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

Sylvania, Ohio

74%
74%

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

74%

Erie, Pennsylvania

74%

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

74%

York, Pennsylvania

74%

Northfield, Vermont

74%

Springdale, Arkansas

74%

Pasadena, California

75%

Notre Dame, Indiana

75%

Pippa Passes, Kentucky

75%

Baltimore, Maryland

75%

Amherst, Massachusetts

75%

Detroit, Michigan

75%

Kalamazoo, Michigan

75%

Saint Louis, Missouri

75%

Rochester, New York

75%

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.