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 |
|---|---|
|
University of West Georgia
Carrollton, Georgia |
52% |
|
Louisiana State University Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana |
51% |
|
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, North Carolina |
50% |
|
Purdue University Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana |
50% |
|
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York |
49% |
|
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois |
48% |
|
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, New York |
48% |
|
Delaware State University
Dover, Delaware |
47% |
|
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama |
46% |
|
California State University Long Beach
Long Beach, California |
46% |
|
Coppin State University
Baltimore, Maryland |
46% |
|
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana |
45% |
|
University of Maryland College Park
College Park, Maryland |
45% |
|
Alcorn State University
Alcorn State, Mississippi |
45% |
|
University of Wisconsin Madison
Madison, Wisconsin |
45% |
|
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, New Mexico |
44% |
|
Texas A & M International University
Laredo, Texas |
44% |
|
University of West Alabama
Livingston, Alabama |
43% |
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.