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

Redding, California

86%

Denver, Colorado

86%

Honolulu, Hawaii

86%

Pella, Iowa

86%

Indianola, Iowa

86%

Louisville, Kentucky

86%

Saint Louis, Missouri

86%
86%

Brookville, New York

86%

Dobbs Ferry, New York

86%

Tiffin, Ohio

86%

Cincinnati, Ohio

86%

Immaculata, Pennsylvania

86%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

86%

Plymouth, Wisconsin

86%

De Pere, Wisconsin

86%

Elizabeth, New Jersey

86%
87%

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.