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 |
|---|---|
|
St. Augustine College
Chicago, Illinois |
100% |
|
Telshe Yeshiva Chicago
Chicago, Illinois |
100% |
|
Trinity International University Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois |
100% |
|
Calumet College of Saint Joseph
Whiting, Indiana |
100% |
|
Martin University
Indianapolis, Indiana |
100% |
|
Mid America College of Funeral Service
Jeffersonville, Indiana |
100% |
|
Allen College
Waterloo, Iowa |
100% |
|
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa |
100% |
|
Divine Word College
Epworth, Iowa |
100% |
|
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa |
100% |
|
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, Iowa |
100% |
|
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Davenport, Iowa |
100% |
|
Donnelly College
Kansas City, Kansas |
100% |
|
Kansas Christian College
Overland Park, Kansas |
100% |
|
Manhattan Christian College
Manhattan, Kansas |
100% |
|
Clear Creek Baptist Bible College
Pineville, Kentucky |
100% |
|
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Jackson, Kentucky |
100% |
|
Lindsey Wilson College
Columbia, Kentucky |
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.