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

Olin College of Engineering
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O
Needham, MA

Olin College of Engineering

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

19% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 386enrollment
  • $38,502net price
  • 1490-1560SAT range
  • 35-35ACT range
  • 3.9Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Babson College
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B
Wellesley, MA

Babson College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

22% Acceptance Rate

#15 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,989enrollment
  • $28,400net price
  • 1350-1510SAT 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

23% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 2,873enrollment
  • $30,790net price
  • 1370-1520SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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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

 

  • 1,037enrollment
  • -net price
  • 1160-1365SAT range
  • 26-31ACT 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

36% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Connecticut

  • 2,205enrollment
  • $32,704net price
  • 1300-1470SAT range
  • 30-32ACT range
  • 3.8Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 17

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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

36% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,083enrollment
  • $34,679net price
  • 1260-1430SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • NAAvg 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

38% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 796enrollment
  • $53,162net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

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Brandeis University
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B
Waltham, MA

Brandeis University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 5,581enrollment
  • $45,565net price
  • 1370-1530SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.84Avg GPA

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Laboure College
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L
Boston, MA
 

Laboure College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 983enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Connecticut College
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C
New London, CT

Connecticut College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Connecticut

  • 1,948enrollment
  • $43,220net price
  • 1360-1490SAT range
  • 30-33ACT 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

40% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 2,392enrollment
  • $35,765net price
  • 1350-1540SAT range
  • 30-34ACT range
  • 3.87Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Emerson College
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E
Boston, MA

Emerson College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

#21 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 5,891enrollment
  • $51,432net price
  • 1250-1430SAT range
  • 30-32ACT range
  • 3.73Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 20

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Bennington College
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B
Bennington, VT

Bennington College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 880enrollment
  • $32,497net price
  • 1260-1370SAT range
  • 29-33ACT range
  • 3.51Avg 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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Hult International Business School
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H
Cambridge, MA

Hult International Business School

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

48% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 2,176enrollment
  • $55,251net 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

50% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

  • 3,770enrollment
  • $32,053net price
  • 1250-1430SAT range
  • 28-33ACT range
  • 3.69Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Vermont Technical College
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V
Randolph Center, VT
 

Vermont Technical College

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,414enrollment
  • $19,426net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.19Avg GPA

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