What are the least selective four-year colleges in the United States?

First is Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online at 100.0%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton at 98.5%.

Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?

No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.

Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?

0 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

The 50 least selective four-year colleges in the United States

11 four-year colleges in the federal file report admitting every applicant, an admit rate of 100%. The table below is the 50 highest admit rates of the 1,433 four-year US colleges that report one, largest first, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. A high admit rate means a college turned few applicants away. It is not a quality measure and this page makes no claim about one.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. Every figure on this page is computed from the federal file when the page is built. See the method below for which colleges are counted and what each number is.

Updated 17 September 2026. Written and maintained by NudgeEssay; how facts on this site are sourced and corrected is on the about page.

The 50 colleges

Ranked on admit rate, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. 0 of the 50 have a NudgeEssay page carrying their essay prompts word for word, and those names are links. A dash means the federal file carries no figure for that college, not a zero.

The 50 least selective four-year colleges in the United States
#	College	Where	Admit rate	Undergraduates
1	Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online	Addison, TXPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	1,219
2	Albizu University-San Juan	San Juan, PRPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	728
3	Delta State University	Cleveland, MSPublic	100.0%	1,620
4	Eastern Mennonite University	Harrisonburg, VAPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	754
5	Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico	San Juan, PRPublic	100.0%	466
6	Naropa University	Boulder, COPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	339
7	Reach University	Oakland, CAPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	1,946
8	Texas A&M University-Central Texas	Killeen, TXPublic	100.0%	1,750
9	Union Adventist University	Lincoln, NEPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	471
10	Universidad Adventista de las Antillas	Mayaguez, PRPrivate nonprofit	100.0%	830
11	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Flex	Milwaukee, WIPublic	100.0%	543
12	The University of Texas at El Paso	El Paso, TXPublic	99.9%	21,005
13	University of Maine at Presque Isle	Presque Isle, MEPublic	99.9%	1,913
14	Loras College	Dubuque, IAPrivate nonprofit	99.9%	1,083
15	The University of Montana-Western	Dillon, MTPublic	99.8%	1,198
16	King University	Bristol, TNPrivate nonprofit	99.7%	908
17	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Des Moines, IAPrivate nonprofit	99.7%	867
18	Western Colorado University	Gunnison, COPublic	99.7%	1,586
19	Middle Georgia State University	Macon, GAPublic	99.7%	6,574
20	Northeastern State University	Tahlequah, OKPublic	99.6%	4,772
21	American International College	Springfield, MAPrivate nonprofit	99.6%	1,017
22	Southern Wesleyan University	Central, SCPrivate nonprofit	99.5%	747
23	Trinity Washington University	Washington, DCPrivate nonprofit	99.5%	1,414
24	Southern New Hampshire University	Manchester, NHPrivate nonprofit	99.5%	163,164
25	Spalding University	Louisville, KYPrivate nonprofit	99.5%	583
26	Southeastern Louisiana University	Hammond, LAPublic	99.3%	9,514
27	Pennsylvania College of Art and Design	Lancaster, PAPrivate nonprofit	99.2%	400
28	Le Moyne-Owen College	Memphis, TNPrivate nonprofit	99.2%	581
29	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	Mayaguez, PRPrivate nonprofit	99.2%	555
30	Grace Christian University	Wyoming, MIPrivate nonprofit	99.2%	716
31	Columbus State University	Columbus, GAPublic	99.1%	5,625
32	University of Southern Mississippi	Hattiesburg, MSPublic	99.1%	10,075
33	Culver-Stockton College	Canton, MOPrivate nonprofit	99.1%	807
34	Grand View University	Des Moines, IAPrivate nonprofit	99.1%	1,486
35	Valley City State University	Valley City, NDPublic	99.1%	958
36	Liberty University	Lynchburg, VAPrivate nonprofit	99.0%	50,012
37	North Central University	Minneapolis, MNPrivate nonprofit	99.0%	709
38	University of the Virgin Islands	Charlotte Amalie, VIPublic	99.0%	1,518
39	Oral Roberts University	Tulsa, OKPrivate nonprofit	98.9%	3,487
40	University of the Cumberlands	Williamsburg, KYPrivate nonprofit	98.8%	6,941
41	Metropolitan State University of Denver	Denver, COPublic	98.8%	15,002
42	University of South Dakota	Vermillion, SDPublic	98.8%	5,439
43	Metropolitan State University	Saint Paul, MNPublic	98.7%	5,616
44	Sul Ross State University	Alpine, TXPublic	98.7%	1,396
45	Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University	Baton Rouge, LAPrivate nonprofit	98.7%	821
46	West Texas A & M University	Canyon, TXPublic	98.7%	6,917
47	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks	Reading, PAPublic	98.7%	1,872
48	Fairmont State University	Fairmont, WVPublic	98.6%	2,590
49	Central State University	Wilberforce, OHPublic	98.6%	2,620
50	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton	Dunmore, PAPublic	98.5%	793

Method

Source: the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17 from the bulk download. Every college in it reports these figures to the US Department of Education itself.

The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit.

Counted: the federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used on this page family. 144 private for-profit institutions are excluded, and 236 reporting fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 1,433 met this page’s criteria and the table shows the top 50.

131 colleges in the pool report no admit rate and cannot appear in any order based on one.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. No admission probability is stated anywhere on this site, because none can be derived from public data: colleges do not publish admit rates conditional on a score, so any single percentage would be invented. The free chance me tool and college finder sort a list into reaches, targets and likelies from the same federal figures and give no percentage either.

The federal file behind this family carries no earnings column, so no list here says anything about what graduates are paid. Rather than estimate one, this site says what is missing. What one named college costs after aid, income band by income band, is on its own page in the cost family. Our own essay dataset, which is a different source, is described on the supplemental essay data page.

Questions

What are the least selective four-year colleges in the United States?: First is Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online at 100.0%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton at 98.5%.
Where does this ranking come from?: From the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17. The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted.
Which colleges are counted and which are left out?: The federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used here: 144 private for-profit institutions and 236 with fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 1,433 of those met this page's criteria and the table shows the top 50. 131 colleges in the pool report no admit rate and cannot appear in any order based on one.
Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?: No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.
Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?: 0 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

The other rankings in this set

All computed from the same federal file, pulled on 2026-09-17, with the same pool and the same exclusions.

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