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

Emory University
E
Atlanta, GA

Emory University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#24 Best Colleges in America

  • 15,046enrollment
  • $27,986net price
  • 1460-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.8Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Boston University
B
Boston, MA

Boston University

Private 4 Year

11 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 36,624enrollment
  • $27,551net price
  • 1400-1520SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

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Carnegie Mellon University
C
Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 15,596enrollment
  • $32,964net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.89Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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University of California Berkeley
C
Berkeley, CA

University of California Berkeley

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Public Universities in America

  • 45,699enrollment
  • $16,997net price
  • 1310-1530SAT range
  • 30-35ACT range
  • 3.87Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

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University of Notre Dame
N
Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame

Private 4 Year

7 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in Indiana

  • 13,174enrollment
  • $29,083net price
  • 1440-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Washington University in St Louis
W
Saint Louis, MO

Washington University in St Louis

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#21 Best Colleges in America

  • 16,500enrollment
  • $22,440net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.92Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

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Colgate University
C
Hamilton, NY

Colgate University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 3,146enrollment
  • $26,954net price
  • 1430-1530SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.77Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Hamilton College
H
Clinton, NY

Hamilton College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,048enrollment
  • $26,021net price
  • 1410-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.87Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Harvey Mudd College
H
Claremont, CA

Harvey Mudd College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 949enrollment
  • $42,720net price
  • 1480-1560SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Georgetown University
G
Washington, DC

Georgetown University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in District Of Columbia

  • 20,392enrollment
  • $37,967net price
  • 1390-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

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Grinnell College
G
Grinnell, IA

Grinnell College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in Iowa

  • 1,775enrollment
  • $33,446net price
  • 1418-1550SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Bates College
B
Lewiston, ME

Bates College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Maine

  • 1,753enrollment
  • $26,658net price
  • 1400-1510SAT range
  • 31-33ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Haverford College
H
Haverford, PA

Haverford College

Private 4 Year

7 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 1,424enrollment
  • $22,828net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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United States Air Force Academy
A
USAFA, Colorado

United States Air Force Academy

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,124enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1250-1450SAT range
  • 26-33ACT range
  • 3.81Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 31

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Wellesley College
W
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,418enrollment
  • $21,501net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

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Summit Christian College
S
Gering, Nebraska
 

Summit Christian College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 23enrollment
  • $19,951net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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United States Military Academy
A
West Point, New York

United States Military Academy

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,508enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1200-1430SAT range
  • 28-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

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Davidson College
D
Davidson, NC

Davidson College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in North Carolina

  • 1,904enrollment
  • $26,510net price
  • 1360-1510SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.81Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 7

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