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 |
|---|---|
|
Western Nevada College
Carson City, Nevada |
100% |
|
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online
Manchester, New Hampshire |
100% |
|
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, New Jersey |
100% |
|
Navajo Technical University
Crownpoint, New Mexico |
100% |
|
New Mexico Highlands University
Las Vegas, New Mexico |
100% |
|
Northern New Mexico College
Espanola, New Mexico |
100% |
|
Western New Mexico University
Silver City, New Mexico |
100% |
|
Empire State University
Saratoga Springs, New York |
100% |
|
Bismarck State College
Bismarck, North Dakota |
100% |
|
Mayville State University
Mayville, North Dakota |
100% |
|
Sitting Bull College
Fort Yates, North Dakota |
100% |
|
University of Cincinnati Clermont College
Batavia, Ohio |
100% |
|
University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College
Blue Ash, Ohio |
100% |
|
Kent State University at Ashtabula
Ashtabula, Ohio |
100% |
|
Kent State University at East Liverpool
East Liverpool, Ohio |
100% |
|
Kent State University at Stark
North Canton, Ohio |
100% |
|
Kent State University at Trumbull
Warren, Ohio |
100% |
|
Kent State University at Tuscarawas
New Philadelphia, Ohio |
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.