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 |
|---|---|
|
Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, Oregon |
95% |
|
Penn State New Kensington
New Kensington, Pennsylvania |
95% |
|
Penn State Fayette Eberly
Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania |
95% |
|
University of Pittsburgh Greensburg
Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
95% |
|
University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania |
95% |
|
The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, Texas |
95% |
|
California State University San Marcos
San Marcos, California |
95% |
|
California State University Channel Islands
Camarillo, California |
95% |
|
Georgia Gwinnett College
Lawrenceville, Georgia |
95% |
|
Troy University
Troy, Alabama |
96% |
|
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, Arkansas |
96% |
|
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California |
96% |
|
University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, Indiana |
96% |
|
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky |
96% |
|
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, Maryland |
96% |
|
Salem State University
Salem, Massachusetts |
96% |
|
The University of Montana
Missoula, Montana |
96% |
|
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada |
96% |
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.