U.S. Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in America for 2024

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 Fairfax University of America which sent acceptance letters to only 1% of the 378 students who applied and rejected 99%.

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.


245 results nationwide

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
P
Lancaster, PA
 

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 245enrollment
  • $26,649net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.13Avg GPA

City College Miami
C
Miami, FL
 

City College Miami

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 11enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus
S
Calexico, California

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 808enrollment
  • -net price
  • 850-1060SAT range
  • 16-21ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Ave Maria University
A
Ave Maria, FL

Ave Maria University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in Florida

  • 1,310enrollment
  • $21,078net price
  • 1018-1240SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.6Avg GPA

Harding University
H
Searcy, AR

Harding University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Arkansas

  • 4,805enrollment
  • $19,558net price
  • 1040-1300SAT range
  • 20-28ACT range
  • 3.71Avg GPA

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
I
Champaign, IL

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Public 4 Year

5 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Public Universities in America

  • 56,916enrollment
  • $14,544net price
  • 1320-1510SAT range
  • 29-34ACT range
  • 3.79Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

Kentucky Mountain Bible College
K
Vancleve, KY
 

Kentucky Mountain Bible College

Private 4 Year

12 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 78enrollment
  • $9,885net price
  • 1090-1170SAT range
  • 21-22ACT range
  • 3.33Avg GPA

Coppin State University
C
HBCU
Baltimore, MD

Coppin State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Public Universities in Maryland

  • 2,006enrollment
  • $8,562net price
  • 860-1040SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.62Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 15

University of Maryland College Park
M
College Park, MD

University of Maryland College Park

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Public Universities in America

  • 40,792enrollment
  • $16,210net price
  • 1360-1520SAT range
  • 30-34ACT range
  • 3.84Estimated Avg GPA

Truman State University
T
Kirksville, MO

Truman State University

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Value Colleges in Missouri

  • 3,960enrollment
  • $13,993net price
  • 1070-1330SAT range
  • 23-29ACT range
  • 3.81Avg GPA

Bennett College for Women
B
HBCU
Greensboro, NC

Bennett College for Women

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 168enrollment
  • $20,545net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.74Estimated Avg GPA

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
C
Concord, NC
 

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 528enrollment
  • $17,217net price
  • 945-1075SAT range
  • 20-24ACT range
  • 3.21Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

Wilberforce University
W
HBCU
Wilberforce, OH
 

Wilberforce University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 656enrollment
  • $14,070net price
  • 840-940SAT range
  • 14-18ACT range
  • 2.82Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 1

Anderson University
A
Anderson, SC

Anderson University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,121enrollment
  • $21,633net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.72Avg GPA

Southwestern University
S
Georgetown, TX

Southwestern University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Texas

  • 1,483enrollment
  • $31,014net price
  • 1120-1355SAT range
  • 24-30ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

Bennington College
B
Bennington, VT

Bennington College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 880enrollment
  • $32,497net price
  • 1260-1370SAT range
  • 29-33ACT range
  • 3.51Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

The King's College
K
New York, NY

The King's College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 326enrollment
  • $34,192net price
  • 1190-1340SAT range
  • 25-31ACT range
  • 3.73Avg GPA

Thomas University
T
Thomasville, GA

Thomas University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in Georgia

  • 1,531enrollment
  • $12,557net price
  • 920-1140SAT range
  • 15-20ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA