Virginia Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 15 public colleges in Virginia with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. University of Virginia Main Campus leads the list by accepting 17% 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 Virginia Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Charlottesville, Virginia

17%
29%

Williamsburg, Virginia

34%

Blacksburg, Virginia

55%

Lexington, Virginia

71%

Harrisonburg, Virginia

72%

Fredericksburg, Virginia

80%

Newport News, Virginia

86%

Fairfax, Virginia

87%

Norfolk, Virginia

88%

Petersburg, Virginia

89%

Farmville, Virginia

90%

Norfolk, Virginia

90%

Radford, Virginia

90%
93%

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.