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

University Heights, Ohio

81%

Erie, Pennsylvania

81%

Aston, Pennsylvania

81%

Scranton, Pennsylvania

81%

Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

81%

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

81%

Washington, Pennsylvania

81%
81%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

81%

Boca Raton, Florida

81%

Bangor, Maine

81%

Birmingham, Alabama

82%

Los Angeles, California

82%

Burbank, California

82%

West Palm Beach, Florida

82%

Chicago, Illinois

82%
82%

Baltimore, Maryland

82%

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.