What is the Cut? College Acceptance Rates for 150 Popular Schools
College Acceptance Rates for 150 Popular Schools
When applying to colleges or universities, one important factor to consider is the acceptance rate, which is the percentage of applicants who are admitted to a particular institution. Acceptance rates can vary widely among schools, and they can be influenced by factors such as the number of applicants, the strength of their applications, and the size of the institution’s incoming class.
Understanding acceptance rates is important for several reasons. For students, knowing the acceptance rate of a particular school can help them assess their chances of being admitted and make informed decisions about where to apply. For colleges and universities, acceptance rates can be used to gauge the level of interest in their institution and to make strategic decisions about their admissions process.
In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of over 150 popular schools with their acceptance rates, institution type, and location. We will also answer common questions about college acceptance rates, including which schools have the highest and lowest acceptance rates, which Ivy League schools are easiest to get into, and which universities have the highest acceptance rates for international students. Our goal is to provide readers with useful information that can help them navigate the college admissions process and make informed decisions about their future.
Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates
Colleges with the lowest acceptance rates are some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. These and only admit a small fraction of them.
Below are the list of 10 colleges with the lowest acceptance rate:
| College | Location | Ranking (2022) | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1 | 3.4% |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | 2 | 3.8% |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | 3 | 3.7% |
| California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | 4 | 6.4% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 5 | 6.7% |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | 6 | 4.6% |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | 7 | 4.4% |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | 9 | 5.8% |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | 10 | 5.5% |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 11 | 6.2% |
Colleges with Highest Acceptance Rates
When it comes to college acceptance rates, some institutions have much higher rates than others.
The colleges with the highest acceptance rates are typically less selective schools that offer open admissions policies or have less rigorous admissions standards. These schools often have higher acceptance rates because they accept a large number of applicants, including those who may not meet traditional admissions criteria.
Here are some of the colleges with the highest acceptance rates:
| College | Location | Acceptance Rate | U.S. News Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, MO | 100% | #3 (Regional Colleges-Midwest) |
| Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes, KY | 99.3% | #28 (Regional Colleges-South) |
| University of Pikeville | Pikeville, KY | 97.7% | #49 (Regional Colleges-South) |
| Cameron University | Lawton, OK | 97.6% | #90 (Regional Universities-West) |
| Midland University | Fremont, NE | 96.9% | #43 (Regional Colleges-Midwest) |
| Jarvis Christian College | Hawkins, TX | 96.7% | Unranked |
| Rust College | Holly Springs, MS | 96.5% | Unranked |
| Miles College | Fairfield, AL | 96.3% | Unranked |
| Blue Mountain College | Blue Mountain, MS | 95.9% | Unranked |
| Harris-Stowe State Univ. | St. Louis, MO | 95.4% | #123-#165 (Regional Universities-Midwest) |
While high acceptance rates may suggest that a college is less selective, it is important to note that these colleges may still have rigorous academic standards and provide students with valuable educational experiences.
College Acceptance Rates for 150 Popular U.S. Schools
| School | Location | Institution Type | Fall 2021 Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tempe, AZ
|
Private
|
88% |
|
|
Auburn, AL
|
Private
|
71% |
|
|
Waco, TX
|
Private
|
57% |
|
|
Boise, ID
|
Public
|
83% |
|
|
Boston College
|
Chestnut Hill, MA
|
Private
|
19% |
|
Boston, MA
|
Private
|
19% |
|
|
Provo, UT
|
Private
|
59% |
|
|
Providence, RI
|
Private
|
6% |
|
|
California Institute of Technology
|
Pasadena, CA
|
Private
|
4% |
|
Pittsburgh, PA
|
Private
|
14% |
|
Clemson, SC
|
Public
|
49% |
|
|
Colorado State University
|
Fort Collins, CO
|
Public
|
90% |
|
Ithaca, NY
|
Private
|
9% |
|
|
Dartmouth College
|
Hanover, NH
|
Private
|
6% |
|
Chicago, IL
|
Private
|
69% |
|
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
Private
|
83% |
|
|
Durham, NC
|
Private
|
6% |
|
|
East Carolina University
|
Greenville, NC
|
Public
|
94% |
|
Ypsilanti, MI
|
Public
|
85% |
|
|
Elon, NC
|
Private
|
78% |
|
Atlanta, GA
|
Private
|
13% |
|
|
Tallahassee, FL |
Public |
35% |
|
|
Boca Raton, FL
|
Public
|
78% |
|
|
Florida International University
|
Miami, FL
|
Public
|
64% |
|
Tallahassee, FL
|
Public
|
37% |
|
|
Bronx, NY
|
Private
|
58% |
|
|
Washington, D.C.
|
Private
|
50% |
|
|
Washington, D.C.
|
Private
|
12% |
|
|
Georgia Institute of Technology
|
Atlanta, GA
|
Public
|
16% |
|
Spokane, WA
|
Private
|
76% |
|
Hampton, VA
|
Private
|
80% |
|
|
Cambridge, MA
|
Private
|
4% |
|
|
Hempstead, NY
|
Private
|
68% |
|
|
Washington, D.C.
|
Private
|
35% |
|
|
Bloomington, IN
|
Public
|
85% |
|
|
Ames, IA
|
Public
|
91% |
|
|
Baltimore, MD
|
Private
|
8% |
|
|
Manhattan, KS
|
Public
|
96% |
|
|
Bethlehem, PA
|
Private
|
46% |
|
|
Lynchburg, VA
|
Private
|
99% |
|
Louisiana State University
|
Baton Rouge, LA
|
Public
|
71% |
|
Ruston, LA
|
Public
|
66% |
|
|
Milwaukee, WI
|
Private
|
86% |
|
|
Huntington, WV
|
Public
|
98% |
|
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|
Cambridge, MA
|
Private
|
4% |
|
Oxford, OH
|
Public
|
89% |
|
|
East Lansing, MI
|
Public
|
83% |
|
|
Mississippi State University
|
Mississippi State, MS
|
Public
|
76% |
|
New Mexico State University
|
Las Cruces, NM
|
Public
|
57% |
|
New York, NY
|
Private
|
13% |
|
North Carolina State University
|
Raleigh, NC
|
Public
|
47% |
|
Fargo, ND
|
Public
|
95% |
|
|
Boston, MA
|
Private
|
18% |
|
|
Flagstaff, AZ
|
Public
|
78% |
|
|
Evanston, IL
|
Private
|
7% |
|
|
Columbus, OH
|
Public
|
57% |
|
|
Athens, OH
|
Public
|
89% |
|
|
Stillwater, OK
|
Public
|
68% |
|
|
Corvallis, OR
|
Public
|
89% |
|
|
University Park, PA
|
Public
|
92% |
|
Malibu, CA
|
Private
|
53% |
|
|
Princeton, NJ
|
Private
|
4% |
|
|
West Lafayette, IN
|
Public
|
69% |
|
|
Houston, TX
|
Private
|
9% |
|
|
New Brunswick, NJ
|
Public
|
68% |
|
|
San Diego, CA
|
Public
|
38% |
|
|
South Orange, NJ
|
Private
|
77% |
|
|
Dallas, TX
|
Private
|
53% |
|
|
Queens, NY
|
Private
|
85% |
|
|
Stanford, CA
|
Private
|
4% |
|
Syracuse, NY
|
Private
|
59% |
|
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
Public
|
72% |
|
|
College Station, TX |
Public |
64% |
|
|
Fort Worth, TX
|
Private
|
54% |
|
|
Lubbock, TX
|
Public
|
68% |
|
|
Medford, MA
|
Private
|
11% |
|
|
New Orleans, LA
|
Private
|
10% |
|
|
Tuscaloosa, AL
|
Public
|
79% |
|
|
Birmingham, AL
|
Public
|
89% |
|
|
Tucson, AZ
|
Public
|
87% |
|
Fayetteville, AR
|
Public
|
83% |
|
|
Berkeley, CA
|
Public
|
14% |
|
|
University of California, Davis
|
Davis, CA
|
Public
|
49% |
|
Irvine, CA
|
Public
|
29% |
|
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
Public
|
11% |
|
|
La Jolla, CA
|
Public
|
34% |
|
|
Santa Barbara, CA
|
Public
|
29% |
|
|
Orlando, FL
|
Public
|
36% |
|
|
Chicago, IL
|
Private
|
6% |
|
|
Cincinnati, OH
|
Public
|
85% |
|
Boulder, CO
|
Public
|
80% |
|
|
Storrs, CT
|
Public
|
56% |
|
|
Gainesville, FL
|
Public
|
30% |
|
|
Athens, GA
|
Public
|
40% |
|
|
Houston, TX
|
Public
|
66% |
|
|
Champaign, IL
|
Public
|
60% |
|
|
Iowa City, IA
|
Public
|
86% |
|
|
Lawrence, KS
|
Public
|
92% |
|
|
Lexington, KY
|
Public
|
94% |
|
|
Louisville, KY
|
Public
|
75% |
|
Orono, ME
|
Public
|
96% |
|
|
University of Maryland
|
College Park, MD
|
Public
|
52% |
|
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
|
Baltimore, MD
|
Public
|
81% |
|
Amherst, MA
|
Public
|
66% |
|
|
Memphis, TN
|
Public
|
95% |
|
|
Coral Gables, FL
|
Private
|
28% |
|
|
Ann Arbor, MI
|
Public
|
20% |
|
|
Minneapolis, MN
|
Public
|
73% |
|
|
University, MS
|
Public
|
90% |
|
|
Columbia, MO
|
Public
|
77% |
|
Lincoln, NE
|
Public
|
81% |
|
|
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
|
Las Vegas, NV
|
Public
|
83% |
|
Durham, NH
|
Public
|
87% |
|
|
University of New Mexico
|
Albuquerque, NM
|
Public
|
97% |
|
Chapel Hill, NC
|
Public
|
20% |
|
|
Charlotte, NC
|
Public
|
79% |
|
|
Wilmington, NC
|
Public
|
68% |
|
|
Grand Forks, ND
|
Public
|
89% |
|
|
Denton, TX
|
Public
|
81% |
|
|
Notre Dame, IN
|
Private
|
15% |
|
Norman, OK
|
Public
|
85% |
|
|
Eugene, OR
|
Public
|
93% |
|
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
Private
|
6% |
|
|
Pittsburgh, PA
|
Public
|
67% |
|
|
Kingston, RI
|
Public
|
76% |
|
|
San Diego, CA
|
Private
|
53% |
|
|
Columbia, SC
|
Public
|
62% |
|
|
Tampa, FL
|
Public
|
49% |
|
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
Private
|
13% |
|
|
Knoxville, TN
|
Public
|
75% |
|
Arlington, TX
|
Public
|
93% |
|
|
Austin, TX
|
Public
|
29% |
|
|
Richardson, TX
|
Public
|
87% |
|
|
Tulsa, OK
|
Private
|
75% |
|
|
Salt Lake City, UT
|
Public
|
95% |
|
|
Burlington, VT
|
Public
|
64% |
|
|
Charlottesville, VA
|
Public
|
21% |
|
|
Seattle, WA
|
Public
|
53% |
|
|
Madison, WI
|
Public
|
60% |
|
|
Logan, UT
|
Public
|
93% |
|
Nashville, TN
|
Private
|
7% |
|
|
Villanova, PA
|
Private
|
25% |
|
|
Blacksburg, VA
|
Public
|
56% |
|
|
Winston-Salem, NC
|
Private
|
25% |
|
|
Pullman, WA
|
Public
|
86% |
|
|
St. Louis, MO
|
Private
|
13% |
|
|
Morgantown, WV
|
Public
|
90% |
|
|
Western Michigan University
|
Kalamazoo, MI
|
Public
|
83% |
|
William & Mary
|
Williamsburg, VA |
Public |
37% |
|
New Haven, CT
|
Private
|
5% |
How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Accepted Into your College of Choice?
When applying to colleges with low acceptance rates, it’s essential to be proactive about the competitiveness of your application. Here are some ways to increase your chances of getting accepted:
- Write a Compelling Essay: Many schools consider the personal statement to be the most critical part of your application. Use this opportunity to go beyond the data and showcase who you are and how you’ll contribute to the school.
- Get a High SAT/ACT Score: SAT or ACT scores are often required for admission. To prepare, use high-quality study materials and focus on your weaknesses. Remember that you can retake the test to improve your score.
- Earn Good Grades in Tough Classes: Having a rigorous course schedule and high GPA is a starting point for competitive schools. Challenge yourself and excel academically to stand out from other applicants.
- Secure Strong Letters of Recommendation: Include letters that speak to your character, achievements, and exceptional qualities. They can help you stand apart from other applicants.
- Apply Early and Interview if Possible: Applying early action or early decision, and undergoing college or alumni interviews, demonstrates your commitment to the school and your determination to attend.
By taking these steps, you can enhance the strength of your application and increase your chances of acceptance to your desired colleges.
In conclusion, acceptance rates are a crucial factor to consider when applying to universities. While some universities have high acceptance rates, others are notoriously difficult to get into.
It is important to note that acceptance rates should not be the only factor considered when choosing a university, as factors such as program quality, location, and student life are equally important. We hope this article has been informative and helpful in guiding you through the college application process.
