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.
Washington Adventist University
- Private 4 Year
- Takoma Park, MD
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| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Washington Adventist is a private Seventh-day Adventist university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The small campus is in Takoma Park just outside Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 860-1130
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $18,154
Coppin State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
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| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Jul 15 application deadline
Coppin State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The urban campus sits in west Baltimore.
- SAT Range 880-1020
- Avg GPA 2.62
- Net Price $9,831
Syracuse University
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Syracuse is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and architecture. The residential campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1270-1440
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Net Price $48,215
The Chicago School at Los Angeles
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
The Chicago School at Los Angeles is a private university known for undergraduate psychology and behavioral sciences. The urban Los Angeles campus centers on professional programs in those fields.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
Pacific Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Angwin, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
Pacific Union College is a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and theology. The rural campus sits in the hills above Napa Valley.
- SAT Range 930-1190
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $22,767
Delaware State University
- Public 4 Year
- Dover, DE
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| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Delaware State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aviation and agriculture. The main campus is in Dover, Delaware's capital city.
- SAT Range 800-1020
- Avg GPA 3.09
- Net Price $13,953
George Washington University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
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| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
- Jan 5 application deadline
George Washington is a private university known for undergraduate international affairs, political science, and public policy. The urban Foggy Bottom campus sits near the White House and major federal agencies.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Net Price $46,485
Cleveland Institute of Music
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, OH
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| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
Cleveland Institute of Music is a private conservatory known for undergraduate classical performance and composition. Students take academic courses through a partnership with nearby Case Western Reserve University in University Circle.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $29,683
Brigham Young University Hawaii
- Private 4 Year
- Laie, HI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
BYU-Hawaii is a small private university known for undergraduate hospitality and tourism management, business, and Pacific Island studies. The seaside campus in Laie sits on Oahu's North Shore and is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- SAT Range 960-1190
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.47
- Net Price $12,410
Santa Clara University
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Clara, CA
-
4.9 | 14 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Jan 7 application deadline
Santa Clara is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and engineering. The historic campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1350-1490
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Net Price $53,883
Rollins College
- Private 4 Year
- Winter Park, FL
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| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Rollins is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and international studies. Most undergrads live on a lakeside campus along Lake Virginia in Winter Park.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $39,201
Governors State University
- Public 4 Year
- University Park, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Apr 1 application deadline
Governors State is a public university known for undergraduate programs in nursing, education, and business. The suburban campus sits in University Park south of Chicago.
- SAT Range 830-1060
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $12,756
Judson University
- Private 4 Year
- Elgin, IL
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| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
Judson is a private Christian university known for undergraduate architecture and the visual arts. The suburban campus sits in Elgin northwest of Chicago.
- SAT Range 816-1118
- Avg GPA 3.16
- Net Price $18,673
Sterling College
- Private 4 Year
- Sterling, KS
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| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Aug 17 application deadline
Sterling is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in a small college town in central Kansas.
- SAT Range 938-1123
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Net Price $23,531
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Private 4 Year
- Minneapolis, MN
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Apr 1 application deadline
MCAD is a private art and design college known for undergraduate illustration, graphic design, and fine arts. The urban campus sits in Minneapolis near the city's museum and gallery district.
- SAT Range 1130-1340
- Avg GPA 3.29
- Net Price $30,305
St Olaf College
- Private 4 Year
- Northfield, MN
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4.8 | 4 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
St. Olaf is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the college town of Northfield.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Net Price $26,756
Stevens Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Hoboken, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
Stevens is a private technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and systems engineering. The compact Hoboken campus sits on the Hudson River waterfront facing the Manhattan skyline.
- SAT Range 1380-1505
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Net Price $46,165
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1100-1400
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $4,326