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 |
|---|---|
|
Goldey Beacom College
Wilmington, Delaware |
85% |
|
Edward Waters University
Jacksonville, Florida |
85% |
|
Florida Memorial University
Miami Gardens, Florida |
85% |
|
Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois |
85% |
|
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois |
85% |
|
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana |
85% |
|
Trine University
Angola, Indiana |
85% |
|
Bay Path University
Longmeadow, Massachusetts |
85% |
|
MCPHS University
Boston, Massachusetts |
85% |
|
College of Our Lady of the Elms
Chicopee, Massachusetts |
85% |
|
University of St Thomas
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
85% |
|
University of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, New York |
85% |
|
Lenoir Rhyne University
Hickory, North Carolina |
85% |
|
Otterbein University
Westerville, Ohio |
85% |
|
Linfield University
McMinnville, Oregon |
85% |
|
Keystone College
La Plume, Pennsylvania |
85% |
|
Kairos University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
85% |
|
Saint Michael's College
Colchester, Vermont |
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.