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

Portland, Oregon

71%

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

71%

Dallas, Pennsylvania

71%

Chester, Pennsylvania

71%

Cleveland, Tennessee

71%

Hamden, Connecticut

72%

DeLand, Florida

72%

Lebanon, Illinois

72%

Saint Mary of the Woods, Indiana

72%

Dubuque, Iowa

72%

Decorah, Iowa

72%
72%

Owensboro, Kentucky

72%

Springfield, Massachusetts

72%

Kansas City, Missouri

72%

Springfield, Missouri

72%

Hastings, Nebraska

72%

Buffalo, New York

72%

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.