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

Reading, Pennsylvania

99%

Vermillion, South Dakota

99%
99%
99%

Fairmont, West Virginia

99%

Athens, Alabama

100%

Anchorage, Alaska

100%

Fairbanks, Alaska

100%

Tsaile, Arizona

100%
100%

Arkadelphia, Arkansas

100%

Alamosa, Colorado

100%

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

100%

Gunnison, Colorado

100%

New Britain, Connecticut

100%

Washington, District Of Columbia

100%

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

100%
100%

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.