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.
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Public 4 Year
- Knoxville, TN
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Tennessee is a large public university known for undergraduate supply chain management, business, and nuclear engineering. The campus borders the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
- SAT Range 1200-1370
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $21,648
University of West Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Livingston, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Aug 10 application deadline
West Alabama is a public university known for undergraduate education and business programs. The campus sits in the small town of Livingston in western Alabama.
- SAT Range 860-1120
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.16
- Net Price $13,954
Casa Loma College Los Angeles
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Casa Loma College is a private career college known for undergraduate allied health programs in MRI technology, physical therapist assisting, and surgical technology. The campus is in Sherman Oaks in the Los Angeles area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $28,167
University of South Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Tampa, FL
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
USF is a large public university known for undergraduate public health, business, and engineering. The main campus is a large urban site in Tampa near Tampa Bay.
- SAT Range 1130-1320
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.64
- Net Price $11,579
Warner University
- Private 4 Year
- Lake Wales, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Warner is a private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry, education, and business. Most students live on the residential campus in Lake Wales.
- SAT Range 790-1070
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Net Price $20,888
Chicago State University
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Chicago State is a public university known for undergraduate education and nursing. The urban campus is located on Chicago's South Side.
- SAT Range 750-963
- Avg GPA 3.18
- Net Price $10,441
Millsaps College
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jul 1 application deadline
Millsaps is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and the sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Jackson.
- SAT Range 1025-1150
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Net Price $27,737
Talmudical Academy New Jersey
- Private 4 Year
- Adelphia, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $10,524
Furman University
- Private 4 Year
- Greenville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Furman is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate biology, political science, and business. The residential campus centers on a lake just outside Greenville.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $34,086
Mount Marty University
- Private 4 Year
- Yankton, SD
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Mount Marty is a small private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The campus sits along the Missouri River in Yankton.
- SAT Range 810-1050
- Avg GPA 3.35
- Net Price $22,242
Southwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Georgetown, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Southwestern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in historic Georgetown, north of Austin.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $32,228
University of Lynchburg
- Private 4 Year
- Lynchburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Sep 1 application deadline
University of Lynchburg is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Students live on a residential campus in Lynchburg near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 980-1230
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Net Price $23,845
Beacon College
- Private 4 Year
- Leesburg, FL
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Beacon College is a small private college known for undergraduate programs designed for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and related learning differences. The residential campus sits in Leesburg in central Florida.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Net Price $46,997
Soka University of America
- Private 4 Year
- Aliso Viejo, CA
-
4.7 | 18 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Soka is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies and a required study-abroad semester. The residential campus sits in the hills of Aliso Viejo in Orange County.
- SAT Range 1333-1510
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $15,691
Occidental College
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Jan 10 application deadline
Occidental is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics, international relations, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in Los Angeles's Eagle Rock neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1380-1520
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Net Price $48,400
Point University
- Private 4 Year
- West Point, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
Point is a small private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry, business, and education. The campus is in the small town of West Point on the Georgia-Alabama border.
- SAT Range 972-1237
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Net Price $19,545
Morehouse College
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Morehouse is a private historically Black men's college known for undergraduate business, political science, and biology. The urban Atlanta campus is part of the Atlanta University Center consortium with neighboring HBCUs.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Net Price $36,292
Berklee College of Music
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Berklee is a private music college known for undergraduate contemporary performance, jazz, and music production. The urban campus is located in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $49,797