District of Columbia Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in District of Columbia for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in District of Columbia. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is Georgetown University which sent acceptance letters to only 13% of the 25,485 students who applied and rejected 87%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of District of Columbia colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
District of Columbia Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

5 results

Georgetown University
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Washington, DC

Georgetown University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in District Of Columbia

  • 20,392enrollment
  • $37,967net price
  • 1390-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

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Corcoran College of Art and Design
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Washington, District Of Columbia
 

Corcoran College of Art and Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

31% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 906enrollment
  • $29,051net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Howard University
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HBCU
Washington, DC

Howard University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

35% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in District Of Columbia

  • 13,416enrollment
  • $30,028net price
  • 1100-1298SAT range
  • 22-28ACT range
  • 3.66Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 15

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George Washington University
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Washington, DC

George Washington University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in District Of Columbia

  • 25,568enrollment
  • $45,466net price
  • 1350-1500SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.81Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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American University
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Washington, DC

American University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in District Of Columbia

  • 13,019enrollment
  • $40,189net price
  • 1300-1450SAT range
  • 29-33ACT range
  • 3.7Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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