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 |
|---|---|
|
Talmudical Seminary of Bobov
Brooklyn, New York |
98% |
|
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa |
99% |
|
University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, Kentucky |
99% |
|
Spalding University
Louisville, Kentucky |
99% |
|
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
99% |
|
Grace Christian University
Wyoming, Michigan |
99% |
|
North Central University
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
99% |
|
Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
99% |
|
Culver Stockton College
Canton, Missouri |
99% |
|
Oral Roberts University
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
99% |
|
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
99% |
|
Le Moyne Owen College
Memphis, Tennessee |
99% |
|
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia |
99% |
|
Amridge University
Montgomery, Alabama |
100% |
|
Miles College
Fairfield, Alabama |
100% |
|
Selma University
Selma, Alabama |
100% |
|
Alaska Bible College
Palmer, Alaska |
100% |
|
Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas |
100% |
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.