Most Selective U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 249 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, sorted by acceptance rate from lowest to highest. These are the most selective schools in the U.S.
California Institute of Technology is the most selective, accepting just 3% of 13,856 applicants. Also highly selective: Minerva University, Yale University and University of Chicago.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Southern University and A & M College
- Public 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- 35% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and agriculture. The Baton Rouge campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 790-1020
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Net Price $18,353
San Diego State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
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4.7 | 3 reviews
- 36% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
SDSU is a large public university known for undergraduate international business, hospitality management, and communications. The urban campus sits in San Diego's College Area with Spanish Colonial Revival buildings.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Net Price $14,704
Baptist University of Florida
- Private 4 Year
- Graceville, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- 36% acceptance rate
- Aug 15 application deadline
Baptist University of Florida is a small private Baptist university known for undergraduate ministry, biblical studies, and music. The residential campus sits in the rural panhandle town of Graceville.
- SAT Range 930-1200
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.08
- Net Price $15,753
Mount Holyoke College
- Private 4 Year
- South Hadley, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- 36% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Mount Holyoke is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, international relations, and economics. The South Hadley campus is part of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst.
- SAT Range 1380-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Net Price $32,526
Connecticut College
- Private 4 Year
- New London, CT
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and international relations. Much of the campus sits within a large arboretum overlooking the Thames River.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $45,700
Dickinson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Dickinson, ND
-
| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
Dickinson State is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and nursing. The campus is in the small city of Dickinson in western North Dakota.
- SAT Range 875-1130
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Net Price $14,698
Case Western Reserve University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, OH
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5.0 | 4 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Case Western is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, biomedical engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in Cleveland's University Circle near major hospitals and museums.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Net Price $44,000
Fisk University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fisk is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate natural sciences and music. The historic urban campus sits in Nashville and is closely tied to the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
- SAT Range 1140-1510
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Net Price $18,595
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Beckley, WV
-
| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
WVU Tech is a public college known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in Beckley in the mountains of southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Net Price $11,281
Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College
- Private 4 Year
- Monsey, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
Yeshiva D'monsey is a private rabbinical college focused on undergraduate Talmudic studies and Jewish law. Students study within Monsey's large Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $8,750
Scripps College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Scripps is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, humanities, and its interdisciplinary Core Curriculum. Most students live on the residential campus and take classes across the Claremont Colleges consortium.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $44,396
University of Georgia
- Public 4 Year
- Athens, GA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
UGA is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and agricultural sciences. The historic campus anchors the college town of Athens.
- SAT Range 1270-1480
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $16,662
Thomas University
- Private 4 Year
- Thomasville, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
Thomas University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The small campus is located in Thomasville in southern Georgia.
- SAT Range 990-1220
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $17,823
William Jewell College
- Private 4 Year
- Liberty, MO
-
2.3 | 3 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
William Jewell is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and an Oxbridge-style honors tutorial program. Students live on a historic residential campus in the Kansas City suburb of Liberty.
- SAT Range 1080-1270
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $19,294
Ohio Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Circleville, OH
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3.0 | 2 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
Ohio Christian is a private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry and business. The campus is in Circleville, a small city south of Columbus.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $20,290
Clemson University
- Public 4 Year
- Clemson, SC
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4.4 | 10 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
Clemson is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The lakeside campus sits in the Blue Ridge foothills beside Lake Hartwell.
- SAT Range 1240-1410
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $25,003
LeTourneau University
- Private 4 Year
- Longview, TX
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4.0 | 3 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
LeTourneau is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering and aviation. The campus is in Longview in East Texas.
- SAT Range 990-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $29,799