U.S. Colleges with high acceptance rates

Colleges with the Highest Acceptance Rate in America for 2025

These are the least selective public and private four-year colleges in the United States. These colleges historically accept more than seventy-five percent of students who apply for admission and are ranked by acceptance rate. These are good safety schools for your college list and you should have a good chance on getting in if your grades and test scores are above or within their typical admission thresholds. Just because a school is less selective doesn't mean it's a lesser school academically and easy to get into for all students. Unless a college has guaranteed admission or accepts 100% of applicants, you still need sufficient grades to be accepted.

Use the filters on this page to narrow down the list based on your high school GPA, SAT and ACT scores. Once you do, your estimated admission chance will be displayed for each school. Additionally, you can filter the list by state, region or distance from your home to narrow down the list of colleges that are easiest for you to get into.

See also, the best and popular colleges with high acceptance rates. If you're looking for colleges that have easy admission requirements, explore US rankings of the colleges with the lowest SAT scores, lowest ACT scores and lowest GPA's.
High Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

1,263 results nationwide

Penn State Erie Behrend College
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P
Erie, PA

Penn State Erie Behrend College

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Public Universities in Pennsylvania

  • 3,323enrollment
  • $20,964net price
  • 1110-1320SAT range
  • 23-28ACT range
  • 3.49Estimated Avg GPA

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Penn State Harrisburg
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P
Middletown, PA

Penn State Harrisburg

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Public Universities in Pennsylvania

  • 4,651enrollment
  • $22,406net price
  • 1110-1320SAT range
  • 26-30ACT range
  • 3.48Estimated Avg GPA

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University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
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P
Johnstown, PA

University of Pittsburgh Johnstown

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Public Universities in Pennsylvania

  • 1,940enrollment
  • $17,909net price
  • 1040-1255SAT range
  • 19-32ACT range
  • 3.57Avg GPA

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Columbia College
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C
Columbia, SC
 

Columbia College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in South Carolina

  • 1,572enrollment
  • $23,920net price
  • 850-1140SAT range
  • 14-18ACT range
  • 3.56Avg GPA

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Austin Peay State University
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A
Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Public Universities in Tennessee

  • 9,945enrollment
  • $14,679net price
  • 943-1165SAT range
  • 18-23ACT range
  • 3.3Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 4

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Belmont University
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B
Nashville, TN

Belmont University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Tennessee

  • 8,862enrollment
  • $37,558net price
  • 1160-1350SAT range
  • 23-30ACT range
  • 3.83Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 1

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Sul Ross State University
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S
Alpine, TX

Sul Ross State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,942enrollment
  • $12,240net price
  • 933-1098SAT range
  • 13-21ACT range
  • 3.32Avg GPA

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Emory and Henry College
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E
Emory, VA

Emory and Henry College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in Virginia

  • 1,364enrollment
  • $21,714net price
  • 1030-1240SAT range
  • 21-30ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

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Marshall University
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M
Huntington, WV

Marshall University

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Public Universities in West Virginia

  • 11,027enrollment
  • $9,734net price
  • 890-1130SAT range
  • 18-24ACT range
  • 3.68Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 10

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Shepherd University
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S
Shepherdstown, WV

Shepherd University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Public Universities in West Virginia

  • 3,318enrollment
  • $12,651net price
  • 900-1140SAT range
  • 20-24ACT range
  • 3.6Avg GPA

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West Virginia State University
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W
HBCU
Institute, WV

West Virginia State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Public Universities in West Virginia

  • 3,458enrollment
  • $10,878net price
  • 830-1073SAT range
  • 16-22ACT range
  • 3.24Avg GPA

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California State University San Marcos
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C
San Marcos, CA

California State University San Marcos

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

#20 Best Public Universities in California

  • 15,431enrollment
  • $10,500net price
  • 950-1130SAT range
  • 17-22ACT range
  • 3.32Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

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Georgia Gwinnett College
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G
Lawrenceville, GA

Georgia Gwinnett College

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

96% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 11,907enrollment
  • $11,037net price
  • 940-1170SAT range
  • 17-23ACT range
  • 2.88Avg GPA

Applications Due May 3

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University of the Pacific
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T
Stockton, CA

University of the Pacific

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

95% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 6,755enrollment
  • $30,975net price
  • 1160-1420SAT range
  • 23-31ACT range
  • 3.58Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Sonoma State University
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S
Rohnert Park, CA

Sonoma State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

95% Acceptance Rate

#15 Best Public Universities in California

  • 5,990enrollment
  • $15,113net price
  • 950-1150SAT range
  • 17-23ACT range
  • 3.4Avg GPA

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Greenville University
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G
Greenville, IL

Greenville University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

95% Acceptance Rate

#29 Best Private Colleges in Illinois

  • 1,053enrollment
  • $21,442net price
  • 811-1219SAT range
  • 14-24ACT range
  • 3.23Avg GPA

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University of Southern Indiana
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S
Evansville, IN

University of Southern Indiana

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

95% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Public Universities in Indiana

  • 9,282enrollment
  • $14,066net price
  • 1020-1220SAT range
  • 22-28ACT range
  • 3.45Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

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Marian University
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M
Indianapolis, IN

Marian University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

95% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 3,586enrollment
  • $23,225net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.56Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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