U.S. Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in America for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in the United States. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is California Institute of Technology which sent acceptance letters to only 3% of the 13,107 students who applied and rejected 97%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore US rankings of the colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

266 results nationwide

California Institute of Technology
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C
Pasadena, CA

California Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

3% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,463enrollment
  • $23,397net price
  • 1530-1580SAT range
  • 35-36ACT range
  • 3.97Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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Harvard University
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H
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

3% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Colleges in America

  • 30,386enrollment
  • $17,900net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Princeton University
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P
Princeton, NJ

Princeton University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Colleges in America

  • 8,922enrollment
  • $19,811net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.93Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Columbia University in the City of New York
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C
New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#22 Best Colleges in America

  • 35,279enrollment
  • $20,869net price
  • 1490-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Stanford University
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S
Stanford, CA

Stanford University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in America

  • 18,446enrollment
  • $17,998net price
  • 1510-1580SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.96Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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Minerva University
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M
San Francisco, California
 

Minerva University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 656enrollment
  • $16,556net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Yale University
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Y
New Haven, CT

Yale University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Colleges in America

  • 15,081enrollment
  • $26,044net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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University of Chicago
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C
Chicago, IL

University of Chicago

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Colleges in America

  • 18,339enrollment
  • $27,979net price
  • 1510-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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M
Cambridge, MA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,920enrollment
  • $21,519net price
  • 1510-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Brown University
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B
Providence, RI

Brown University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,516enrollment
  • $26,608net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Northeastern University
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N
Boston, MA

Northeastern University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 31,159enrollment
  • $34,770net price
  • 1460-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Dartmouth College
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D
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Colleges in America

  • 6,746enrollment
  • $17,322net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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University of Pennsylvania
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P
Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Colleges in America

  • 28,711enrollment
  • $26,017net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Vanderbilt University
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V
Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Colleges in America

  • 13,456enrollment
  • $26,689net price
  • 1510-1560SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.89Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Pomona College
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P
Claremont, CA

Pomona College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#20 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,664enrollment
  • $17,423net price
  • 1480-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

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Northwestern University
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N
Evanston, IL

Northwestern University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Colleges in America

  • 23,203enrollment
  • $23,341net price
  • 1490-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.92Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Colby College
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C
Waterville, ME

Colby College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,284enrollment
  • $15,163net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Duke University
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D
Durham, NC

Duke University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in America

  • 17,112enrollment
  • $23,422net price
  • 1510-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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