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.
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
- Private 4 Year
- Needham, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 25% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Olin is a highly selective private college devoted to undergraduate engineering, with a curriculum built around project-based design. The small residential campus is in suburban Needham near Boston.
- SAT Range 1493-1558
- Avg GPA 3.9
- Net Price $43,184
Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
- Private 4 Year
- Ellendale, ND
-
| 0 reviews
- 26% acceptance rate
Trinity Bible College is a private Assemblies of God Bible college known for undergraduate biblical studies and ministry. The small campus is set in the rural town of Ellendale.
- SAT Range 950-1110
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.27
- Net Price $19,720
Lehigh University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- 26% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Lehigh is a private university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The hillside campus sits on South Mountain overlooking Bethlehem.
- SAT Range 1370-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Net Price $34,154
Trinity University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 26% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Trinity is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential hilltop campus overlooking downtown San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Net Price $32,224
University of California San Diego
- Public 4 Year
- La Jolla, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 27% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC San Diego is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate biological sciences, engineering, and oceanography. The coastal La Jolla campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1270-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.82
- Net Price $14,047
Villanova University
- Private 4 Year
- Villanova, PA
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- 27% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Villanova is a highly selective private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The suburban campus sits on Philadelphia's Main Line.
- SAT Range 1395-1510
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Net Price $37,201
The University of Texas at Austin
- Public 4 Year
- Austin, TX
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 27% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
UT Austin is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and computer science. The urban campus occupies a large site in central Austin.
- SAT Range 1250-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $17,942
Franklin and Marshall College
- Private 4 Year
- Lancaster, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- 28% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Franklin and Marshall is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government and the natural sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in the city of Lancaster.
- SAT Range 1310-1463
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $43,987
Visible Music College
- Private 4 Year
- Memphis, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- 28% acceptance rate
Visible Music College is a private Christian college known for undergraduate contemporary music, worship arts, and music business. The urban campus is located in Memphis.
- SAT Range 605-1250
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $27,045
University of California Irvine
- Public 4 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Irvine is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, biological sciences, and engineering. The suburban campus centers on Aldrich Park in the planned city of Irvine.
- SAT Range 1230-1430
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $15,889
Trinity College
- Private 4 Year
- Hartford, CT
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jan 17 application deadline
Trinity is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, political science, and economics. The historic campus occupies a compact urban site in Hartford.
- SAT Range 1298-1470
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $36,071
Macalester College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Macalester is a selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Saint Paul within the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 1350-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Net Price $40,225
Mississippi College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
Mississippi College is a private Baptist college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The suburban campus sits in Clinton just west of Jackson.
- SAT Range 1140-1260
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.56
- Net Price $28,559
Bryn Mawr College
- Private 4 Year
- Bryn Mawr, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bryn Mawr is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, archaeology, and classics. The suburban Main Line campus outside Philadelphia shares courses and resources with nearby Haverford and Swarthmore.
- SAT Range 1280-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Net Price $33,221
Bucknell University
- Private 4 Year
- Lewisburg, PA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bucknell is a selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, management, and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in the small college town of Lewisburg.
- SAT Range 1310-1470
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Net Price $39,003
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary
- Private 4 Year
- Jacksonville, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jul 25 application deadline
A private Baptist theological seminary known for undergraduate biblical studies and pastoral ministry. The Jacksonville campus trains students for ministry in the Baptist Missionary Association of America.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
University of Virginia's College at Wise
- Public 4 Year
- Wise, VA
-
| 0 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
UVA Wise is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The rural campus sits in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia.
- SAT Range 945-1120
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Net Price $14,378
Yeshivath Zichron Moshe
- Private 4 Year
- South Fallsburg, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 30% acceptance rate
- Sep 16 application deadline
Yeshivath Zichron Moshe is a private Orthodox Jewish yeshiva known for undergraduate Talmudic studies and Jewish law. The residential campus is in the Catskills village of South Fallsburg.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $9,662