which college has highest acceptance rate
which college has highest acceptance rate
The Top 10 Colleges with the Highest Acceptance Rates
If you’re looking for a college with an overall high acceptance rate, you’ll be happy to know that the following 10 schools all have acceptance rates above 80%. This means that more than four out of every five students who apply are accepted. But before you get too excited about these numbers, think about what they mean. These aren’t your best options—they are some of the easiest colleges to get into. Even though it’s possible to get into any of them, there are many other good colleges with similarly high acceptance rates where you can get a quality education.
So why not just go for the highest acceptance rate? Well, because admissions officers and deans of admission at highly selective schools will view your application as a better fit for their less competitive colleges. That said, if a school has a very high acceptance rate but is also expensive and provides little financial aid or merit scholarships, it’s probably not worth your time and money. In addition, if the school isn’t well-known or respected by employers or graduate schools in your desired career path or field of study then maybe it’s not right for you either—even if they accept almost everyone who applies!
1: University of Alaska Fairbanks (84% acceptance rate)
- The acceptance rate here is 84 percent.
- This university is located in Fairbanks, Alaska.
- The campus has a student population of 10,039 and a student/faculty ratio of 19:1.
- It’s ranked number # 8 on Money Magazine’s list of “Best Colleges for Your Money.”
2: Williams College (83% acceptance rate)
- Williams College is a private liberal arts college that’s located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It has an undergraduate population of 2,000 students and has a student to faculty ratio of 7:1.
- Williams College is known to be the oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts and was originally founded in 1793.
- The school’s endowment is $2.4 billion as of 2017, making it one of the richest schools in America and the world.
3: Dartmouth College (79% acceptance rate)
- Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, New Hampshire—a fact that seems to surprise many people about this Ivy League school. Founded in 1769, the college has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,289 and a student-faculty ratio of 7:1. Tuition and fees are $50,734. This small institution is ranked as #7 in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report and has an acceptance rate of 79%.
4: Yale University (78% acceptance rate)
Yale University is one of the world’s most well-known and highly regarded private universities, founded in 1701. It has a 78% acceptance rate, making it one of the more accessible elite schools. It was the first American university to award degrees in science, as well as the first to award a PhD. Its alumni are noted for their many accomplishments—16 Nobel laureates, five U.S. presidents, 19 U.S. Supreme Court justices, and over 100 Olympic medals have all passed through Yale’s doors! Alumni include: Meryl Streep (class of 1975), Jodie Foster (1985), and William Howard Taft (1878).
5: Princeton University (77% acceptance rate)
- Princeton University (77% acceptance rate)
Located in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University is one of the top universities in the US, and it boasts a high acceptance rate for an elite university. In addition to its reputation for academic excellence, it has a great computer science program. If you can get into Princeton University, you’ll have a lot of options for whatever type of career you want to pursue after graduation.
6: Brown University (74% acceptance rate)
The SAT is a standardized test taken by high school students seeking admission to an undergraduate program at a college or university. There are two types of SAT scores. The Math and Reading/Writing scores are each on a scale of 200-800. The highest possible score is 1600.
The acceptance rate refers to the number of students who apply who are admitted to the school. For example, if 100 applicants seek admission and 75 are accepted, the acceptance rate is 75%. This does not mean that all applicants will be accepted as some colleges admit only a fraction of those who have a high enough GPA or meet other requirements for admittance.
The admission process varies from one college to another and includes consideration of academic achievements, extracurricular activities and personal qualities. Specific criteria is based on college policies which can be reviewed on their websites before applying.
Schools that offer scholarships may provide financial assistance in exchange for academic achievement such as maintaining certain grades, meeting goals set forth in an award letter or participating in community service projects while attending the institution. Students must meet certain requirements before being awarded any scholarship funds which can vary greatly between schools offering this type of financial aid.
7: William Jewell College (73% acceptance rate)
# 7: William Jewell College (73% acceptance rate)

Located in Liberty, Missouri, the private liberal arts college was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention with a mission to provide a quality education for men and women from all walks of life. In its earliest years, the college accommodated around 30 students on average but has grown exponentially over time. Today, William Jewell boasts an enrollment of more than 900 students from around 45 states and 20 countries. All full-time undergraduates receive a laptop upon admission and may choose from more than 50 majors and concentrations offered through four academic divisions: Arts and Humanities; Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; Social Sciences; and Business Administration. The school’s acceptance rate is 73%.
8: Harvard University (72% acceptance rate)
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 1636, whose history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Harvard is the United States’ oldest institution of higher learning, and the Harvard Corporation (formally, the President and Fellows of Harvard College) is its first chartered corporation. Although never formally affiliated with any denomination, the early College primarily trained Congregationalist and Unitarian clergy. Its curriculum and student body were gradually secularized during the 18th century, and by the 19th century Harvard had emerged as the central cultural establishment among Boston elites.
Following the American Civil War, President Charles W. Eliot’s long tenure (1869–1909) transformed the college and affiliated professional schools into a modern research university; Harvard was a founding member of the Association of American Universities in 1900. James Bryant Conant led the university through the Great Depression and World War II and began to reform the curriculum and liberalize admissions after the war. The undergraduate college became coeducational after its 1977 merger with Radcliffe College.
9. Stanford University (71% acceptance rate)
Stanford University is located in Palo Alto, California and is a private school. The student-to faculty ratio is 5:1, the retention rate of freshmen students is 98% and the six year graduation rate is 94%. Applicants who have taken a standardized test score within the middle 50% range will likely be accepted to this university.
This means that if you have a GPA between 3.96 and 4.0, an SAT score in the ranges of 1410-1570 or an ACT score in the range of 32-35 then you would likely be accepted to Stanford University. With an acceptance rate of 71%, Stanford University offers some of the best academics for those who are able to apply and be accepted into their programs.
10. Amherst College (69% acceptance rate)
- Amherst College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts.
- In 2018, the acceptance rate was 69%.
- It is one of the top ranked colleges in the country.
- As a result, it has a high acceptance rate.
- It is one of the top 10 colleges with the highest acceptance rates.
These are the highest ranked colleges in the country and also have high acceptance rates.
If you have a high GPA and excellent SAT scores, you have your pick of the top colleges in the nation. These schools all accept fewer than 25 percent of their applicants, but they also have high acceptance rates.
- Harvard University (17.1%), Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Columbia University (6.3%), New York City
- Princeton University (7.9%), Princeton, New Jersey
- Yale University (7.2%), New Haven, Connecticut
- Stanford University (4.6%), Stanford, California