Mid Atlantic Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in Mid Atlantic for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in Mid Atlantic. 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 Princeton University which sent acceptance letters to only 4% of the 39,644 students who applied and rejected 96%.

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 Mid Atlantic colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.


46 results

Princeton University
P
Princeton, NJ

Princeton University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Colleges in America

  • 8,922enrollment
  • $19,811net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.93Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Columbia University in the City of New York
C
New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#22 Best Colleges in America

  • 35,279enrollment
  • $20,869net price
  • 1490-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

University of Pennsylvania
P
Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Colleges in America

  • 28,711enrollment
  • $26,017net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

Curtis Institute of Music
C
Philadelphia, PA
 

Curtis Institute of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 159enrollment
  • $21,615net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 18

Swarthmore College
S
Swarthmore, PA

Swarthmore College

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 1,644enrollment
  • $17,930net price
  • 1460-1560SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

Barnard College
B
New York, NY

Barnard College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 3,353enrollment
  • $27,738net price
  • 1453-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.85Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

Cornell University
C
Ithaca, NY

Cornell University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Colleges in America

  • 26,264enrollment
  • $26,455net price
  • 1480-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

The Juilliard School
J
New York, NY

The Juilliard School

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

9% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,028enrollment
  • $42,468net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

New York University
N
New York, NY

New York University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

9% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 57,335enrollment
  • $30,730net price
  • 1480-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Carnegie Mellon University
C
Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 15,596enrollment
  • $32,964net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.89Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Colgate University
C
Hamilton, NY

Colgate University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 3,146enrollment
  • $26,954net price
  • 1430-1530SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.77Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Hamilton College
H
Clinton, NY

Hamilton College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

12% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,048enrollment
  • $26,021net price
  • 1410-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.87Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

Haverford College
H
Haverford, PA

Haverford College

Private 4 Year

7 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Pennsylvania

  • 1,424enrollment
  • $22,828net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

United States Military Academy
A
West Point, New York

United States Military Academy

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 4,508enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1200-1430SAT range
  • 28-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

Vassar College
V
Poughkeepsie, NY

Vassar College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

18% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 2,456enrollment
  • $29,733net price
  • 1435-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
C
New York, NY

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

19% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 983enrollment
  • $28,199net price
  • 1400-1520SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.75Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

Webb Institute
W
Glen Cove, NY

Webb Institute

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

20% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 105enrollment
  • $21,488net price
  • 1390-1525SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Skidmore College
S
Saratoga Springs, NY

Skidmore College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

23% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 2,776enrollment
  • $32,368net price
  • 1300-1460SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.75Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15