Most Selective Colleges in America: Top 100 by Acceptance Rate
2026 Snapshot of U.S. College Admission Selectivity
California Institute of Technology leads this screened Top 100 with an official College Scorecard admission rate of 2.57% for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. Minerva University follows at 3.04%, with Stanford University third at 3.61%.
The ranking covers distinct four-year U.S. IPEDS reporting institutions in the 50 states and District of Columbia that report non-open admissions, received at least 1,000 first-time undergraduate applications and had at least 500 undergraduate students in the Fall 2024 enrollment data. Lower acceptance rates rank higher.
The table is a compiled research dataset based on 6 official federal or institutional sources, with row-level source and method notes shown in the ranking table. All 100 ranking values are official_value observations taken from the published College Scorecard ADM_RATE field. There are 0 calculated_value, 0 official_forecast and 0 modeled_projection rows.
Official College Scorecard ADM_RATE for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle.
The 100th confirmed institution after the common eligibility screen.
Institutions across 30 states plus the District of Columbia.
At least 1,000 first-time applicants and 500 undergraduate students in Fall 2024 enrollment data.
What the ranking measures
Acceptance rate is the share of first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate applicants admitted by an institution for the reported fall admissions cycle. The ranking uses the College Scorecard ADM_RATE field directly rather than recalculating a higher-precision percentage from applicant and admitted counts.
When two institutions have the same published ADM_RATE, alphabetical order is used as a deterministic tiebreaker for the sequential display rank. The ordering does not imply a difference in the published acceptance rate.
Top 10 lowest published acceptance rates
The ten lowest official rates run from 2.57% at Caltech to 5.22% at Northeastern University.
Top 10 by official Fall 2024 admission rate
| Rank | Entity | Acceptance Rate | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Institute of Technology | 2.57% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 2 | Minerva University | 3.04% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 3 | Stanford University | 3.61% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 4 | Harvard University | 3.65% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 5 | Yale University | 3.87% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CT |
| 6 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 3.99% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 4.48% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · IL |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.55% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 9 | Princeton University | 4.62% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NJ |
| 10 | Northeastern University | 5.22% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
Chart: Top 20 lowest official admission rates
The chart uses the same published College Scorecard values as the ranking table.
Methodology
Ranking metric
The ranking uses College Scorecard ADM_RATE, the directly published federal admission-rate field. Lower values rank higher.
Snapshot year
This is a 2026 snapshot based on the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. No Fall 2026 acceptance rates are estimated.
Eligibility screen
Four-year IPEDS institution; 50 states or District of Columbia; non-open admissions; at least 1,000 first-time undergraduate applicants; at least 500 undergraduate students in Fall 2024 enrollment data; positive published admission rate.
Institution identity
Each distinct IPEDS UNITID is treated as a separate reporting institution.
Official values only
Applicant and admission counts are used for screening and verification. The ranking does not create higher-precision calculated acceptance rates.
Equal published rates
When two institutions have the same published ADM_RATE, alphabetical order is used as a deterministic tiebreaker for the sequential display rank. This does not imply a difference in selectivity at the published precision.
The metric does not measure academic quality, affordability, graduation outcomes, research strength or an individual applicant's probability of admission. Service academies and specialized arts schools can also operate under eligibility, nomination, audition or portfolio requirements that make their applicant pools different from conventional colleges.
Main ranking: 100 lowest official acceptance rates
100 confirmed rows shown
Top 100 screened U.S. institutions by published College Scorecard acceptance rate
| Rank | Entity | Acceptance Rate | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Institute of Technology | 2.57% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 2 | Minerva University | 3.04% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 3 | Stanford University | 3.61% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 4 | Harvard University | 3.65% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 5 | Yale University | 3.87% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CT |
| 6 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 3.99% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 4.48% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · IL |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.55% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 9 | Princeton University | 4.62% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NJ |
| 10 | Northeastern University | 5.22% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 11 | Brown University | 5.39% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · RI |
| 12 | Dartmouth College | 5.40% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NH · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | 5.40% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 14 | Duke University | 5.71% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NC |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University | 5.86% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · TN |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 6.44% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MD |
| 17 | Colby College | 7.09% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · ME · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 18 | Pomona College | 7.09% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 19 | Bowdoin College | 7.13% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · ME |
| 20 | Swarthmore College | 7.46% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 21 | Northwestern University | 7.69% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · IL |
| 22 | Rice University | 8.00% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · TX |
| 23 | Williams College | 8.25% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 24 | Cornell University | 8.76% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 25 | Barnard College | 8.84% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 26 | University of California-Los Angeles | 8.97% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 27 | Amherst College | 9.01% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 28 | The Juilliard School | 9.15% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY · audition-based admissions affect comparability |
| 29 | New York University | 9.23% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 30 | United States Naval Academy | 9.30% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MD · service-academy eligibility affects comparability |
| 31 | Claremont McKenna College | 9.59% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 32 | University of Southern California | 9.81% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 33 | Stanbridge University | 10.00% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 34 | Emory University | 10.65% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · GA |
| 35 | Middlebury College | 10.75% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · VT |
| 36 | University of California-Berkeley | 10.98% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 37 | Boston University | 11.11% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 38 | University of Notre Dame | 11.27% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · IN |
| 39 | Tufts University | 11.49% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 40 | Carnegie Mellon University | 11.66% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 41 | College of the Ozarks | 11.99% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MO |
| 42 | Washington University in St Louis | 12.06% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MO |
| 43 | Haverford College | 12.37% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 44 | United States Military Academy | 12.45% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY · service-academy eligibility affects comparability |
| 45 | Harvey Mudd College | 12.66% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 46 | Georgetown University | 12.91% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · DC |
| 47 | Bates College | 13.30% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · ME |
| 48 | Davidson College | 13.40% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NC |
| 49 | Hamilton College | 13.60% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 50 | Colgate University | 13.90% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 51 | Washington and Lee University | 13.97% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · VA |
| 52 | Tulane University of Louisiana | 13.98% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · LA |
| 53 | Wellesley College | 14.05% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 54 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 14.07% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · GA |
| 55 | United States Air Force Academy | 14.09% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CO · service-academy eligibility affects comparability |
| 56 | Grinnell College | 14.51% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · IA |
| 57 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 15.35% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NC |
| 58 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 15.64% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MI |
| 59 | Boston College | 16.43% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 60 | Wesleyan University | 16.49% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CT |
| 61 | Northeastern University Oakland | 16.65% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA · separate IPEDS UNITID 118888 |
| 62 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 16.81% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · VA |
| 63 | Babson College | 17.09% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 64 | Denison University | 17.39% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · OH |
| 65 | College of the Holy Cross | 17.61% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 66 | Colorado College | 18.47% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CO |
| 67 | Vassar College | 18.57% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 68 | Rhode Island School of Design | 18.66% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · RI · portfolio-based admissions affect comparability |
| 69 | University of Miami | 18.90% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · FL |
| 70 | Berea College | 19.34% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · KY |
| 71 | Carleton College | 20.41% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MN |
| 72 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 20.56% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · FL |
| 73 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | 20.71% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 74 | Hillsdale College | 20.72% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MI |
| 75 | Smith College | 21.00% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MA |
| 76 | Skidmore College | 21.10% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY |
| 77 | Wake Forest University | 21.70% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NC |
| 78 | University of Richmond | 22.20% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · VA |
| 79 | United States Coast Guard Academy | 22.44% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CT · service-specific eligibility affects comparability |
| 80 | The Citadel | 22.70% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · SC |
| 81 | Crown College | 22.78% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MN |
| 82 | Florida State University | 24.20% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · FL · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 83 | University of Florida | 24.20% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · FL · same published rate; alphabetical tiebreaker |
| 84 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy | 24.50% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · NY · audition-based admissions affect comparability |
| 85 | Reed College | 24.60% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · OR |
| 86 | Spelman College | 24.90% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · GA |
| 87 | Pitzer College | 25.20% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 88 | Trinity University | 25.92% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · TX |
| 89 | Lehigh University | 25.93% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 90 | The University of Texas at Austin | 26.60% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · TX |
| 91 | University of California-San Diego | 26.70% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 92 | Villanova University | 27.00% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 93 | Franklin and Marshall College | 28.20% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 94 | Macalester College | 28.52% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MN |
| 95 | University of Virginia's College at Wise | 28.54% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · VA |
| 96 | University of California-Irvine | 28.60% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CA |
| 97 | Bucknell University | 28.93% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA |
| 98 | Mississippi Christian University | 29.11% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · MS · source-cycle name: Mississippi College |
| 99 | Trinity College | 29.25% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · CT |
| 100 | Bryn Mawr College | 29.40% | official_value · College Scorecard ADM_RATE · source year: 2024 · target year: 2024 · PA · Top 100 cutoff |
Values are ranked from the directly published College Scorecard ADM_RATE field. IPEDS applicant counts and Fall 2024 undergraduate enrollment are used to apply the common eligibility screen, not to create higher-precision ranking values.
Insights from the Top 100
Key Insight
The Top 20 remains below 7.5%, while the 100th position is 29.40%.
Notable Pattern
Thirty-two institutions have published rates below 10%. Stanbridge University at 10.00% is the first institution outside that group.
Regional Concentration
California contributes 14 institutions, Massachusetts 12, New York 12 and Pennsylvania 9. Together they account for 47 of the 100 rows.
Outlier
Caltech at 2.57% and Minerva University at 3.04% are the only institutions in the screened dataset below 3.1%.
How to interpret the ranking
A lower acceptance rate means a smaller share of the reported applicant pool was admitted in that cycle. It does not establish that one college provides better education, stronger outcomes or better value than another.
Service academies can impose nomination, citizenship, medical and physical requirements, while specialized arts institutions can use auditions or portfolios. Separately reported campuses are included when they have their own IPEDS UNITID and meet the same screen.
FAQ
Which college has the lowest acceptance rate in this ranking?
California Institute of Technology ranks first with a published College Scorecard admission rate of 2.57%.
Are these 2026 acceptance rates?
No. This is a 2026 snapshot using the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. No 2026 acceptance rates are projected.
Are the values calculated by StatRanker?
No. The ranking uses the directly published College Scorecard ADM_RATE field.
Why are some small selective colleges excluded?
The common screen requires at least 1,000 first-time undergraduate applicants and at least 500 undergraduate students in the Fall 2024 enrollment data.
Why can separate campuses appear independently?
A campus with its own IPEDS UNITID is treated as a separate federal reporting institution when it meets the same inclusion rules.
How are equal acceptance rates handled?
When institutions have the same published ADM_RATE, alphabetical order is used as a deterministic tiebreaker for the sequential display rank. This does not imply a difference in the published acceptance rate.
Does a lower acceptance rate mean a better college?
No. Acceptance rate measures admissions selectivity, not educational quality, affordability or student outcomes.
Are service academies directly comparable with conventional colleges?
Not completely. Nominations, citizenship, medical, physical and other requirements can materially affect their applicant pools.
Sources
U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard Data
Primary numeric source for the ADM_RATE values used in the ranking.
College Scorecard Institution Data Documentation
Technical documentation for institution-level College Scorecard variables and their IPEDS source lineage.
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf
NCES IPEDS Complete Data Files
Federal source used for admissions counts, institution characteristics, Fall 2024 undergraduate enrollment and screening checks.
https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/DataFiles.aspx?gotoReportId=7&rtid=1&year=2024
NCES IPEDS Fall 2024 Admissions Survey Materials
Defines the first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate admissions population.
https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data/download-survey-material/2024/admissions/package_14_102.pdf
NCES IPEDS — Northeastern University Oakland
Federal record confirming Northeastern University Oakland as a separate IPEDS reporting institution.
https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/dfr/2025/ReportHTML.aspx?unitId=118888
Mississippi Christian University — Official Name Change
Used to map the Fall 2024 Mississippi College record to the current institution name.
https://www.mc.edu/news/mississippi-college-becomes-mississippi-christian-university
