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 |
|---|---|
|
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington |
83% |
|
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, California |
84% |
|
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California |
84% |
|
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois |
84% |
|
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana |
84% |
|
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana |
84% |
|
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, Maine |
84% |
|
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Columbus, Ohio |
84% |
|
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon, Ohio |
84% |
|
Cedar Crest College
Allentown, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, Pennsylvania |
84% |
|
Houston Christian University
Houston, Texas |
84% |
|
Emory & Henry University
Emory, Virginia |
84% |
|
New Saint Andrews College
Moscow, Idaho |
84% |
|
Urshan University
Wentzville, Missouri |
84% |
|
Talladega College
Talladega, Alabama |
85% |
|
California Baptist University
Riverside, California |
85% |
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.