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

Principia College
P
Elsah, Illinois
 

Principia College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 338enrollment
  • $14,904net price
  • 1040-1250SAT range
  • 19-23ACT range
  • 3.34Avg GPA

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St John's College
S
Annapolis, MD

St John's College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 578enrollment
  • $27,729net price
  • 1250-1500SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.81Avg GPA

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College of Saint Mary
S
Omaha, NE
 

College of Saint Mary

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 733enrollment
  • $14,265net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.4Avg GPA

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Northeast Catholic College
N
Warner, NH
 

Northeast Catholic College

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 58enrollment
  • $20,058net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Union College
U
Schenectady, NY

Union College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 2,082enrollment
  • $42,884net price
  • 1310-1480SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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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

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Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences
P
Lancaster, PA

Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,770enrollment
  • $33,565net price
  • 1050-1220SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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Fairfield University
F
Fairfield, CT

Fairfield University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut

  • 6,289enrollment
  • $47,630net price
  • 1240-1380SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.67Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Illinois Wesleyan University
I
Bloomington, IL

Illinois Wesleyan University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Illinois

  • 1,576enrollment
  • $31,310net price
  • 1140-1330SAT range
  • 24-29ACT range
  • 3.86Avg GPA

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Washington Adventist University
W
Takoma Park, MD
 

Washington Adventist University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 695enrollment
  • $16,732net price
  • 800-1100SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.24Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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University of Maryland College Park
M
College Park, MD

University of Maryland College Park

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Public Universities in America

  • 40,813enrollment
  • $15,833net price
  • 1370-1520SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.84Estimated Avg GPA

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Jewish Theological Seminary of America
J
New York, NY

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 316enrollment
  • $54,588net price
  • 1440-1559SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

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Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College
H
Moore, OK
 

Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 297enrollment
  • $17,827net price
  • 838-928SAT range
  • 17-22ACT range
  • 3.1Estimated Avg GPA

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Ave Maria University
A
Ave Maria, FL

Ave Maria University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Private Colleges in Florida

  • 1,335enrollment
  • $23,515net price
  • 1018-1240SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.6Avg GPA

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Central Baptist College
C
Conway, AR
 

Central Baptist College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 550enrollment
  • $16,672net price
  • 925-1145SAT range
  • 17-22ACT range
  • 3.15Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

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The Boston Conservatory
B
Boston, MA

The Boston Conservatory

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 798enrollment
  • $42,649net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Grace University
G
Omaha, NE
 

Grace University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 298enrollment
  • $19,798net price
  • -SAT range
  • 18-21ACT range
  • 3.08Estimated Avg GPA

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North Carolina A & T State University
N
HBCU
Greensboro, NC

North Carolina A & T State University

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in North Carolina

  • 13,885enrollment
  • $10,258net price
  • 960-1190SAT range
  • 16-22ACT range
  • 3.61Avg GPA

Applications Due Jun 1

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