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 |
|---|---|
|
Epic Bible College & Graduate School
Sacramento, California |
100% |
|
Colorado Christian University
Lakewood, Colorado |
100% |
|
Naropa University
Boulder, Colorado |
100% |
|
Nazarene Bible College
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
100% |
|
Goodwin University
East Hartford, Connecticut |
100% |
|
Holy Apostles College and Seminary
Cromwell, Connecticut |
100% |
|
Wilmington University
New Castle, Delaware |
100% |
|
Trinity Washington University
Washington, District Of Columbia |
100% |
|
AdventHealth University
Orlando, Florida |
100% |
|
Hobe Sound Bible College
Hobe Sound, Florida |
100% |
|
Talmudic College of Florida
Miami Beach, Florida |
100% |
|
Beulah Heights University
Atlanta, Georgia |
100% |
|
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois |
100% |
|
American Islamic College
Chicago, Illinois |
100% |
|
East West University
Chicago, Illinois |
100% |
|
Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Rock Island, Illinois |
100% |
|
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois |
100% |
|
Rush University
Chicago, Illinois |
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.