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

Wilmington, Delaware

85%

Jacksonville, Florida

85%

Miami Gardens, Florida

85%

Eureka, Illinois

85%

Palos Heights, Illinois

85%

Indianapolis, Indiana

85%

Angola, Indiana

85%

Longmeadow, Massachusetts

85%

Boston, Massachusetts

85%

Chicopee, Massachusetts

85%

Saint Paul, Minnesota

85%
85%

Hickory, North Carolina

85%

Westerville, Ohio

85%

McMinnville, Oregon

85%

La Plume, Pennsylvania

85%

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

85%

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.