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 |
|---|---|
|
Wiley University
Marshall, Texas |
100% |
|
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, Virginia |
100% |
|
Centra College
Lynchburg, Virginia |
100% |
|
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia |
100% |
|
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
Richmond, Virginia |
100% |
|
Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College
Wendell, North Carolina |
100% |
|
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia |
100% |
|
City University of Seattle
Seattle, Washington |
100% |
|
Heritage University
Toppenish, Washington |
100% |
|
Bastyr University
Kenmore, Washington |
100% |
|
Walla Walla University
College Place, Washington |
100% |
|
Parker University
Dallas, Texas |
100% |
|
City College Hollywood
Hollywood, Florida |
100% |
|
Antioch University Los Angeles
Culver City, California |
100% |
|
Antioch University Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California |
100% |
|
Antioch University Seattle
Seattle, Washington |
100% |
|
Antioch University
Yellow Springs, Ohio |
100% |
|
Ecumenical Theological Seminary
Detroit, Michigan |
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.