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 |
|---|---|
|
Bethune Cookman University
Daytona Beach, Florida |
88% |
|
Brenau University
Gainesville, Georgia |
88% |
|
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia |
88% |
|
Curry College
Milton, Massachusetts |
88% |
|
Bethel University
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
88% |
|
Hamline University
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
88% |
|
Avila University
Kansas City, Missouri |
88% |
|
Wagner College
Staten Island, New York |
88% |
|
Yeshiva Derech Chaim
Brooklyn, New York |
88% |
|
University of Jamestown
Jamestown, North Dakota |
88% |
|
Cairn University Langhorne
Langhorne, Pennsylvania |
88% |
|
Johnson & Wales University Providence
Providence, Rhode Island |
88% |
|
Roger Williams University
Bristol, Rhode Island |
88% |
|
Schreiner University
Kerrville, Texas |
88% |
|
Berkeley School of Theology
Berkeley, California |
89% |
|
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois |
89% |
|
VanderCook College of Music
Chicago, Illinois |
89% |
|
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion
Marion, Indiana |
89% |
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.