Virginia Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 29 private colleges in Virginia with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Washington and Lee University leads the list by accepting 14% 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 Virginia Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Arlington, Virginia

93%

Lynchburg, Virginia

94%

Buena Vista, Virginia

96%

Richmond, Virginia

98%

Lynchburg, Virginia

99%

Harrisonburg, Virginia

100%

Lynchburg, Virginia

100%

Staunton, Virginia

100%
100%

Lynchburg, Virginia

100%

Gainesville, Virginia

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.