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 |
|---|---|
|
Rhode Island College
Providence, Rhode Island |
92% |
|
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, Texas |
92% |
|
Utah State University
Logan, Utah |
92% |
|
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
Stevens Point, Wisconsin |
92% |
|
California State University Chico
Chico, California |
93% |
|
California State University Dominguez Hills
Carson, California |
93% |
|
California State University Northridge
Northridge, California |
93% |
|
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California |
93% |
|
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa |
93% |
|
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas |
93% |
|
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky |
93% |
|
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, Louisiana |
93% |
|
Jackson State University
Jackson, Mississippi |
93% |
|
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, North Carolina |
93% |
|
Northern State University
Aberdeen, South Dakota |
93% |
|
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia |
93% |
|
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington |
93% |
|
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia |
93% |
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.