What you need to know about college acceptance rates

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on December 5, 2025

Key takeaways:

  • College acceptance rates are the percentage of accepted applicants in an admissions cycle at any particular school.
  • Caltech is one of the most selective with a 2.6% acceptance rate, and University of Maine is one of the least selective at 96.8%.
  • You can improve your chances of an acceptance letter with high grades, academic rigor, strong SAT/ACT scores, and an impactful essay.

Here's everything you need to know about college acceptance rates.

A college acceptance rate is the percentage of accepted students each year at a school. Lower rates mean the college is more selective and it’s more difficult to gain an acceptance letter. However, these numbers don’t tell the whole story and several factors can impact your personal acceptance chances at any one school. Below, we’ve outlined what college acceptance rates mean, listed the most and least selective schools, and provided tips to improve your chances of admission at your dream college.

What do college acceptance rates mean?

College acceptance rates refers to the percentage of first-time, first-year students who applied to a particular school and received an acceptance letter. Colleges have limited space for students and cannot accept all applicants. The lower the percentage, the more difficult it is to get into the school.

For example, Stanford University received 57,326 applications during the 2025 admissions cycle. Just 2,067 were accepted. As a result, Stanford has a 3.6% acceptance rate.

Colleges often accept more students than they have seats for, as not all accepted students will enroll. The total number of accepted students who enrolled is called the yield. Following the above example, 1,693 of the 2,067 students attended Stanford the following fall. Therefore, Stanford has an 81.9% yield.

What impacts your chances of acceptance?

Typically, colleges look at applicants’ GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, and community involvement during the admissions process. However, there’s no universal rubric that all schools use to determine which students to accept. Each has its unique set of criteria affecting its overall acceptance rate, though GPA, SAT/ACT scores, extracurriculars, and essays are often considered. Some schools may also take level of interest, location, religion, and other factors into account.

If a college has a lower acceptance rate, they’re often looking for students with higher GPAs, stellar SAT/ACT scores, standout essays, and leadership experience. A school with higher acceptance rates will still accept top students, but they’ll likely also accept applicants with lower grades, less community involvement, and test scores. However, acceptance is never guaranteed at any particular school, no matter how strong of an application the student has.

Most colleges don’t have minimum required GPA or SAT/ACT scores for acceptance, but the lower your grades or test results, the less likely you are to be accepted at very selective schools.

Colleges with lowest acceptance rates

These 10 schools are among the most selective in the United States as of 2025:

Colleges with highest acceptance rates

Community colleges accept almost all applications, but many 4-year schools have high acceptance rates, too. These are ten of the least selective colleges and universities in 2025:

How to improve acceptance changes

To improve your admission chances to colleges, follow these tips:

  • Focus on academic rigor. Academic rigor shows colleges you’re ready for advanced coursework. Doing well in these courses can improve your weighted GPA.
  • Get involved. Participate in clubs, extracurriculars, and volunteer work to gain experience and leadership skills. Keep quality over quantity in mind.
  • Devote plenty of time to your essay. Don’t write your application essay the night before it’s due. Set time aside to brainstorm topics, write, proofread, and edit.
  • Start early. The earlier you start on your college applications, the more polished they’ll be when you’re ready to submit. It’s also less stressful!
  • Consider applying under Early Action or Early Decision. Early application cycles tend to have higher acceptance rates than Regular or Rolling Decisions. However, if you’re accepted under Early Decision, you’re expected to attend.
  • Create a balanced list of schools. Find reach, match, and safety schools to improve your overall acceptance chances.
  • Research your colleges’ admission policies. Learn more about what your colleges are specifically looking for in their students. Visit school websites and review their Common Data Sets. Use this information to improve your application.

While it’s more difficult to get into a school with a low acceptance rate, it doesn’t mean you should avoid applying to these colleges. If you have lower grades or SAT/ACT scores than the average accepted applicant, you can still improve your chances of an acceptance letter by writing an impactful essay, showcasing extracurriculars, and providing powerful letters of recommendation.

Find your college fit

As you research and create your college list, take note of each school’s acceptance rate and what they’re looking for in a student. Your choice of school shouldn’t be influenced by these numbers alone, but the knowledge will help you better understand your own chances of receiving an acceptance letter and create a personal list of reach, match, and safety schools.

Want to learn more about your acceptance chances at your dream college and how you can improve your application? Get started with College Match today.

By Hilary Cairns
Hilary Cairns is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and has a BA in English/Creative Writing. She's an established freelance writer who also has a hand in marketing, social media, and editing for various businesses across the United States.

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