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

Manhattan School of Music
M
New York, NY

Manhattan School of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,097enrollment
  • $51,879net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

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Brevard College
B
Brevard, NC

Brevard College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 787enrollment
  • $26,938net price
  • 870-1220SAT range
  • 16-26ACT range
  • 3.07Avg GPA

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North Carolina State University at Raleigh
N
Raleigh, NC

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

#20 Best Public Universities in America

  • 37,323enrollment
  • $14,860net price
  • 1300-1460SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.83Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Ohio Christian University
O
Circleville, OH

Ohio Christian University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,483enrollment
  • $21,092net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Aquinas College
A
Nashville, TN

Aquinas College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 342enrollment
  • $20,892net price
  • 1100-1370SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

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The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
C
Los Angeles, CA
 

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 3,392enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Ottawa University Surprise
O
Surprise, Arizona
 

Ottawa University Surprise

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 836enrollment
  • $35,030net price
  • 910-1050SAT range
  • 15-21ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Rollins College
R
Winter Park, FL

Rollins College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Private Colleges in Florida

  • 3,013enrollment
  • $37,134net price
  • 1210-1360SAT range
  • 26-31ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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University of South Florida Main Campus
S
Tampa, FL

University of South Florida Main Campus

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Public Universities in Florida

  • 48,572enrollment
  • $11,578net price
  • 1140-1330SAT range
  • 24-29ACT range
  • 3.64Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due May 1

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The University of Tampa
T
Tampa, FL

The University of Tampa

Private 4 Year

13 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Private Colleges in Florida

  • 11,054enrollment
  • $35,975net price
  • 1070-1240SAT range
  • 23-28ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

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Chicago State University
C
Chicago, IL

Chicago State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in Illinois

  • 2,324enrollment
  • $9,852net price
  • 750-963SAT range
  • 15-19ACT range
  • 3.18Avg GPA

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Dillard University
D
HBCU
New Orleans, LA

Dillard University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Private Colleges in Louisiana

  • 1,122enrollment
  • $18,551net price
  • 976-1153SAT range
  • 19-23ACT range
  • 3.31Avg GPA

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Laboure College
L
Boston, MA
 

Laboure College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 717enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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LeTourneau University
L
Longview, TX

LeTourneau University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Texas

  • 3,389enrollment
  • $27,007net price
  • 1140-1370SAT range
  • 23-30ACT range
  • 3.66Avg GPA

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Regent University
R
Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in Virginia

  • 10,168enrollment
  • $18,314net price
  • 1050-1250SAT range
  • 21-26ACT range
  • 3.34Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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University of California Davis
C
Davis, CA

University of California Davis

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Public Universities in America

  • 39,707enrollment
  • $17,315net price
  • 1160-1400SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

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Pacific Union College
P
Angwin, CA

Pacific Union College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 938enrollment
  • $22,799net price
  • 930-1190SAT range
  • 20-24ACT range
  • 3.24Estimated Avg GPA

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AIB College of Business
A
Des Moines, IA
 

AIB College of Business

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 348enrollment
  • $12,440net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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