Colleges by Acceptance Rate

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Colleges by Acceptance Rate: How to Use Admit Rates the Smart Way

A college's acceptance rate tells you the share of applicants a college admits. It's useful, but only if you know what it can and can't do for you.

Use the filters below to browse colleges by admit-rate band. Then use the guide on this page to turn a random list into a balanced, game-plan-ready college list.

What acceptance rate actually measures

Acceptance rate = admitted applicants ÷ total applicants for first-time, first-year students in a given cycle. Colleges report these figures to federal datasets (IPEDS) and in their Common Data Set (CDS). Timing matters: numbers often lag a year and can exclude special programs.

Quick acceptance rate reality checks

Application volume is up again this cycle, which pushes many admit rates down, even when class sizes don't change. For the 2024–25 cycle (through March 1, 2025), Common App reported ~4% more distinct applicants and ~6% more total applications vs. last year. Translation: more apps per student = lower admit rates, not always a higher bar.
Testing policies are shifting back at some highly selective universities, which can change who applies and how many are admitted. Harvard now requires SAT/ACT (Class of 2029 applicants); Yale adopted a "test-flexible" requirement allowing SAT/ACT or AP/IB scores. So you can expect admit-rate volatility as policies settle.

The same school can have multiple "real" admit rates

Admit rates vary by:

Application round. Early Decision (ED) often shows higher admit rates than Regular Decision. For example, Brown admitted 906 ED students for the Class of 2029 (an ~18% ED admit rate). That number is not the same as Brown's overall institutional rate, which you'll see in rankings.
Major or college within the university. At public flagships, engineering, nursing, and CS can be far more competitive than other majors. UCLA publishes admission-rate profiles by division/major. UIUC lists admit rates by academic community. Nursing at some UC campuses has been as low as ~1% due to clinical-site caps, which is wildly different from campus-wide rates.

Admit rate ≠ fit. Here's how to use it without getting played

Start with your stats, not vibes. Run Appily's College Acceptance Calculator for target, reach, and likely signals. Then layer in acceptance-rate bands to diversify.
Cross-check with academics. Pair this page with Colleges by GPA to double-check and list balance.
Mind the major. If your intended major is impacted (CS, nursing, engineering, business), assume higher selectivity than the school's headline admit rate. Use school-level pages for details (e.g., UCLA's by-major profile).
Rounds matter. If a school offers ED/EA and it's a clear first choice and affordable, apply that way. ED can boost your odds, but always read the financial aid fine print first.
Build it like a portfolio. Keep ~2–3 reaches, ~3–4 targets, ~2 likelies. Use Appily's College List Maker and acceptance-rate filters to keep that mix tight.

Acceptance-rate bands: what they signal and what to do

Band	What it usually means	Good next moves
20% and below	Hyper-selective. Institutional rate hides tougher odds for certain majors.	Apply early if available (ED/REA), tailor essays, demonstrate sustained impact. Use Appily chances to gauge realism.
21–40%	Selective. Competitive majors may feel like sub-20%.	Visit, interview if offered, show interest on virtual tours, apply by priority dates.
41–60%	Solid target territory for many profiles.	Optimize recs and activities section; submit scores if they help under new testing policies.
61–80%	Likely range for many students; still not “automatic.”	Lock in before priority deadlines; check program caps (nursing/CS).
81–90%	Very likely, often great merit-aid hunting ground.	Compare net price; stack scholarships via Appily’s search.

Note: Bands are planning tools, not promises. Always confirm the latest figures on each college’s admissions page.

Turning chaos into a balanced college list

You've got a 3.6 GPA, a strong humanities profile, and want a midsize campus. You filter this page to 40–60% and 60–80% admit-rate bands and save eight schools. You add two reaches under 30% because the academic fit and aid look good. You check by-major data for your likely English or communications track (less impacted than CS/nursing), and you apply EA where offered. You keep one ED option only if the pre-read shows the price works.

Key admission or acceptance definitions

Acceptance rate (admit rate): Admitted students ÷ applicants for first-year, first-time students in a cycle.
Yield: Enrolled students ÷ admitted students. A high yield can let a college keep a lower admit rate with the same class size. (You'll see both in IPEDS/CDS tables.)
Priority deadline (rolling schools): Not a hard stop, but applying by the deadline can improve your chances of receiving aid and housing. See our guide to rolling admission .
Test-required / test-flexible / test-optional: Some selective schools (e.g., Harvard, Yale) now require scores again (Yale allows AP/IB). Check each policy, as it affects who applies and their admission rates.

Acceptance and admission rate FAQs

There’s no universal “good.” Use admit-rate bands alongside your GPA, coursework, essays, major, and application round. Most balanced lists include a mix across 20–90% bands, calibrated with your Appily chances.

They had more applications. Nationally, 2024–25 apps rose while distinct applicants also increased, meaning more apps per student. That pushes admit rates down without necessarily raising academic bars.

Not always. Some universities publish division/major data (e.g., UCLA by major, UIUC by academic community). But others don't. Check each school’s admissions/statistics pages to see if they do.

Often yes, but it’s binding and requires your financial comfort with tuition and expenses. For example, Brown’s ED admit rate for the Class of 2029 was about 18%, higher than the university’s overall rate. Your results will vary by school and year.

Clinical-site limits and staffing needs cap seats, driving admit rates well below campus averages (as low as ~1% at some UC programs in 2023).