Top 100 Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates (updated 2022)

It’s every student’s dream to gain admission into a prestigious college, but let’s be candid, the supply of open seats often doesn’t meet the ambiguous demand from applicants; some schools have a high acceptance rate, and gaining admission to the schools can be very challenging. While some colleges and universities will accept almost anyone who applies, these schools on this list pride themselves on being very selective and you have to meet and surpass all criteria to even be considered. 

Below you will find our list of the top 100 colleges with the lowest acceptance rates

School Name	Location	Acceptance Rate
Curtis Institute of Music	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	4.2%
Stanford University	Stanford, California	4.8%
Harvard University	Cambridge, Massachusetts	5.4%
Juilliard School	New York City, New York	6.2%
Yale University	New Haven, Connecticut	6.3%
Princeton University	Princeton, New Jersey	6.5%
Columbia University	New York City, New York	6.8%
Alice Lloyd College	Pippa Passes, Kentucky	7.1%
University of Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	7.9%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	Cambridge, Massachusetts	7.9%
Top 10
California Institute of Technology	Pasadena, California	8.1%
United States Naval Academy	Annapolis, Maryland	9%
Swarthmore College	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	9%
Brown University	Providence, Rhode Island	9.3%
Pomona College	Claremont, California	9.4%
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	9.4%
Claremont McKenna College	Claremont, California	9.4%
United States Military Academy	West Point, New York	10%
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering	Needham, Massachusetts	10.2%
Dartmouth College	Hanover, New Hampshire	10.6%
Top 20
Northwestern University	Evanston, Illinois	10.7%
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee	10.7%
Duke University	Durham, North Carolina	10.8%
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, Maryland	11.8%
Colby College	Waterville, Maine	12.1%
Tulane University	New Orleans, Los Angeles	13%
Harvey Mudd College	Claremont, California	12.9%
Pitzer College	Claremont, California	13.7%
Amherst College	Amherst, Massachusetts	13.7%
Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	14.1%
Top 30
College of the Ozarks	Point Lookout, Missouri	14.2%
Bowdoin College	Brunswick, Maine	14.8%
Cooper Union	New York City, New York	15.1%
Rice University	Houston, Texas	15.1%
University of California-Berkeley	Berkeley, California	16%
Mississippi Valley State University	Itta Bena, Mississippi	16.2%
The United States Air Force Academy	USAF, Colorado	16.6%
Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri	17.1%
Middlebury College	Middlebury, Vermont	17.3%
Tufts University	Medford, Massachusetts	17.3%
Top 40
Georgetown University	Washington, DC	17.4%
Rust College	Holly Springs, Mississippi	17.6%
Colorado College	Colorado Springs, Colorado	18%
University of Southern California	Los Angeles, California	18%
The United States Coast Guard Academy	New London, Connecticut	18.1%
University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA)	Los Angeles, California	18.5%
Williams College	Williamstown, Massachusetts	19.4%
Washington and Lee University	Lexington, Virginia	19.6%
Liberty University	Lynchburg, Virginia	20.3%
Florida Memorial University	Miami, Florida	20.5%
Top 50
New York University	New York City, New York	21%
University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, Indiana	21.5%
Davidson College	Davidson, North Carolina	21.7%
Missouri Valley College	Marshall, Missouri	22.2%
United States Merchant Marine Academy	Kings Point, New York	22.4%
Carleton College	Northfield, Minnesota	22.8%
Vassar College	Poughkeepsie, New York	23.5%
Barnard College	New York, New York	23.7%
Wesleyan University	Middletown, Connecticut	23.9%
Fort Valley State University	Fort Valley, Georgia	24.2%
Top 60
Art Academy of Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio	24.3%
Robert Morris University	Chicago, Illinois	24.4%
Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	24.6%
Haverford College	Haverford, Pennsylvania	24.7%
Kenyon College	Gambier, Ohio	25.1%
Bates CollegeJackson State University	Lewiston, MaineJackson, Mississippi	25.4%
Colgate University	Hamilton, New York	26.1%
Warner University	Lake Wales, Florida	26.2%
Babson College	Wellesley, Massachusetts	26.4%
Hamilton College	Clinton, New York	26.4%
Top 70
Emory University	Atlanta, Georgia	26.8%
Case Western Reserve University	Cleveland, Ohio	27%
Lincoln University	Lincoln University, Pennsylvania	27.1%
Edward Waters College	Jacksonville, Florida	27.3%
Scripps College	Claremont, California	27.4%
California Institute of Arts	Valencia, California	27.7%
CUNY–Baruch College	New York City, New York	28%
Grinnell College	Grinnell, Iowa	28%
College of New Rochelle	New Rochelle, New York	28.5%
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	28.5%
Top 80
CUNY–Lehman College	Bronx, New York	29%
University of Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia	29%
Hampton University	Hampton, Virginia	29.1%
Lafayette College	Easton, Pennsylvania	29.8%
Chicago State University	Chicago, Illinois	30%
Calumet College of St. Joseph	Whiting, Indiana	30.3%
Wellesley College	Wellesley, Massachusetts	30.5%
Bucknell University	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	30.7%
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo, California	30.9%
Hope International University	Fullerton, California	31%
Top 90
Wilson College	Chambersburg, Pennsylvania	31.4%
Southwestern Adventist University	Keene, Texas	31.5%
University of Richmond	University of Richmond, Virginia	31.9%
Northeastern University	Boston, Massachusetts	32%
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor, Michigan	32.3%
Ohio Valley University	Vienna, West Virginia	32.5%
Oberlin College	Oberlin, Ohio	32.7%
College of William and Mary	Williamsburg, Virginia	33%
Trinity College	Hartford, Connecticut	33%
Webb Institute	Glen Cove, New York	33%
Top 100

What to Consider When Researching College’s Acceptance Rates

Acceptance rates only provide a single data about a school. Applicants should consider other factors such as the school’s average GPA, the SAT/ ACT scores, how many students apply to the school, the enrollment rate, and other data to fully understand the acceptance rate.

A 5% acceptance rate from Stanford may seem intimidating, but applicants should consider the total number of applicants and what that 5% acceptance really means. So, if for instance, Stanford admits 5% of applicants, but the school receives 100,000 applications, that just means that 5,000 students will be accepted. In contrast, if you apply to a school with a 50% acceptance rate, but that school only receives 10,000 applicants, the school will admit 5,000. 

So, even though the acceptance rates differ greatly, the number of applicants is the same. Applicants should keep data in perspective when comparing schools, rankings, and data points.

Most universities often accept more students than they can take. This is due to the fact that not all students who are accepted will enroll. Assessing the percentage of students who enroll against students accepted provides additional information. If the school has a 50% acceptance rate, but 80% of students enroll (40% of the total applicants), then you may have a different perspective on the college, knowing that most accepted students wish to attend.

Benefits of Low College Acceptance Rates

The colleges with the lowest acceptance rates also naturally feature prestige and name recognition. This explains why several Ivy League schools appear on our list of colleges with the lowest acceptance rates.

1. Career Opportunities

Attending a selective school can translate into networking and career opportunities after graduation. Thanks to prestigious alumni networks, many of these schools help professionals advance their careers long after graduation. Many of these schools also focus on academic research, investing in state-of-the-art technologies, and carrying out cutting-edge experiments. Students interested in research careers benefit from attending these schools.

2. Salary Benefits

Attending a selective school can also bring salary benefits. Graduates from Ivy League schools report higher earnings than other graduates. Ten years after gaining admission, an Ivy League grad receives double the salary of grads from other colleges.

Applying to Colleges with Low Acceptance Rates

All colleges have different standards. Juilliard, for example, requires different qualifications than Stanford or Harvard, and applicants to the performing arts school must pass an audition to gain admission.

In a competitive applicant pool, how can you make your application stand out?

1. Strong GPA

Schools with the lowest acceptance rates look for a strong academic record. Students can boost their GPA by taking AP classes. Transcripts should show the admissions committee that applicants can handle college-level work. Dodging hard classes can backfire. Taking practice tests or an SAT or ACT prep course can help students perform better on their standardized test scores.

2. Be more than academic

In addition to academics, schools look for well-versed applicants who bring something unique to the student body. Highlighting volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and work experience can help applicants stand out.

3. Write a great essay

College essays also play a key role in admissions. Applicants should devote several weeks to writing and reviewing their essays. Ask for feedback from teachers or mentors to improve the essays, and make sure to personalize the essay for each school.

4. Have a solid recommendation letter

Recommendation letters can actually make or break an application. Students should pick teachers or mentors who know them well. Contact letter writers at least one month before the application deadline. Rather than just asking for a recommendation letter, provide as much information as possible. Students should offer a list of their academic achievements, extracurriculars, or papers they wrote for the class.

5. Review as much as you can

Before submitting any application, students should review the entire application as much as they can. Sloppy errors draw the wrong kind of attention during the admissions process. You don’t want to lose out on admission because of spelling errors.

FAQ on College with Lowest Acceptance Rates