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.

List of United States Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Lakewood, New Jersey

100%

San Dimas, California

100%

Temecula, California

100%

Dallas, Texas

100%

Fullerton, California

100%

Memphis, Tennessee

100%

Conroe, Texas

100%

Orlando, Florida

100%

Minneapolis, Minnesota

100%

Canal Winchester, Ohio

100%

Claremont, California

100%

Pasadena, California

100%

Santa Fe Springs, California

100%

Gardena, California

100%

Lawrenceville, Georgia

100%

San Diego, California

100%

Hot Springs, Arkansas

100%

Brookings, South Dakota

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.