U.S. Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in America for 2023

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 4% of the 13,026 students who applied and rejected 96%.

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.


204 results nationwide

Babson College
B
Wellesley, MA

Babson College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

25% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,684enrollment
  • $31,559net price
  • 1330-1480SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.79Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Wake Forest University
W
Winston Salem, NC

Wake Forest University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

25% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 8,947enrollment
  • $26,324net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Kettering College
K
Kettering, OH
 

Kettering College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

25% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 811enrollment
  • $18,309net price
  • -SAT range
  • 19-24ACT range
  • 3.41Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

Villanova University
V
Villanova, PA

Villanova University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

25% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 10,870enrollment
  • $38,303net price
  • 1350-1490SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.87Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 7

Lyon College
L
Batesville, AR

Lyon College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

27% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 579enrollment
  • $20,495net price
  • 1050-1195SAT range
  • 21-26ACT range
  • 3.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Apr 1

New Hope Christian College
N
Eugene, OR

New Hope Christian College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

27% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 44enrollment
  • $17,297net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 1

University of Miami
M
Coral Gables, FL

University of Miami

Private 4 Year

14 reviews

28% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Florida

  • 19,096enrollment
  • $31,726net price
  • 1300-1460SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Saint Louis Christian College
S
Florissant, MO
 

Saint Louis Christian College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

28% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 62enrollment
  • $11,004net price
  • -SAT range
  • 14-25ACT range
  • 2.52Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 1

North Carolina Wesleyan College
N
Rocky Mount, NC
 

North Carolina Wesleyan College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

28% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina

  • 1,531enrollment
  • $16,772net price
  • 860-1120SAT range
  • 15-21ACT range
  • 3.2Avg GPA

Applications Due May 1

Denison University
D
Granville, OH

Denison University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

28% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Ohio

  • 2,321enrollment
  • $39,808net price
  • 1230-1430SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.76Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

University of California Irvine
C
Irvine, CA

University of California Irvine

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in America

  • 36,505enrollment
  • $13,106net price
  • 1230-1430SAT range
  • 26-33ACT range
  • 3.75Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

University of California Santa Barbara
C
Santa Barbara, CA

University of California Santa Barbara

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Public Universities in America

  • 26,124enrollment
  • $17,223net price
  • 1230-1460SAT range
  • 28-34ACT range
  • 3.82Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

California Institute of the Arts
C
Valencia, CA

California Institute of the Arts

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,444enrollment
  • $59,367net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 7

Thomas University
T
Thomasville, GA

Thomas University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Georgia

  • 1,388enrollment
  • $19,605net price
  • 780-1240SAT range
  • 11-29ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jul 1

The University of Texas at Austin
T
Austin, TX

The University of Texas at Austin

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Public Universities in America

  • 51,991enrollment
  • $16,892net price
  • 1230-1500SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.8Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

University of Richmond
R
University of Richmond, VA

University of Richmond

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Virginia

  • 3,890enrollment
  • $25,700net price
  • 1280-1460SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.71Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Scripps College
S
Claremont, CA

Scripps College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

30% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,116enrollment
  • $40,259net price
  • 1380-1520SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

University of Florida
F
Gainesville, FL

University of Florida

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

30% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Public Universities in America

  • 55,781enrollment
  • $10,075net price
  • 1300-1470SAT range
  • 29-33ACT range
  • 3.9Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 1