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

United States Naval Academy
N
Annapolis, Maryland

United States Naval Academy

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,450enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1200-1440SAT range
  • 25-32ACT range
  • 3.8Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

The Juilliard School
J
New York, NY

The Juilliard School

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 986enrollment
  • $43,151net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

Carnegie Mellon University
C
Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 16,002enrollment
  • $33,499net price
  • 1490-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.89Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

University of Southern California
S
Los Angeles, CA

University of Southern California

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 48,945enrollment
  • $36,808net price
  • 1450-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.83Avg GPA

Georgetown University
G
Washington, DC

Georgetown University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in District Of Columbia

  • 20,984enrollment
  • $35,566net price
  • 1410-1560SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Washington University in St Louis
W
Saint Louis, MO

Washington University in St Louis

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#20 Best Colleges in America

  • 17,012enrollment
  • $23,432net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.92Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

Colgate University
C
Hamilton, NY

Colgate University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in New York

  • 3,141enrollment
  • $27,074net price
  • 1410-1530SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.77Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Hamilton College
H
Clinton, NY

Hamilton College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Value Colleges in New York

  • 2,072enrollment
  • $24,503net price
  • 1420-1540SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.87Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

New York University
N
New York, NY

New York University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 59,144enrollment
  • $29,499net price
  • 1470-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

United States Military Academy
A
West Point, New York

United States Military Academy

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,393enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1220-1450SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

Harvey Mudd College
H
Claremont, CA

Harvey Mudd College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 922enrollment
  • $39,850net price
  • 1480-1560SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

University of Notre Dame
N
Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame

Private 4 Year

7 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in Indiana

  • 13,105enrollment
  • $28,474net price
  • 1450-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Middlebury College
M
Middlebury, VT

Middlebury College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,843enrollment
  • $22,181net price
  • 1425-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Wesleyan University
W
Middletown, CT

Wesleyan University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 3,253enrollment
  • $21,270net price
  • 1320-1510SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Bates College
B
Lewiston, ME

Bates College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Maine

  • 1,790enrollment
  • $27,491net price
  • 1420-1520SAT range
  • 32-33ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Boston University
B
Boston, MA

Boston University

Private 4 Year

9 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 36,714enrollment
  • $27,829net price
  • 1350-1500SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

Wellesley College
W
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,447enrollment
  • $21,362net price
  • 1430-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

Haverford College
H
Haverford, PA

Haverford College

Private 4 Year

7 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in Pennsylvania

  • 1,421enrollment
  • $23,476net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15