kuyper College
Grand Rapids, Michigan |
69% |
|
Siena Heights University
Adrian, Michigan |
69% |
|
Cleveland University Kansas City
Overland Park, Kansas |
69% |
|
Cottey College
Nevada, Missouri |
69% |
|
Missouri Baptist University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
69% |
|
Missouri Valley College
Marshall, Missouri |
69% |
|
Ithaca College
Ithaca, New York |
69% |
|
Siena College
Loudonville, New York |
69% |
|
Chowan University
Murfreesboro, North Carolina |
69% |
|
Montreat College
Montreat, North Carolina |
69% |
|
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Athens, Tennessee |
69% |
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.