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

Wellesley, Massachusetts

17%

Granville, Ohio

17%

Colorado Springs, Colorado

18%

Worcester, Massachusetts

18%

Coral Gables, Florida

19%

Berea, Kentucky

19%

Poughkeepsie, New York

19%

Providence, Rhode Island

19%

Northfield, Minnesota

20%

Northampton, Massachusetts

21%

Hillsdale, Michigan

21%
21%

Saratoga Springs, New York

21%

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

22%

Dallas, Texas

22%

University of Richmond, Virginia

22%

Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota

23%

Concord, North Carolina

23%

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.