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 |
|---|---|
|
Southeastern Baptist College
Laurel, Mississippi |
100% |
|
Mission University
Springfield, Missouri |
100% |
|
Cox College
Springfield, Missouri |
100% |
|
Central Christian College of the Bible
Moberly, Missouri |
100% |
|
Columbia College
Columbia, Missouri |
100% |
|
Fontbonne University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
100% |
|
Kenrick Glennon Seminary
Saint Louis, Missouri |
100% |
|
Park University
Parkville, Missouri |
100% |
|
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis, Missouri |
100% |
|
Salish Kootenai College
Pablo, Montana |
100% |
|
Bellevue University
Bellevue, Nebraska |
100% |
|
Union Adventist University
Lincoln, Nebraska |
100% |
|
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire |
100% |
|
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Merrimack, New Hampshire |
100% |
|
Felician University
Lodi, New Jersey |
100% |
|
University of the Southwest
Hobbs, New Mexico |
100% |
|
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Flushing, New York |
100% |
|
Boricua College
New York, New York |
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.