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.
| College | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|
|
Penn State DuBois
DuBois, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Penn State Abington
Abington, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Penn State Schuylkill
Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Penn State York
York, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Texas Southern University
Houston, Texas |
97% |
|
Bluefield State University
Bluefield, West Virginia |
97% |
|
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia |
97% |
|
West Liberty University
West Liberty, West Virginia |
97% |
|
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming |
97% |
|
California State University Monterey Bay
Seaside, California |
97% |
|
Troy University
Troy, Alabama |
96% |
|
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, Arkansas |
96% |
|
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California |
96% |
|
University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, Indiana |
96% |
|
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky |
96% |
|
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, Maryland |
96% |
|
Salem State University
Salem, Massachusetts |
96% |
|
The University of Montana
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.