Top 100 - Lowest Acceptance Rates

Many students aspire for admission to a prestigious college or university, but the supply of open seats often does not meet the demand from applicants. Earning admission to the schools on this list can be especially difficult. With the lowest acceptance rates among all undergraduate institutions surveyed by U.S. News, regardless of ranking category, the 100 colleges and universities listed here are among the most selective, based on the fall 2011 entering class.

Save	School	Fall 2011 acceptance rate
	Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, PA	3.2%
	Juilliard School New York, NY	6.0%
	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	6.3%
	Columbia University New York, NY	7.0%
	Stanford University Stanford, CA	7.1%
	United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD	7.5%
	Cooper Union New York, NY	7.7%
	Yale University New Haven, CT	7.7%
	Princeton University Princeton, NJ	8.5%
	Brown University Providence, RI	8.9%
	College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO	8.9%
	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	9.7%
	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	10.1%
	Florida Memorial University ¹ Miami, FL	10.5% ⁴
	United States Military Academy West Point, NY	10.6%
	United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO	10.8%
	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	12.4%
	Berea College Berea, KY	12.5%
	California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA	12.8%
	Amherst College Amherst, MA	13.3%
	Duke University Durham, NC	14.0%
	Pomona College Claremont, CA	14.0%
	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA	14.1%
	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	15.1%
	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME	16.1%
	Mississippi Valley State University Itta Bena, MS	16.1%
	United States Coast Guard Academy New London, CT	16.1%
	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	16.3%
	Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA	16.4%
	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	16.4%
	Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO	16.5%
	Williams College Williamstown, MA	17.3%
	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	18.0%
	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	18.0%
	Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes, KY	18.1%
	Georgetown University Washington, DC	18.1%
	Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA	18.2%
	Middlebury College Middlebury, VT	18.3%
	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	18.4%
	Rice University Houston, TX	18.8%
	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY	19.9%
	CUNY–Lehman College Bronx, NY	20.4%
	University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA	21.6%
	Tufts University Medford, MA	21.9%
	Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA	22.3%
	CUNY–Baruch College New York, NY	22.4%
	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	22.5%
	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	23.0%
	Lincoln University Lincoln University, PA	23.1%
	LeMoyne-Owen College Memphis, TN	23.4%

Save

School

Fall 2011 acceptance rate

Curtis Institute of Music

Philadelphia, PA

3.2%

Juilliard School

New York, NY

6.0%

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

6.3%

Columbia University

New York, NY

7.0%

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

7.1%

United States Naval Academy

Annapolis, MD

7.5%

Cooper Union

New York, NY

7.7%

Yale University

New Haven, CT

7.7%

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

8.5%

Brown University

Providence, RI

8.9%

College of the Ozarks

Point Lookout, MO

8.9%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA

9.7%

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

10.1%

Florida Memorial University ¹

Miami, FL

10.5% ⁴

United States Military Academy

West Point, NY

10.6%

United States Air Force Academy

USAF Academy, CO

10.8%

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

12.4%

Berea College

Berea, KY

12.5%

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA

12.8%

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

13.3%

Duke University

Durham, NC

14.0%

Pomona College

Claremont, CA

14.0%

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA

14.1%

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA

15.1%

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

16.1%

Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, MS

16.1%

United States Coast Guard Academy

New London, CT

16.1%

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

16.3%

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Needham, MA

16.4%

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

16.4%

Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO

16.5%

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

17.3%

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

18.0%

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

18.0%

Alice Lloyd College

Pippa Passes, KY

18.1%

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

18.1%

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA

18.2%

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT

18.3%

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

18.4%

Rice University

Houston, TX

18.8%

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, NY

19.9%

CUNY–Lehman College

Bronx, NY

20.4%

University of California–Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

21.6%

Tufts University

Medford, MA

21.9%

Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, CA

22.3%

CUNY–Baruch College

New York, NY

22.4%

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY

22.5%

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA

23.0%

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, PA

23.1%

LeMoyne-Owen College

Memphis, TN

23.4%