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
100%
100%

Bellevue, Washington

100%

Pasco, Washington

100%
100%

Bremerton, Washington

100%

Port Angeles, Washington

100%

Seattle, Washington

100%

Seattle, Washington

100%

Glenville, West Virginia

100%

Parkersburg, West Virginia

100%
100%

Madison, Wisconsin

100%

Saipan, Northern Marianas

100%

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

100%

Bellingham, Washington

100%

McAllen, Texas

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.