Top 100 Universities & Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates in US

Last updated on October 5th, 2023 at 09:40 pm

When choosing a University or College in the US to further your degree program, some of the most important factors to consider are the:

Acceptance Rate,
Yield, or Enrollment Rate.
Others include the GPA score and SAT/ACT scores.

These factors vary from one institution to another. There are schools with a very low acceptance rate and there are some with high acceptance rates.

Although they’re highly competitive and the majority of them are selective in admission processes, Universities with low acceptance rates have their benefits over those with high acceptance rates.

In this article, we will list out the top universities and colleges in the United States with the lowest acceptance rate and we are going to show you some of the benefits you will find in low acceptance rate universities or colleges.

Top Universities and Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates.

Institutions	School 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%
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%

Benefits of Attending Universities or Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates

Institutions with low acceptance rates often have low enrollment rates, admission is highly competitive and highly selective. This is because they are highly ranked, topmost prestigious institutions and the prestige follows their graduates everywhere they find themselves.

Below are some of the benefits you will enjoy if you are admitted into one of these schools.

1. Career Opportunities

The majority of the institutions in the US with low acceptance rates are highly selective in their application processes, however, there are endless opportunities these universities can present to you.

Some of these opportunities are:

Networking: you will get a chance to network with the institution’s great alumni members who work in reputable organisations across the states.
Recommendations: Getting a recommendation from professionals in top universities is a plus to getting scholarships, contract offers and job offers.

2. Salary Benefits

Most top organizations out there are looking to hire the best. They consider your academic performance and your great citadel of learning can be key to why hiring managers would want to look at your resume twice. When companies hire the best, they also prepare a competitive salary. Also, high prestige institutions get the best jobs with better pay. You could even get a chance to work with a reputable company while you are still studying.

What you need to get into a university or College with low acceptance rates

Below are basic requirements that can increase your chances of getting admission into a university or college with a very low acceptance rate:

1. Maintain a high cumulative GPA

The first thing many institutions look at is the cumulative GPA score of candidates applying to their schools. GPA is vital if you want to get admission into the best schools with the lowest acceptance rate in the United States of America. A high GPA can increase your chances of getting admission faster than any other thing.

2. Good ACT or SAT scores

While there are schools in the United States that do not require a compulsory SAT/ACT score, the majority of the top institutions require a certain range of SAT or ACT scores, generally a minimum of average scores.

3. Show Leadership Skills

Taking leadership roles and participating in community development and extracurricular activities in your high school can improve your chances of getting admitted into the top university of your choice.

3. Learn how to write a good essay

Although not all schools in the US will ask you to submit an essay along with your application form, the majority of the high-ranked universities and colleges will ask you to forward an essay.

4. Get a professional recommendation

When asked to provide a recommendation letter during your application, do not get a recommendation from a random person. Make sure each referee is a professional relevant to your field of study. It could be your project supervisor, class adviser, or head of the department.

FAQ on Universities and Colleges with Lowest Acceptance Rates

Which university is the hardest to get into?

Universities with the lowest acceptance rate are the most difficult schools to get into. They typically have low enrollment rates or yield rates and are highly selective.

How can I get accepted into top universities in the US?

To get admission into one of the top-ranked universities or colleges in the US, you must strive to have good grades and maintain them through high school. Participate in community services as many times as you can. Build strong leadership skills, and volunteer for organizations if you can. Lastly, get involved in extracurricular activities.

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