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.

List of United States Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate
96%

Monaca, Pennsylvania

96%

Hazleton, Pennsylvania

96%

McKeesport, Pennsylvania

96%

Spearfish, South Dakota

96%

Clarksville, Tennessee

96%
96%

Denton, Texas

96%

Olympia, Washington

96%

Huntington, West Virginia

96%

Institute, West Virginia

96%
97%

Colorado Springs, Colorado

97%
97%
97%

Orono, Maine

97%

University, Mississippi

97%
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.