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

Seattle, Washington

83%

Santa Clarita, California

84%

San Diego, California

84%

Chicago, Illinois

84%

Goshen, Indiana

84%

Hanover, Indiana

84%
84%
84%
84%

Allentown, Pennsylvania

84%

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

84%

Annville, Pennsylvania

84%
84%

Emory, Virginia

84%
84%

Wentzville, Missouri

84%

Talladega, Alabama

85%

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.