Most Selective Connecticut Colleges
Connecticut has 6 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
Yale University is the hardest to get into in Connecticut, accepting just 4% of 57,517 applicants. Also highly selective: Wesleyan University, United States Coast Guard Academy and Trinity College.
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 in Connecticut. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Yale University
- Private 4 Year
- New Haven, CT
-
4.5 | 4 reviews
- 4% acceptance rate
- Jan 2 application deadline
Yale is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate programs in history, political science, and drama. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life.
- SAT Range 1470-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.95
- Net Price $22,408
Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Middletown, CT
-
| 0 reviews
- 16% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Wesleyan is a highly selective liberal arts college known for undergraduate film studies, creative writing, and music. Students live on a residential Middletown campus and follow an open curriculum with no required core courses.
- SAT Range 1415-1540
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $23,025
United States Coast Guard Academy
- Public 4 Year
- New London, Connecticut
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Coast Guard Academy is a highly selective federal service academy known for undergraduate engineering, naval architecture, and maritime studies. Cadets live on a Thames River campus in New London and commission as Coast Guard officers after graduation.
- SAT Range 1240-1400
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Net Price -
Trinity College
- Private 4 Year
- Hartford, CT
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jan 17 application deadline
Trinity is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, political science, and economics. The historic campus occupies a compact urban site in Hartford.
- SAT Range 1298-1470
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $36,071
Fairfield University
- Private 4 Year
- Fairfield, CT
-
| 0 reviews
- 33% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Fairfield is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and nursing. The suburban campus is in coastal Connecticut near Long Island Sound.
- SAT Range 1260-1390
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Net Price $49,958
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