Pennsylvania Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 82 private colleges in Pennsylvania with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Curtis Institute of Music leads the list by accepting 5% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Pennsylvania Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College	Acceptance Rate
Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	5%
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	5%
Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	7%
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	12%
Haverford College Haverford, Pennsylvania	12%
Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	26%
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania	27%
Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, Pennsylvania	28%
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania	29%
Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	29%
Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania	31%
Gettysburg College Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	39%
Saint Joseph's University Lancaster Lancaster, Pennsylvania	41%
Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania	42%
Moravian University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	54%
Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania	55%
Lancaster Bible College Lancaster, Pennsylvania	56%
Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	56%

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.