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 |
|---|---|
|
Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas |
98% |
|
University of Maine at Fort Kent
Fort Kent, Maine |
98% |
|
New Jersey City University
Jersey City, New Jersey |
98% |
|
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, Oregon |
98% |
|
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, Oregon |
98% |
|
Penn State Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Harrisburg
Middletown, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Brandywine
Media, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
Penn State Mont Alto
Mont Alto, Pennsylvania |
98% |
|
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota |
98% |
|
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, Colorado |
99% |
|
Columbus State University
Columbus, Georgia |
99% |
|
Southeastern Louisiana University
Hammond, Louisiana |
99% |
|
Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
99% |
|
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
99% |
|
Valley City State University
Valley City, North Dakota |
99% |
|
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio |
99% |
|
Penn State Scranton
Dunmore, Pennsylvania |
99% |
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.