Key Takeaways:
- The University of Maine had the highest acceptance rate during the 2025 admissions cycle – 96.80%.
- Community colleges and online schools also tend to accept most of their applicants.
- You should apply to schools with high acceptance rates if they’re the right fit for you.
University of North Dakota
As students prepare their college applications, they’re often thinking about how likely they are to receive acceptance letters. While you often hear about schools that have low acceptance rates – such as Harvard University or MIT – many colleges and universities also have high acceptance rates. In fact, several accept more than 95% of applicants! In this article, we explored the 10 colleges and universities with the highest rates of acceptance and why you should consider applying to them.
What Types of Schools Have High(er) Acceptance Rates?
Some types of colleges and universities tend to have higher acceptance rates than others, including these:
Community Colleges
2-year schools, or community colleges, tend to accept all or nearly all of their applicants each year. They have less stringent requirements than 4-year schools, as they usually don’t require ACT or SAT scores. Students come from all types of backgrounds. Some graduated high school with honors but want to save money on their degrees. Others earned their GED. You’ll find students from 16 to 65 and over on campus, too!
Online Schools
Online colleges and universities often have higher acceptance rates, though it’s not a hard and fast rule. Some schools with campuses also have online colleges with higher acceptance rates comparatively. For example, the University of Florida in Gainesville accepts only 24.2% of applicants, while their online school accepts 64.4%
Private Vs. Public
Private and public colleges can have acceptance rates ranging from 3% to 90% and over but currently, the 10 schools that make up the list below are all public schools. Many private schools have high acceptance rates, though. For instance, Marquette University – a private university in Wisconsin – accepts 81.3% of applicants.
Highest Acceptance Rate Colleges
Here’s a quick list of the ten 4-year higher educational institutions with some of the highest acceptance rates during the 2025 admissions cycle.
- University of Maine
- Location: Orono, Maine
- Acceptance rate: 96.80%
- University of Mississippi
- Location: Oxford, Mississippi
- Acceptance rate: 96.60%
- Marshall University
- Location: Huntington, West Virginia
- Acceptance rate: 95.70%
- North Dakota State University
- Location: Fargo, North Dakota
- Acceptance rate: 95%
- University of Kentucky
- Location: Lexington, Kentucky
- Acceptance rate: 92.90%
- Utah State University
- Location: Logan, Utah
- Acceptance rate: 92.50%
- Arizona State University
- Location: Tempe, Arizona
- Acceptance rate: 89.90%
- Northern Arizona University
- Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
- Acceptance rate: 89.60%
- East Carolina University
- Location: Greenville, North Carolina
- Acceptance rate: 89.20%
- Iowa State University
- Location: Ames, Iowa
- Acceptance rate: 89%
Why Should You Apply To Schools With High Acceptance Rates?
It’s a myth that a low acceptance rate means it’s an amazing school, just as it’s a myth that a school with a high acceptance rate is bad. You shouldn’t automatically rule out a college because of its acceptance rate but instead consider your own goals and needs in a school.
There are two main reasons you should apply to schools with high acceptance rates, including:
It’s the Right School for You
During your research, you want to compare colleges and universities based on your goals, interests, needs, and wants. Consider everything from the program’s reputation to your preferences for class sizes, as well as your personal chances of receiving an acceptance letter. You should also visit campus to make sure you can imagine yourself there for four years.
You might find that one of these institutions that has a high acceptance rate is everything you’re looking for in a school.
You Need Safety Schools
As you build out your college list, you want a good mix of reach, match, and safety schools. Reach schools mean you’re unlikely to get in, but there’s a chance. Match means there’s a 50% chance of acceptance.
Safety schools refer to colleges that you’re almost guaranteed to get an acceptance letter from. High acceptance rate schools fit that bill.
Even if a college accepts most of its applicants, it doesn’t mean you should phone in your application. If you don’t meet the requirements of what they’re looking for in a student, forgetting to submit an essential component or making it clear you put in minimum effort will likely result in you still receiving a rejection letter. Always put your best foot forward, regardless of the acceptance rate.
Want to compare these 10 schools and find others with high acceptance rates? We have you covered! College Raptor’s College Match helps you explore and compare colleges and universities that match your goals and needs. Get started for free here.
