Wisconsin Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 25 private colleges in Wisconsin with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Milwaukee School of Engineering leads the list by accepting 59% 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 Wisconsin Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

59%
61%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

62%

Beloit, Wisconsin

63%

Appleton, Wisconsin

64%

Waukesha, Wisconsin

67%

Watertown, Wisconsin

72%

La Crosse, Wisconsin

72%

Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

75%

Ashland, Wisconsin

75%

Madison, Wisconsin

76%

Mequon, Wisconsin

78%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

78%

Ripon, Wisconsin

80%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

81%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

86%

Plymouth, Wisconsin

86%

De Pere, Wisconsin

86%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.