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
72%

Kew Gardens, New York

72%

Springfield, Ohio

72%

Grove City, Pennsylvania

72%

Allentown, Pennsylvania

72%

Greenville, Pennsylvania

72%

Greeneville, Tennessee

72%

Tacoma, Washington

72%

Watertown, Wisconsin

72%

La Crosse, Wisconsin

72%

Milligan, Tennessee

72%

Montgomery, Alabama

73%

Los Angeles, California

73%

Boca Raton, Florida

73%

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

73%

Richmond, Indiana

73%

Adrian, Michigan

73%

Hannibal, Missouri

73%

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.