Schools Ranked by Acceptance Rate

A college’s overall quality and prestige is in part determined by its selectivity, of which acceptance rate is an indicator. The acceptance rate figures are provided by the College Navigator database, a tool offered by the U.S. Department of Education. The data is for the fall 2011 entering undergraduate class.

College Navigator did not have acceptance rate figures for all of the colleges on our list. We did not, however, want to penalize those colleges without data. To that end, we simply excluded those schools from the rankings in this category.

Rank School FT to PT
Faculty Ratio		 Institution
Fin. Aid Rate		 Acceptance Rate Retention Rate Graduation Rate Accred.
Years		 Default
Rate		 Job Place. Rate  
192 Sacred Heart University 0.57 to 1 89% 64% 75% 68% 43 4% N/A  
192 Trine University-Fort Wayne Regional Campus to 1 0% 64% 50% N/A 18 10% N/A  
192 University of Alabama in Huntsville 1.75 to 1 71% 64% 79% 45% 42 7% N/A  
192 University of Massachusetts-Lowell 0.93 to 1 60% 64% 79% 50% 37 5% N/A  
192 University of New Haven 0.58 to 1 97% 64% 75% 52% 46 5% N/A  
192 University of the Sciences 1.80 to 1 100% 64% 83% 65% 50 2% N/A  
207 Charleston Southern University 1.17 to 1 98% 65% 63% 38% 42 6% N/A  
207 Indiana Institute of Technology 0.15 to 1 80% 65% 59% 19% 50 11% N/A  
207 Northern Arizona University 1.37 to 1 64% 65% 73% 52% 82 7% N/A  
207 Shorter University 1.36 to 1 98% 65% 68% 47% 89 12% N/A  
207 University of North Carolina at Greensboro 3.82 to 1 48% 65% 76% 53% 91 4% N/A  
207 University of North Texas 2.67 to 1 48% 65% 78% 49% 87 10% N/A  
207 Worcester State University 0.80 to 1 42% 65% 80% 47% 55 9% N/A  
214 Culver-Stockton College 1.45 to 1 100% 66% 65% 41% 88 13% N/A  
214 Daniel Webster College 0.21 to 1 1% 66% 63% 43% 40 7% N/A  
214 Dickinson State University 0.70 to 1 61% 66% N/A N/A 84 5% N/A  
214 Eastern Kentucky University 1.56 to 1 27% 66% 66% 37% 84 12% 100%  
214 Eastern Michigan University 1.51 to 1 72% 66% 76% 40% 97 9% N/A  
214 Framingham State University 1.44 to 1 38% 66% 74% 52% 62 7% N/A  
214 Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla 0.40 to 1 31% 66% 70% 20% 36 28% N/A  
214 King College 1.27 to 1 79% 66% 67% 41% 65 9% N/A  
214 Lesley University 3.63 to 1 94% 66% 76% 49% 60 4% N/A  
214 Nevada State College 0.37 to 1 26% 66% 62% 22% 6 15% N/A  
214 Northern Kentucky University 1.36 to 1 36% 66% 66% 37% 39 11% N/A  
214 Norwich University 0.92 to 1 98% 66% 77% 55% 79 4% N/A  
214 Oklahoma Baptist University 1.83 to 1 88% 66% 77% 51% 60 8% N/A  
214 Texas Tech University 5.85 to 1 33% 66% 82% 61% 84 8% N/A  
214 The University of West Florida 1.25 to 1 24% 66% 73% 48% 43 7% N/A  
214 University of Massachusetts Amherst 4.74 to 1 57% 66% 89% 67% 80 4% N/A  
214 University of Memphis 1.51 to 1 29% 66% 77% 38% 85 9% N/A  
214 University of Wisconsin-Madison 3.13 to 1 40% 66% 94% 82% 99 1% N/A  
214 Western Illinois University 10.25 to 1 45% 66% 71% 53% 99 11% N/A  
233 Columbia International University 4.88 to 1 90% 67% 82% 58% 64 3% N/A  
233 Green Mountain College 1.57 to 1 95% 67% 63% 44% 78 10% N/A  
233 Maryville University of Saint Louis 0.37 to 1 96% 67% 82% 68% 71 3% N/A  
233 Saint Peter's College 0.73 to 1 99% 67% 73% 51% 77 11% N/A  
233 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania 7.14 to 1 10% 67% 81% 59% 69 5% N/A  
233 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus 2.82 to 1 71% 67% 60% 33% 83 17% N/A  
233 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 0.90 to 1 42% 67% 71% 41% 42 8% N/A  
233 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 6.98 to 1 38% 67% 91% 82% 89 2% N/A  
241 Ball State University 4.63 to 1 42% 68% 79% 56% 87 5% N/A  
241 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences 3.63 to 1 19% 68% 69% 71% 17 3% N/A  
241 Central Michigan University 1.92 to 1 64% 68% 76% 54% 97 4% 35%  
241 Dover Business College 1.07 to 1 12% 68% N/A 56% 38 24% N/A  
241 Eastern Illinois University 4.22 to 1 22% 68% 79% 59% 97 5% N/A  
241 Fitchburg State University 0.79 to 1 49% 68% 73% 47% 59 4% N/A  
241 Florida Gulf Coast University 1.70 to 1 16% 68% 75% 45% 13 7% N/A  
241 Fort Hays State University 6.93 to 1 84% 68% 63% 42% 97 7% N/A  
241 Georgia Southwestern State University 2.02 to 1 30% 68% 65% 30% 80 11% N/A  
241 McKendree University 0.52 to 1 100% 68% 76% 54% 42 9% N/A  
241 Oakland University 0.98 to 1 79% 68% 73% 40% 46 6% N/A  
241 Purdue University-Main Campus 6.26 to 1 43% 68% 90% 68% 99 3% N/A  
241 South University‚Savannah Online 0.09 to 1 5% 68% 18% 8% N/A N/A N/A  
241 University of Denver 1.04 to 1 83% 68% 89% 78% 98 4% N/A  
241 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2.30 to 1 40% 68% 93% 82% 99 3% N/A  
241 University of Massachusetts-Boston 1.01 to 1 53% 68% 75% 40% 40 6% N/A  
241 University of West Alabama 28.00 to 1 58% 68% 57% 30% 74 12% N/A  
258 Adelphi University 0.48 to 1 90% 69% 81% 66% 91 5% 50%  
258 Bethel College-Mishawaka 0.75 to 1 97% 69% 85% 51% 41 9% N/A  
258 Howard Payne University 2.83 to 1 99% 69% 57% 46% 64 15% N/A  
258 Oakland City University 0.22 to 1 96% 69% 43% 59% 35 7% N/A  
258 Portland State University 0.94 to 1 32% 69% 73% 38% 56 7% N/A  
258 The New School 0.25 to 1 96% 69% 82% 60% 52 7% N/A  
258 The University of Findlay 4.14 to 1 99% 69% 78% 57% 79 6% N/A  
258 The University of Texas at Arlington 2.29 to 1 50% 69% 71% 40% 48 10% N/A  
258 University of Kentucky 5.27 to 1 45% 69% 82% 59% 97 4% N/A  
258 West Texas A & M University 1.92 to 1 34% 69% 65% 42% 87 11% N/A  
268 Auburn University 6.50 to 1 62% 70% 89% 66% 90 7% N/A  
268 Denver School of Nursing 0.24 to 1 0% 70% 86% N/A 4 0% N/A  
268 Duquesne University 0.97 to 1 100% 70% 87% 76% 77 2% N/A  
268 East Carolina University 4.98 to 1 39% 70% 81% 59% 85 3% 100%  
268 Georgia College & State University 3.35 to 1 10% 70% 83% 55% 87 6% N/A  
268 Marylhurst University 0.26 to 1 67% 70% 67% N/A 35 5% N/A  
268 Middle Tennessee State University 2.37 to 1 21% 70% 70% 45% 84 12% N/A  
268 Northwest Missouri State University 4.08 to 1 90% 70% 69% 50% 91 7% N/A  
268 Salve Regina University 0.93 to 1 92% 70% 80% 73% 56 4% N/A  
268 Seattle Pacific University 1.25 to 1 96% 70% 85% 74% 79 2% 90%  
268 The University of Tennessee 4.33 to 1 67% 70% 84% 63% 12 8% N/A  
268 The University of Texas-Pan American 13.15 to 1 36% 70% 78% 42% 56 11% N/A  
268 University of North Dakota 10.18 to 1 48% 70% 77% 54% 99 4% N/A  
268 University of South Carolina-Columbia 2.62 to 1 58% 70% 87% 70% 95 3% N/A  
268 University of the Cumberlands 1.83 to 1 99% 70% 62% 43% 48 11% N/A  
283 Hamline University 1.01 to 1 96% 71% 80% 68% 98 5% N/A  
283 Hawaii Pacific University 0.68 to 1 62% 71% 67% 39% 39 5% N/A  
283 Rasmussen College-Minnesota 0.17 to 1 100% 71% 44% 39% 33 14% N/A  
283 Troy University 0.71 to 1 34% 71% 74% 32% 78 15% N/A  
283 University of Hawaii at Hilo 3.67 to 1 39% 71% 69% 36% 36 9% N/A  
283 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 1.48 to 1 64% 71% 74% 48% 48 6% N/A  
289 Ashland University-Ohio 0.90 to 1 96% 72% 72% 61% 74 5% 100%  
289 Edgewood College 0.73 to 1 94% 72% 80% 51% 54 3% N/A  
289 Harding University 2.45 to 1 96% 72% 81% 63% 58 4% N/A  
289 Indiana Wesleyan University 0.22 to 1 48% 72% 75% 67% 46 7% N/A  
289 Mount Aloysius College 0.58 to 1 99% 72% 62% 51% 69 10% N/A  
289 Mount Vernon Nazarene University 0.76 to 1 99% 72% 70% 57% 40 5% N/A  
289 Northern Michigan University 1.69 to 1 67% 72% 73% 47% 96 7% N/A  
289 Trine University 1.34 to 1 95% 72% 73% 44% 46 10% N/A  
289 University of Alabama at Birmingham 12.11 to 1 56% 72% 79% 45% 42 6% N/A  
289 University of Scranton 1.75 to 1 91% 72% 88% 77% 85 3% N/A  
289 Webster University 0.14 to 1 85% 72% 80% 61% 87 8% N/A  
289 Wheeling Jesuit University 1.53 to 1 100% 72% 71% 62% 50 7% N/A  

Methodology

For each college, we gathered data for nine different metrics: the number of full-time faculty per part-time faculty member; institutional financial aid, acceptance, retention, graduation, job placement, and default rates; years accredited; and undergraduate tuition. Learn more