New York Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 119 private colleges in New York with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Columbia University in the City of New York leads the list by accepting 4% 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 New York Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College	Acceptance Rate
University of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx, New York	85%
Long Island University Brookville, New York	86%
Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, New York	86%
Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz Brooklyn, New York	87%
Iona University New Rochelle, New York	87%
Manhattanville University Purchase, New York	87%
Niagara University Niagara University, New York	87%
Villa Maria College Buffalo, New York	87%
Wagner College Staten Island, New York	88%
Yeshiva Derech Chaim Brooklyn, New York	88%
Houghton University Houghton, New York	89%
Mirrer Yeshiva Cent Institute Brooklyn, New York	89%
Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, New York	89%
Beth Hamedrash Shaarei Yosher Institute Brooklyn, New York	90%
Metropolitan College of New York New York, New York	90%
Yeshivas Novominsk Brooklyn, New York	90%
Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, New York	91%
Rabbinical Seminary Mkor Chaim Lakewood, New York	91%

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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.