United States Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
Below is a ranking of the 633 public colleges in the United States with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. University of California Los Angeles leads the list by accepting 9% 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 |
|---|---|
|
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas |
90% |
|
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, Texas |
90% |
|
Longwood University
Farmville, Virginia |
90% |
|
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia |
90% |
|
Radford University
Radford, Virginia |
90% |
|
California State University Fullerton
Fullerton, California |
91% |
|
California State University Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California |
91% |
|
Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, Connecticut |
91% |
|
Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, Louisiana |
91% |
|
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts |
91% |
|
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan |
91% |
|
Missouri State University Springfield
Springfield, Missouri |
91% |
|
Montana Technological University
Butte, Montana |
91% |
|
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio |
91% |
|
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon |
91% |
|
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Main Campus
Indiana, Pennsylvania |
91% |
|
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania |
91% |
|
University of Houston Clear Lake
Houston, Texas |
91% |
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.