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.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
FAMU is a public HBCU known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and engineering. The campus is located in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee.
- SAT Range 1030-1180
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Net Price $13,819
Smith College
- Private 4 Year
- Northampton, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Smith is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, government, and the arts. Students live on a historic campus in Northampton and can cross-register through the Five College Consortium.
- SAT Range 1420-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $27,305
Hillsdale College
- Private 4 Year
- Hillsdale, Michigan
-
| 0 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Mar 15 application deadline
Hillsdale is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate classical education, political science, and constitutional studies. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Hillsdale.
- SAT Range 1320-1490
- Avg GPA 3.93
- Net Price $23,993
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Jan 8 application deadline
Cooper Union is a highly selective private college known for undergraduate architecture, fine arts, and engineering. The urban campus is centered in Manhattan's East Village.
- SAT Range 1295-1501
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $26,283
Skidmore College
- Private 4 Year
- Saratoga Springs, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Skidmore is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate studio art, performing arts, and business. The residential campus sits in the historic spa town of Saratoga Springs.
- SAT Range 1340-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $31,187
United States Coast Guard Academy
- Public 4 Year
- New London, Connecticut
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Coast Guard Academy is a highly selective federal service academy known for undergraduate engineering, naval architecture, and maritime studies. Cadets live on a Thames River campus in New London and commission as Coast Guard officers after graduation.
- SAT Range 1240-1400
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Net Price -
Wake Forest University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Wake Forest is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergraduates live on the residential campus in Winston-Salem.
- SAT Range 1410-1520
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $24,401
Dallas Christian College
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
Dallas Christian College is a small private Christian college known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and business. The campus is located in the Dallas area.
- SAT Range 788-1088
- Avg GPA 3.06
- Net Price $24,001
University of Richmond
- Private 4 Year
- University of Richmond, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
University of Richmond is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and leadership studies. The suburban Collegiate Gothic campus sits in Richmond's West End.
- SAT Range 1410-1530
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Net Price $30,037
Crown College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Bonifacius, MN
-
| 0 reviews
- 23% acceptance rate
Crown College is a private Christian college known for undergraduate ministry, biblical studies, and nursing. The campus is in the small town of St. Bonifacius west of the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 960-1150
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Net Price $27,332
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
- Private 4 Year
- Concord, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 23% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Cabarrus College is a private health sciences college known for undergraduate nursing and allied health programs. The Concord campus is closely tied to Atrium Health for clinical training.
- SAT Range 970-1060
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.21
- Net Price $14,795
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- 23% acceptance rate
The Citadel is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering, business, and criminal justice. Most undergrads join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a structured military system on the historic Charleston campus.
- SAT Range 1085-1285
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $22,124
Florida State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 24% acceptance rate
- Mar 1 application deadline
FSU is a large public university known for undergraduate film, criminology, and music. The campus is in Tallahassee, Florida's capital city.
- SAT Range 1270-1410
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $15,815
University of Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Gainesville, FL
-
4.5 | 6 reviews
- 24% acceptance rate
- Mar 1 application deadline
UF is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and journalism. The large campus anchors the college town of Gainesville.
- SAT Range 1320-1480
- Avg GPA 3.9
- Net Price $11,936
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 24% acceptance rate
AMDA is a private performing arts college known for undergraduate musical theatre, acting, and dance. The urban campus sits on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $48,524
Pitzer College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 25% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Pitzer is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental analysis, media studies, and the social sciences. Students cross-enroll across the Claremont Colleges on a residential campus in Claremont.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.93
- Net Price $34,979
Spelman College
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 25% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Spelman is a highly selective historically Black women's college known for undergraduate sciences and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Atlanta's West End, part of the Atlanta University Center.
- SAT Range 1108-1320
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $40,354
Reed College
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
| 0 reviews
- 25% acceptance rate
Reed is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and humanities. All seniors complete a required year-long thesis on a wooded residential campus in southeast Portland.
- SAT Range 1290-1520
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $30,953