United States Public Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 633 public colleges in the United States with the highest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Athens State University leads the list by accepting 100% 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 United States Public Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

DuBois, Pennsylvania

97%

Abington, Pennsylvania

97%

Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania

97%

York, Pennsylvania

97%

Houston, Texas

97%

Bluefield, West Virginia

97%

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

97%

West Liberty, West Virginia

97%

Laramie, Wyoming

97%
97%

Troy, Alabama

96%

Russellville, Arkansas

96%

San Francisco, California

96%

Evansville, Indiana

96%

Frankfort, Kentucky

96%

Princess Anne, Maryland

96%

Salem, Massachusetts

96%

Missoula, Montana

96%

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.