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

Cambridge, Massachusetts

97%

Hamburg, New York

97%

Buffalo, New York

97%
97%

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

97%

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

97%

Gaffney, South Carolina

97%

Green Bay, Wisconsin

97%

Miami Gardens, Florida

98%

Mishawaka, Indiana

98%

Atchison, Kansas

98%

Grand Rapids, Michigan

98%

Rochester Hills, Michigan

98%

Crete, Nebraska

98%

Flushing, New York

98%
98%

San Antonio, Texas

98%

Richmond, Virginia

98%

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.