New England Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in New England for 2024

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in New England. 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 61,221 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 New England colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
New England Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

35 results

Harvard University
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H
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

3% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Colleges in America

  • 30,631enrollment
  • $19,491net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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M
Cambridge, MA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

4% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,858enrollment
  • $20,232net price
  • 1530-1580SAT range
  • 35-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Yale University
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Y
New Haven, CT

Yale University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Colleges in America

  • 14,776enrollment
  • $18,647net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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Brown University
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B
Providence, RI

Brown University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,189enrollment
  • $26,723net price
  • 1490-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Dartmouth College
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D
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Colleges in America

  • 6,744enrollment
  • $19,208net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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Amherst College
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A
Amherst, MA

Amherst College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,898enrollment
  • $21,367net price
  • 1420-1550SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

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Northeastern University
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N
Boston, MA

Northeastern University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 30,013enrollment
  • $35,827net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Colby College
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C
Waterville, ME

Colby College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,299enrollment
  • $16,951net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Williams College
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W
Williamstown, MA

Williams College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,222enrollment
  • $20,965net price
  • 1480-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

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Bowdoin College
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B
Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

9% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,915enrollment
  • $22,776net price
  • 1460-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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Tufts University
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T
Medford, MA

Tufts University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 13,431enrollment
  • $30,479net price
  • 1450-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Middlebury College
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M
Middlebury, VT

Middlebury College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,843enrollment
  • $22,181net price
  • 1425-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Wesleyan University
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W
Middletown, CT

Wesleyan University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 3,253enrollment
  • $21,270net price
  • 1320-1510SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Bates College
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B
Lewiston, ME

Bates College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Maine

  • 1,790enrollment
  • $27,491net price
  • 1420-1520SAT range
  • 32-33ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Boston University
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B
Boston, MA

Boston University

Private 4 Year

9 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 36,714enrollment
  • $27,829net price
  • 1350-1500SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

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Wellesley College
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W
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,447enrollment
  • $21,362net price
  • 1430-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

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Boston College
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B
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

17% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 15,287enrollment
  • $30,559net price
  • 1435-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Rhode Island School of Design
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R
Providence, RI

Rhode Island School of Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

17% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Rhode Island

  • 2,620enrollment
  • $39,800net price
  • 1340-1525SAT range
  • 29-33ACT range
  • 3.71Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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