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 |
|---|---|
|
Southwestern College
Winfield, Kansas |
76% |
|
Maine College of Art & Design
Portland, Maine |
76% |
|
Emmanuel College
Boston, Massachusetts |
76% |
|
Pace University
New York, New York |
76% |
|
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, North Carolina |
76% |
|
Ashland University
Ashland, Ohio |
76% |
|
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, Ohio |
76% |
|
Malone University
Canton, Ohio |
76% |
|
Albright College
Reading, Pennsylvania |
76% |
|
La Roche University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
76% |
|
Rosemont College
Rosemont, Pennsylvania |
76% |
|
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, Virginia |
76% |
|
Edgewood College
Madison, Wisconsin |
76% |
|
Family of Faith Christian University
Shawnee, Oklahoma |
76% |
|
Spring Hill College
Mobile, Alabama |
77% |
|
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott
Prescott, Arizona |
77% |
|
Southern California Institute of Architecture
Los Angeles, California |
77% |
|
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California |
77% |
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.