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

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

77%

Salem, Oregon

77%

Center Valley, Pennsylvania

77%

Loretto, Pennsylvania

77%

Winchester, Virginia

77%

Seattle, Washington

77%

Purcellville, Virginia

77%

Mobile, Alabama

78%

Denver, Colorado

78%

Saint Leo, Florida

78%

Cleveland, Georgia

78%

Jacksonville, Illinois

78%

Evansville, Indiana

78%

Storm Lake, Iowa

78%

Baltimore, Maryland

78%

Frederick, Maryland

78%

Westminster, Maryland

78%

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.