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 |
|---|---|
|
Lourdes University
Sylvania, Ohio |
74% |
|
Ohio Northern University
Ada, Ohio |
74% |
|
Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
74% |
|
Gannon University
Erie, Pennsylvania |
74% |
|
Lycoming College
Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
74% |
|
York College of Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania |
74% |
|
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont |
74% |
|
Ecclesia College
Springdale, Arkansas |
74% |
|
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California |
75% |
|
Holy Cross College
Notre Dame, Indiana |
75% |
|
Alice Lloyd College
Pippa Passes, Kentucky |
75% |
|
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland |
75% |
|
Hampshire College
Amherst, Massachusetts |
75% |
|
University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, Michigan |
75% |
|
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan |
75% |
|
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
75% |
|
Nazareth University
Rochester, New York |
75% |
|
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, North Carolina |
75% |
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.