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 |
|---|---|
|
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
77% |
|
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon |
77% |
|
DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania |
77% |
|
Saint Francis University
Loretto, Pennsylvania |
77% |
|
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia |
77% |
|
Seattle University
Seattle, Washington |
77% |
|
Patrick Henry College
Purcellville, Virginia |
77% |
|
University of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama |
78% |
|
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado |
78% |
|
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, Florida |
78% |
|
Truett McConnell University
Cleveland, Georgia |
78% |
|
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois |
78% |
|
University of Evansville
Evansville, Indiana |
78% |
|
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa |
78% |
|
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland |
78% |
|
Hood College
Frederick, Maryland |
78% |
|
McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland |
78% |
|
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan |
78% |
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.