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 |
|---|---|
|
Utah Valley University
Orem, Utah |
100% |
|
Weber State University
Ogden, Utah |
100% |
|
Bellevue College
Bellevue, Washington |
100% |
|
Columbia Basin College
Pasco, Washington |
100% |
|
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Kirkland, Washington |
100% |
|
Olympic College
Bremerton, Washington |
100% |
|
Peninsula College
Port Angeles, Washington |
100% |
|
South Seattle College
Seattle, Washington |
100% |
|
Seattle Central College
Seattle, Washington |
100% |
|
Glenville State University
Glenville, West Virginia |
100% |
|
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia |
100% |
|
Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Keyser, West Virginia |
100% |
|
Madison Area Technical College
Madison, Wisconsin |
100% |
|
Northern Marianas College
Saipan, Northern Marianas |
100% |
|
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
100% |
|
Northwest Indian College
Bellingham, Washington |
100% |
|
South Texas College
McAllen, Texas |
100% |
|
Middle Georgia State University
Macon, Georgia |
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.