New England Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in New England for 2025

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 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 New England colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.


39 results

Harvard University
H
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

3% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Colleges in America

  • 30,386enrollment
  • $17,900net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Yale University
Y
New Haven, CT

Yale University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Colleges in America

  • 15,081enrollment
  • $26,044net price
  • 1500-1580SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.95Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M
Cambridge, MA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,920enrollment
  • $21,519net price
  • 1510-1580SAT range
  • 34-36ACT range
  • 3.96Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Brown University
B
Providence, RI

Brown University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

5% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Colleges in America

  • 11,516enrollment
  • $26,608net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

Northeastern University
N
Boston, MA

Northeastern University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 31,159enrollment
  • $34,770net price
  • 1460-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Dartmouth College
D
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Colleges in America

  • 6,746enrollment
  • $17,322net price
  • 1500-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.9Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

Colby College
C
Waterville, ME

Colby College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

7% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,284enrollment
  • $15,163net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Bowdoin College
B
Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

8% Acceptance Rate

#21 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 1,850enrollment
  • $23,110net price
  • 1480-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

Amherst College
A
Amherst, MA

Amherst College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#15 Best Colleges in America

  • 1,910enrollment
  • $17,965net price
  • 1360-1550SAT range
  • 31-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

Tufts University
T
Medford, MA

Tufts University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 13,274enrollment
  • $33,333net price
  • 1460-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.91Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Williams College
W
Williamstown, MA

Williams College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,168enrollment
  • $16,988net price
  • 1470-1560SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.94Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

Middlebury College
M
Middlebury, VT

Middlebury College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

10% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 2,857enrollment
  • $22,912net price
  • 1430-1550SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Boston University
B
Boston, MA

Boston University

Private 4 Year

10 reviews

11% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 36,624enrollment
  • $27,551net price
  • 1400-1520SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 4

Bates College
B
Lewiston, ME

Bates College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

13% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Maine

  • 1,753enrollment
  • $26,658net price
  • 1400-1510SAT range
  • 31-33ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Wellesley College
W
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Colleges in America

  • 2,418enrollment
  • $21,501net price
  • 1440-1550SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 8

Rhode Island School of Design
R
Providence, RI

Rhode Island School of Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

14% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Colleges in Rhode Island

  • 2,540enrollment
  • $42,106net price
  • 1370-1540SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.71Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

Boston College
B
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

16% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 15,280enrollment
  • $32,590net price
  • 1430-1540SAT range
  • 33-34ACT range
  • 3.86Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Wesleyan University
W
Middletown, CT

Wesleyan University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

17% Acceptance Rate

#15 Best Value Colleges in America

  • 3,271enrollment
  • $20,463net price
  • 1450-1540SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1