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 |
|---|---|
|
Wright State University Main Campus
Dayton, Ohio |
96% |
|
Penn State Beaver
Monaca, Pennsylvania |
96% |
|
Penn State Hazleton
Hazleton, Pennsylvania |
96% |
|
Penn State Greater Allegheny
McKeesport, Pennsylvania |
96% |
|
Black Hills State University
Spearfish, South Dakota |
96% |
|
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee |
96% |
|
University of Houston Victoria
Victoria, Texas |
96% |
|
Texas Woman's University
Denton, Texas |
96% |
|
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, Washington |
96% |
|
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia |
96% |
|
West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia |
96% |
|
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% |
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.