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 |
|---|---|
|
St. Joseph's University New York
Brooklyn, New York |
72% |
|
Yeshivath Shaar Hatorah
Kew Gardens, New York |
72% |
|
Wittenberg University
Springfield, Ohio |
72% |
|
Grove City College
Grove City, Pennsylvania |
72% |
|
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania |
72% |
|
Thiel College
Greenville, Pennsylvania |
72% |
|
Tusculum University
Greeneville, Tennessee |
72% |
|
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington |
72% |
|
Maranatha Baptist University
Watertown, Wisconsin |
72% |
|
Viterbo University
La Crosse, Wisconsin |
72% |
|
Milligan University
Milligan, Tennessee |
72% |
|
Faulkner University
Montgomery, Alabama |
73% |
|
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California |
73% |
|
Lynn University
Boca Raton, Florida |
73% |
|
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
73% |
|
Earlham College
Richmond, Indiana |
73% |
|
Adrian College
Adrian, Michigan |
73% |
|
Hannibal LaGrange University
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.