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.
Defiance College
- Private 4 Year
- Defiance, OH
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
Defiance is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, business, and criminal justice. The residential campus sits in the small city of Defiance in northwest Ohio.
- SAT Range 860-1110
- Avg GPA 3.12
- Net Price $26,298
Austin College
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Jul 31 application deadline
Austin College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and international studies. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Sherman, north of Dallas.
- SAT Range 1100-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Net Price $23,462
Tuskegee University
- Private 4 Year
- Tuskegee, AL
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
- Apr 15 application deadline
Tuskegee is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and veterinary science. The rural campus is a historic HBCU in Alabama.
- SAT Range 995-1255
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Net Price $24,344
The College of Idaho
- Private 4 Year
- Caldwell, ID
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
- Feb 15 application deadline
The College of Idaho is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and a PEAK curriculum that pairs a major with three minors. The residential campus sits in the small city of Caldwell west of Boise.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $21,686
Rust College
- Private 4 Year
- Holly Springs, MS
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
Rust is a private historically Black liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and the social sciences. The small campus sits in the town of Holly Springs in northern Mississippi.
- SAT Range 440-1339
- Avg GPA 2.66
- Net Price $12,037
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
JTS is a private Jewish institution known for undergraduate Jewish studies through dual-degree programs with Columbia and Barnard. The urban campus sits in Morningside Heights beside Columbia University.
- SAT Range 1440-1580
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $58,152
Stony Brook University
- Public 4 Year
- Stony Brook, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Stony Brook is a large public university known for undergraduate physics, mathematics, and marine science. The suburban campus sits on Long Island's North Shore.
- SAT Range 1330-1500
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Net Price $20,992
Oklahoma Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Shawnee, OK
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
Oklahoma Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and music. The residential campus sits in the smaller city of Shawnee east of Oklahoma City.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Net Price $23,839
Anna Maria College
- Private 4 Year
- Paxton, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
Anna Maria is a small private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing, criminal justice, and fire science. The suburban campus sits in a wooded setting outside Worcester.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.94
- Net Price $29,094
Belhaven University
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
Belhaven is a private Christian university known for undergraduate dance, music, and visual arts. The urban campus sits in Jackson's historic Belhaven neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1010-1298
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $16,299
University of Providence
- Private 4 Year
- Great Falls, MT
-
| 0 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Aug 5 application deadline
University of Providence is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The Great Falls campus sits along the Missouri River in north-central Montana.
- SAT Range 845-1135
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Net Price $16,598
North Carolina A & T State University
- Public 4 Year
- Greensboro, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Jun 1 application deadline
NC A&T is a large public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering and agriculture. The urban campus is in Greensboro.
- SAT Range 1020-1190
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $10,097
Rhodes College
- Private 4 Year
- Memphis, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Rhodes is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology and international studies. The collegiate Gothic campus sits in a wooded residential section of Memphis.
- SAT Range 1300-1486
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Net Price $31,037
Purdue University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- West Lafayette, IN
-
4.6 | 5 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
Purdue is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and computer science. Students live on a large campus in the college town of West Lafayette along the Wabash River.
- SAT Range 1200-1480
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Net Price $13,722