North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 46 private colleges in North Carolina with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Duke University leads the list by accepting 6% 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 North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College	Acceptance Rate
Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, North Carolina	71%
Meredith College Raleigh, North Carolina	74%
Belmont Abbey College Belmont, North Carolina	75%
Catawba College Salisbury, North Carolina	75%
High Point University High Point, North Carolina	75%
Methodist University Fayetteville, North Carolina	75%
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina	75%
University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, North Carolina	76%
Gardner Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina	77%
Lees McRae College Banner Elk, North Carolina	77%
Salem College Winston-Salem, North Carolina	77%
Guilford College Greensboro, North Carolina	80%
North Carolina Wesleyan University Rocky Mount, North Carolina	80%
Shaw University Raleigh, North Carolina	80%
Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina	80%
Lenoir Rhyne University Hickory, North Carolina	85%
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina	87%
Wingate University Wingate, North Carolina	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.