Pacific Northwest Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in Pacific Northwest for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in Pacific Northwest. 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 Reed College which sent acceptance letters to only 27% of the 10,045 students who applied and rejected 73%.

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 Pacific Northwest colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
Pacific Northwest Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

5 results

Reed College
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R
Portland, OR

Reed College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

27% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Value in Oregon

  • 1,458enrollment
  • $36,993net price
  • 1300-1510SAT range
  • 29-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

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University of Washington Seattle Campus
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W
Seattle, WA

University of Washington Seattle Campus

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Public Universities in America

  • 55,620enrollment
  • $11,023net price
  • 1200-1453SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.82Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 16

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The College of Idaho
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I
Caldwell, ID

The College of Idaho

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Idaho

  • 1,076enrollment
  • $22,602net price
  • 1080-1270SAT range
  • 20-28ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Feb 15

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Multnomah University
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M
Portland, OR
 

Multnomah University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 532enrollment
  • $23,072net price
  • 1050-1220SAT range
  • 16-28ACT range
  • 3.25Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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Whitman College
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W
Walla Walla, WA

Whitman College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Washington

  • 1,544enrollment
  • $41,601net price
  • 1270-1480SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.68Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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