Pennsylvania Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 82 private colleges in Pennsylvania with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Curtis Institute of Music leads the list by accepting 5% 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 Pennsylvania Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College	Acceptance Rate
Lebanon Valley College Annville, Pennsylvania	84%
Keystone College La Plume, Pennsylvania	85%
Immaculata University Immaculata, Pennsylvania	86%
Carlow University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	87%
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	87%
Cairn University Langhorne Langhorne, Pennsylvania	88%
Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	89%
Gwynedd Mercy University Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania	90%
Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania	90%
Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	90%
Waynesburg University Waynesburg, Pennsylvania	90%
Eastern University Saint Davids, Pennsylvania	91%
Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania	91%
Ursinus College Collegeville, Pennsylvania	92%
Wilson College Chambersburg, Pennsylvania	92%
Delaware Valley University Doylestown, Pennsylvania	93%
King's College Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania	93%
Westminster College New Wilmington, Pennsylvania	93%

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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.