East Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in East for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in East. 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 Harvard University which sent acceptance letters to only 3% of the 56,937 students who applied and rejected 97%.

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 East colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
East Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

85 results

University of Rochester
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R
Rochester, NY

University of Rochester

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

36% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 12,160enrollment
  • $40,900net price
  • 1400-1540SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.75Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Connecticut College
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C
New London, CT

Connecticut College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

38% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut

  • 1,995enrollment
  • $42,941net price
  • 1340-1470SAT range
  • 31-33ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Mount Holyoke College
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M
South Hadley, MA

Mount Holyoke College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

38% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 2,330enrollment
  • $35,782net price
  • 1350-1500SAT range
  • 31-33ACT range
  • 3.87Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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SUNY at Binghamton
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B
Vestal, NY

SUNY at Binghamton

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

38% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Public Universities in America

  • 18,456enrollment
  • $18,860net price
  • 1320-1490SAT range
  • 29-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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CUNY Graduate School and University Center
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G
New York, NY

CUNY Graduate School and University Center

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 9,116enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Manhattan School of Music
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M
New York, NY

Manhattan School of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,097enrollment
  • $51,879net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

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Laboure College
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L
Boston, MA
 

Laboure College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 717enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Clark University
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C
Worcester, MA

Clark University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 4,124enrollment
  • $32,767net price
  • 1240-1400SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.69Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Talmudical Academy New Jersey
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T
Adelphia, NJ
 

Talmudical Academy New Jersey

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 78enrollment
  • $8,295net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Syracuse University
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S
Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 22,948enrollment
  • $51,520net price
  • 1260-1430SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.69Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College
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Y
Monsey, NY
 

Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 86enrollment
  • $6,266net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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The New England Conservatory of Music
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N
Boston, MA

The New England Conservatory of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 784enrollment
  • $49,544net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

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Stevens Institute of Technology
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S
Hoboken, NJ

Stevens Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in New Jersey

  • 8,842enrollment
  • $43,665net price
  • 1370-1500SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.88Avg GPA

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Dickinson College
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D
Carlisle, PA

Dickinson College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 2,217enrollment
  • $40,242net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Northeast Catholic College
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N
Warner, NH
 

Northeast Catholic College

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 58enrollment
  • $20,058net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Union College
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U
Schenectady, NY

Union College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 2,082enrollment
  • $42,884net price
  • 1310-1480SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences
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P
Lancaster, PA

Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,770enrollment
  • $33,565net price
  • 1050-1220SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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Fairfield University
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F
Fairfield, CT

Fairfield University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut

  • 6,289enrollment
  • $47,630net price
  • 1240-1380SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.67Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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