Admission rates
These are the colleges in our dataset that admit the largest share of the students who apply. 354 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by The University of Texas at El Paso (Texas).
Across all 354 qualifying colleges the acceptance rate runs from 2.6% (California Institute of Technology) to 99.9% (The University of Texas at El Paso), with a median of 44.6%. For comparison, the median across the 354 colleges in the full dataset that report it is 44.6%.
| # | College | State | Acceptance rate | Graduation rate | Net price | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at El Paso | TX | 99.9% | 50.2% | $9,403 | 21,005 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 99.5% | 42.8% | $36,708 | 163,164 |
| 3 | Liberty University | VA | 99.0% | 65.3% | $29,357 | 50,012 |
| 4 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | CO | 98.8% | 31.5% | $15,327 | 15,002 |
| 5 | University of Mississippi | MS | 96.6% | 71.7% | $13,314 | 21,473 |
| 6 | San Francisco State University | CA | 96.4% | 50.4% | $12,278 | 18,639 |
| 7 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | 96.2% | 50.5% | $10,359 | 24,622 |
| 8 | California State University-Fresno | CA | 95.3% | 57.0% | $7,000 | 21,605 |
| 9 | University of New Mexico | NM | 95.2% | 54.7% | $15,489 | 17,244 |
| 10 | California State University-San Marcos | CA | 95.1% | 54.6% | $10,229 | 14,877 |
| 11 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | TX | 94.2% | 50.9% | $4,831 | 28,666 |
| 12 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | 94.0% | 56.3% | $9,338 | 28,350 |
| 13 | California State University-San Bernardino | CA | 93.7% | 54.9% | $4,564 | 15,023 |
| 14 | California State University-Northridge | CA | 93.5% | 57.0% | $7,021 | 32,691 |
| 15 | University of Kansas | KS | 93.5% | 68.8% | $18,059 | 21,217 |
| 16 | University of Kentucky | KY | 92.9% | 71.4% | $18,851 | 24,763 |
| 17 | California State University-Chico | CA | 92.7% | 62.8% | $14,480 | 13,631 |
| 18 | Virginia Commonwealth University | VA | 92.6% | 63.2% | $23,433 | 20,753 |
| 19 | Utah State University | UT | 92.5% | 59.1% | $14,936 | 20,272 |
| 20 | California State University-Los Angeles | CA | 91.2% | 53.0% | $3,967 | 19,562 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 354 qualifying colleges, 172 are public and 182 are private nonprofit. Within the table, California appears 8 times, Texas appears 2 times, Virginia appears 2 times. The median graduation rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 55.6%, against 73.1% for the whole dataset. The median net price among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $12,796, against $19,857 for the whole dataset. 10 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1110.
A high acceptance rate means a college admitted a large share of its applicants in the reporting year. It says nothing about quality and it does not guarantee admission for you: some programs inside a college (nursing, engineering, honors) are more selective than the college as a whole.
Each column in the table means the following.
Acceptance rate is admitted students divided by applicants, so a college that attracts few applications can post a high rate without being easy to get into for the students who do apply.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1110 SAT or a 23 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
The University of Texas at El Paso is first on this list, with acceptance rate of 99.9%. It leads 354 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
354 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; Fall 2022. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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