Highest Acceptance Rate U.S. Colleges

CollegeSimply lists 1151 four-year colleges that accept 75% or more of applicants, ranked by acceptance rate from highest to lowest. These are strong safety school candidates if your GPA and test scores meet their typical ranges.

355 colleges accept 100% of applicants. Examples include Amridge University, Athens State University, Miles College and Selma University.

High acceptance does not always mean low academic standards. You still need sufficient grades unless a school has guaranteed admission. Use the filters below to narrow by GPA, SAT, or ACT and see your estimated admission chance at each school. See also best and popular colleges with high acceptance rates, or the most selective colleges.

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High Acceptance % Public Private 4 Year

  • Public 4 Year
  • Youngstown, OH
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Youngstown State is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and education. The urban campus sits in Youngstown in northeastern Ohio.

#11 Best Public Universities in Ohio
  • SAT Range 1010-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.51
  • Net Price $12,757

  • Private 4 Year
  • Allentown, PA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate

Cedar Crest is a private women's college known for undergraduate nursing and forensic science. The suburban campus sits in Allentown in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

#42 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1000-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Net Price $23,691

  • Private 4 Year
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate
  • Aug 15 application deadline

Duquesne is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The urban campus sits on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.

#16 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1180-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.8
  • Net Price $37,917

  • Private 4 Year
  • Annville, PA
  • 3.5 | 2 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate

Lebanon Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and physical therapy. The residential campus sits in the small town of Annville.

#26 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1302
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Net Price $27,995

  • Private 4 Year
  • Houston, TX
  • 1.0 | 1 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate

Houston Christian is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The campus is in southwest Houston.

#22 Best Private Colleges in Texas 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 990-1190
  • Avg GPA 3.46
  • Net Price $21,282

  • Private 4 Year
  • Emory, VA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate

Emory & Henry is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate teacher education and the social sciences. The rural campus sits in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia.

#10 Best Private Colleges in Virginia 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1051-1223
  • Avg GPA 3.5
  • Net Price $21,446

  • Private 4 Year
  • Moscow, Idaho
  • | 0 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate
  • Feb 15 application deadline

New Saint Andrews is a small private Christian liberal arts college known for classical education and Reformed theology. Students study in historic buildings in downtown Moscow.

5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1155-1358
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Net Price $16,692

  • Public 4 Year
  • Dallas, Texas
  • | 0 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate
  • Aug 6 application deadline

UNT Dallas is a public university known for undergraduate business, education, and criminal justice. The urban campus serves southern Dallas.

3/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 846-1096
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Net Price $7,586
Urshan University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Wentzville, Missouri
  • | 0 reviews
  • 84% acceptance rate

Urshan is a private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry and biblical studies. The campus is in Wentzville, a suburb west of St. Louis.

2/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 798-1105
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Net Price $14,207
Williams Baptist University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Walnut Ridge, AR
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

Williams Baptist is a small private Baptist university with undergraduate programs in education, business, and Christian studies. Most students live on the residential campus in Walnut Ridge, a small town in northeast Arkansas.

3/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 920-1058
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Net Price $12,692

  • Private 4 Year
  • San Rafael, CA
  • 2.5 | 2 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

A private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The San Rafael campus sits in Marin County north of San Francisco.

#20 Best Private Colleges in California 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1210-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.66
  • Net Price $37,456

  • Private 4 Year
  • Redlands, CA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate
  • Jul 1 application deadline

University of Redlands is a private university known for undergraduate music, business, and the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. The residential campus sits in Redlands in Southern California's Inland Empire.

#15 Best Private Colleges in California 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1107-1350
  • Avg GPA 3.74
  • Net Price $28,482

  • Private 4 Year
  • Santa Paula, CA
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

Thomas Aquinas is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for a single Great Books curriculum that all undergraduates complete together. The residential campus is set in the hills near Santa Paula in southern California.

7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1220-1400
  • Avg GPA 3.8
  • Net Price $24,820

  • Private 4 Year
  • Bridgeport, CT
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

University of Bridgeport is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and dental hygiene. The campus sits along Long Island Sound in the city of Bridgeport.

#10 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut 3/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 880-1115
  • Avg GPA 3.04
  • Net Price $28,498

  • Public 4 Year
  • Willimantic, CT
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

Eastern is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate education and environmental earth science. The residential campus sits in the small town of Willimantic in eastern Connecticut.

#4 Best Public Universities in Connecticut 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1260
  • Avg GPA 3.4
  • Net Price $21,512

  • Private 4 Year
  • Washington, DC
  • | 0 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Catholic University is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate architecture, theology, and music. The urban Brookland campus in Northeast Washington adjoins the Basilica of the National Shrine.

0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range -
  • Avg GPA 3.52
  • Net Price $32,705

  • Private 4 Year
  • Savannah, GA
  • 4.2 | 4 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate

SCAD is a private art and design college known for undergraduate fashion, graphic design, and animation. The campus occupies renovated historic buildings in downtown Savannah.

#13 Best Private Colleges in Georgia 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1030-1270
  • Avg GPA 3.56
  • Net Price $50,821

  • Private 4 Year
  • Chicago, IL
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews
  • 83% acceptance rate
  • Mar 1 application deadline

Moody Bible Institute is a private Christian college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and ministry. The urban campus sits in Chicago's Near North Side.

0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range -
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Net Price $21,614