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 |
|---|---|
|
Simpson University
Redding, California |
86% |
|
Regis University
Denver, Colorado |
86% |
|
Hawaii Pacific University
Honolulu, Hawaii |
86% |
|
Central College
Pella, Iowa |
86% |
|
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa |
86% |
|
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky |
86% |
|
Webster University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
86% |
|
Concordia University Nebraska
Seward, Nebraska |
86% |
|
Long Island University
Brookville, New York |
86% |
|
Mercy University
Dobbs Ferry, New York |
86% |
|
Heidelberg University
Tiffin, Ohio |
86% |
|
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio |
86% |
|
Immaculata University
Immaculata, Pennsylvania |
86% |
|
Alverno College
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
86% |
|
Lakeland University
Plymouth, Wisconsin |
86% |
|
Saint Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin |
86% |
|
Yeshivas Be'er Yitzchok
Elizabeth, New Jersey |
86% |
|
Saint Mary's College of California
Moraga, California |
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.