Many students have a dream to get themselves admitted to a prestigious/reputed college or university. But the high competition and a low number of seats usually don’t meet the demand from applicants. Moreover, each college and university have their own requirements that many students fail to achieve and don’t qualify for the admission process. Therefore, below I have listed the top 100 colleges and universities in the United States that pride themselves on being very selective and have the lowest rates of acceptance for entering freshmen.
List Of Top 100 Colleges With Lowest Acceptance Rates
Name | Location | Acceptance Rate |
Curtis Institute of Music | Philadelphia, PA | 4% |
Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 5% |
Stanford University | Stanford, CA | 5% |
Columbia University | New York, NY | 6% |
Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | 6% |
Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes, KY | 7% |
California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | 7% |
Juilliard School | New York, NY | 7% |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 7% |
University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 7% |
Yale University | New Haven, CT | 7% |
Brown University | Providence, RI | 8% |
Duke University | Durham, NC | 8% |
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | 9% |
Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | 9% |
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | 9% |
Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | 9% |
Pomona College | Claremont, CA | 9% |
Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA | 9% |
United States Military Academy | West Point, NY | 9% |
United States Naval Academy | Annapolis, MD | 9% |
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | 9% |
Colby College | Waterville, ME | 10% |
Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | 11% |
Rice University | Houston, TX | 11% |
Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | 11% |
Amherst College | Amherst, MA | 12% |
Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | 12% |
Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 13% |
Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, CA | 13% |
United States Air Force Academy | USAF Academy, CO | 13% |
United States Coast Guard Academy | New London, CT | 13% |
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | Chickasha, OK | 13% |
Barnard College | New York, NY | 14% |
Bates College | Lewiston, ME | 14% |
College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, MO | 14% |
Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | 14% |
University of California–Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 14% |
Wiley College | Marshall, TX | 15% |
Williams College | Williamstown, MA | 15% |
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Needham, MA | 16% |
Tufts University | Medford, MA | 16% |
United States Merchant Marine Academy | Kings Point, NY | 16% |
University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | 16% |
Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | 16% |
Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | 17% |
Georgetown University | Washington, DC | 17% |
Pitzer College | Claremont, CA | 17% |
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York, NY | 18% |
Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | 18% |
Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, CA | 18% |
Haverford College | Haverford, PA | 18% |
University of California–Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | 18% |
Emory University | Atlanta, GA | 19% |
Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA | 19% |
Texas Wesleyan University | Fort Worth, TX | 19% |
University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | 19% |
Boston University | Boston, MA | 20% |
Davidson College | Davidson, NC | 20% |
Northeastern University | Boston, MA | 20% |
Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA | 20% |
Carleton College | Northfield, MN | 21% |
Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | 21% |
Laboure College | Milton, MA | 21% |
New York University | New York, NY | 21% |
Philander Smith College | Little Rock, AR | 21% |
Webb Institute | Glen Cove, NY | 21% |
Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT | 21% |
Kettering College | Kettering, OH | 22% |
Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT | 22% |
University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | 23% |
New York School of Interior Design | New York, NY | 24% |
Ottawa University | Ottawa, KS | 24% |
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | 24% |
Washington and Lee University | Lexington, VA | 24% |
California Institute of the Arts | Valencia, CA | 25% |
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science | Los Angeles, CA | 25% |
Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY | 25% |
Arkansas Baptist College | Little Rock, AR | 26% |
Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | 26% |
Calumet College of St. Joseph | Whiting, IN | 26% |
Inter American University of Puerto Rico–Metropolitan Campus | San Juan, PR | 26% |
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | 26% |
Babson College | Babson Park, MA | 27% |
Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | 27% |
Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI | 27% |
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord, NC | 28% |
Denison University | Granville, OH | 28% |
Mississippi College | Clinton, MS | 29% |
Point University | West Point, GA | 29% |
St Luke’s College | Sioux City, IA | 29% |
University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston-Salem, NC | 29% |
Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | 30% |
Galen College of Nursing–Louisville | Louisville, KY | 30% |
Purdue University–Northwest | Hammond, IN | 30% |
University of California–Irvine | Irvine, CA | 30% |
Art Academy of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | 31% |
Davis College | Bible School Park, NY | 31% |
Johnson University (FL) | Kissimmee, FL | 31% |
University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | 31% |
Advantages Of Low College Acceptance Rates

It’s true that getting admitted to a low acceptance rate college is very difficult but it has some advantages too. A college with a low acceptance rate means the college has the greatest prestige and name recognition. If you can attend a prestigious educational institution then you might get a strong alumni network and career opportunities after graduation. Moreover, these schools help the students to focus on academic research, invest in the latest technologies, and conduct cutting-edge experiments. So, students who are interested in research careers can benefit from attending these schools. Moreover, the low acceptance rate also correlates with high graduation rates because most of the selective schools have graduation rates of over 90%. Low acceptance rate colleges maintain high education standards which are very important to achieve a good result and build the foundation of the career.
How To Get Into Colleges With Low Acceptance Rates

If you want to get yourself admitted to a low acceptance rates college then you must have a good result in high school. You must have a very high GPA and high standardized test scores to meet the admission standards. Moreover, you have to identify what is your strong academic and extracurricular skills and try to translate those skills into accomplishments. It will help you stand out from the crowd. You have to try to show these schools that you’re capable of more than just high grades and test scores. Colleges with low acceptance rates usually look for students who will make a strong, positive impact on the world. You have to closely look at the requirements of these selective schools and find out what you are missing. For example, if you want to get into a selective music school then you have to practice music every day to prepare yourself for the audition. On the other hand, for military schools, you have to apply for your nomination from a government official before the application deadline.
FAQs About Top 100 College With Lowest Acceptance Rates
What Is The Hardest College To Get Into In Texas?
Dallas Nursing Institute is the hardest college in Texas. This college has an acceptance rate of 5%. The next hardest college in Texas is Rice University and it has an acceptance rate of 11%.
What’s The Easiest College To Get Into In Florida?
Below are some 4-year colleges and universities in Florida which are very easy to get into –
1. Barry University – Miami Florida
2. DeVry University-Florida – Miramar, Florida
3. Herzing University-Winter Park – Winter Park, Florida
4. Palm Beach Atlantic University-West Palm Beach, Florida
5. St. John Vianney College Seminary – Miami, Florida
6. West Coast University-Miami – Doral, Florida
What Are The Easiest Colleges To Get Into In California?
Some of the easiest colleges to get into California are –
1. Alliant International University-San Diego
2. American Jewish University
3. California Christian College
4. California Jazz Conservatory
5. DeVry University-California
6. Grace Mission University
7. John Paul the Great Catholic University
8. Life Pacific University
9. Newschool of Architecture and Design
10. San Francisco Art Institute
11. Southern States University
Why Does UCLA Have A Low Acceptance Rate?
UCLA has a low acceptance rate because lots of students apply to UCLA but out of these applicants UCLA only accepts a few applications. Therefore, their acceptance rate is very low.
What College Has A 99-Acceptance Rate?
Wilmington University New Castle has a 99-acceptance rate.
What Is The Duke Acceptance Rate?
The acceptance rate of Duke University is 7.7%.
References:
1. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/lowest-acceptance-rate
2. https://www.educationcorner.com/colleges-with-lowest-acceptance-rates.html
Last Updated on October 24, 2022 by Magalie D.

Magalie D. is a Diploma holder in Public Administration & Management from McGill University of Canada. She shares management tips here in MGTBlog when she has nothing to do and gets some free time after working in a multinational company at Toronto.