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.
New England Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

39 results

Babson College
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B
Wellesley, MA

Babson College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

20% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,943enrollment
  • $30,220net price
  • 1380-1500SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.79Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

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Smith College
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S
Northampton, MA

Smith College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

20% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 2,830enrollment
  • $27,823net price
  • 1408-1540SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Goddard College
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G
Plainfield, VT

Goddard College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

20% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 263enrollment
  • $29,344net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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College of the Holy Cross
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H
Worcester, MA

College of the Holy Cross

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

21% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,035enrollment
  • $35,455net price
  • 1250-1420SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Olin College of Engineering
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O
Needham, MA

Olin College of Engineering

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

22% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 402enrollment
  • $40,370net price
  • 1480-1560SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.9Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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United States Coast Guard Academy
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C
New London, Connecticut

United States Coast Guard Academy

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

24% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,081enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1210-1380SAT range
  • 25-30ACT range
  • 3.79Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Trinity College
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T
Hartford, CT

Trinity College

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

34% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Connecticut

  • 2,276enrollment
  • $31,806net price
  • 1310-1460SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.8Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 17

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Brandeis University
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B
Waltham, MA

Brandeis University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

35% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 5,302enrollment
  • $44,668net price
  • 1390-1530SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.84Avg GPA

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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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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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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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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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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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The Boston Conservatory
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B
Boston, MA

The Boston Conservatory

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 798enrollment
  • $42,649net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Emerson College
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E
Boston, MA

Emerson College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#20 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 5,670enrollment
  • $50,703net price
  • 1250-1410SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.73Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 20

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Bentley University
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B
Waltham, MA

Bentley University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

48% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 5,264enrollment
  • $43,858net price
  • 1250-1410SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.75Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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