Most Selective U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 249 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, sorted by acceptance rate from lowest to highest. These are the most selective schools in the U.S.
California Institute of Technology is the most selective, accepting just 3% of 13,856 applicants. Also highly selective: Minerva University, Yale University and University of Chicago.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Trine University Regional/Non Traditional Campuses
- Private 4 Year
- Angola, IN
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| 0 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
Trine is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and health sciences. The residential campus is located in the small town of Angola in northeastern Indiana.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $15,788
Carolina University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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| 0 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
Carolina University is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and education. Most programs are taught within an evangelical Christian framework on its Winston-Salem campus.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Net Price $20,412
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- Public 4 Year
- Pine Bluff, AR
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| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
UAPB is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aquaculture and agriculture. Students study on a residential campus in Pine Bluff in southeastern Arkansas.
- SAT Range 845-1108
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Net Price $12,373
Howard University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
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4.8 | 4 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Feb 15 application deadline
Howard is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate communications, political science, and business. The urban campus sits in Washington's Shaw neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1090-1320
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $33,368
The New England Conservatory of Music
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
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| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
NEC is a highly selective private music conservatory known for undergraduate performance, composition, and jazz. The urban campus sits in Boston's Fenway neighborhood near major concert halls.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $50,367
Manhattan School of Music
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
Manhattan School of Music is a private conservatory known for undergraduate classical performance, jazz, and composition. The urban campus is in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Net Price $51,767
Wilberforce University
- Private 4 Year
- Wilberforce, OH
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| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Jul 1 application deadline
Wilberforce is a private historically Black university with undergraduate programs in business, communication, and the social sciences. The small campus is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- SAT Range 840-940
- Predicted Avg GPA 2.82
- Net Price $5,533
Hampden Sydney College
- Private 4 Year
- Hampden-Sydney, VA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Hampden-Sydney is a private men's liberal arts college known for undergraduate rhetoric, history, and government. The historic campus sits in a rural setting in south-central Virginia.
- SAT Range 1030-1250
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Net Price $29,717
Saint Joseph's University Lancaster
- Private 4 Year
- Lancaster, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
- SAT Range 1050-1220
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $38,730
Ave Maria University
- Private 4 Year
- Ave Maria, FL
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
Ave Maria is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts. The campus anchors the planned town of Ave Maria in southwest Florida.
- SAT Range 1018-1240
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Net Price $25,294
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary
- Private 4 Year
- El Dorado Hills, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
SUM is a private Bible college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and ministry. The campus is in El Dorado Hills in the Sacramento-area Sierra foothills.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $22,276
University of California Davis
- Public 4 Year
- Davis, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Davis is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, environmental science, and biological sciences. The campus sits in the bike-friendly college town of Davis.
- SAT Range 1160-1400
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $17,270
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
- Public 4 Year
- Champaign, IL
-
4.4 | 5 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Jan 5 application deadline
Illinois is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate computer science and engineering. The campus spans the adjacent college towns of Champaign and Urbana.
- SAT Range 1310-1520
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
- Net Price $13,973
Dillard University
- Private 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Dillard is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, public health, and the sciences. The urban campus sits in New Orleans's Gentilly neighborhood.
- SAT Range 968-1202
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Net Price $21,842
Summit Christian College
- Private 4 Year
- Gering, Nebraska
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Summit Christian is a small private Christian college known for undergraduate biblical studies and ministry. The campus is in Gering in western Nebraska near Scotts Bluff.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $21,803
Brevard College
- Private 4 Year
- Brevard, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Brevard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate wilderness leadership and environmental studies. The campus sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Pisgah National Forest.
- SAT Range 870-1220
- Avg GPA 3.07
- Net Price $26,930
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
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5.0 | 4 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
NC State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and textiles. The campus sits in Raleigh within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Net Price $15,522
Dickinson College
- Private 4 Year
- Carlisle, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Dickinson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies, foreign languages, and environmental science. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Carlisle in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1310-1460
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $38,483