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.
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.