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 |
|---|---|
|
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, Oregon |
98% |
|
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, Oregon |
98% |
|
Penn State Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Brandywine
Media, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Mont Alto
Mont Alto, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota |
98% |
|
California State University East Bay
Hayward, California |
97% |
|
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
97% |
|
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, Illinois |
97% |
|
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, Maine |
97% |
|
University of Maine
Orono, Maine |
97% |
|
University of Mississippi
University, Mississippi |
97% |
|
Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, Missouri |
97% |
|
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Santa Fe, New Mexico |
97% |
|
Penn State Erie Behrend College
Erie, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Penn State Wilkes Barre
Dallas, Pennsylvania |
97% |
|
Penn State Lehigh Valley
Center Valley, Pennsylvania |
97% |
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.