There’s a common misconception that a college having a high acceptance rate automatically makes it “less good.” Or that a low acceptance rate equates directly to quality.
Neither is necessarily the case. There are plenty of schools with high acceptance rates that offer a fantastic, high-quality education.
And that’s exactly why we’ve made this list, to highlight some of the best colleges in the country that have high acceptance rates.
For this list, we looked within College Raptor’s top 500 overall rankings and sorted them by who had the highest acceptance rates.
Check out the list below, and maybe even consider applying to a few!
Best Colleges with the Highest Acceptance Rates
1 Covenant College
The average ACT and SAT scores of students accepted into Covenant College range from 23–30 and 1,120–1,350 respectively. Popular majors at the school include English, Biology, and Psychology. Outside the classroom, Covenant college competes as the Scots.
They have nearly 230 student-athletes.LocationLookout Mountain, GAInstitution TypePrivateStudent Enrollment1,046
2 Maryville University of Saint Louis
Class sizes at this university are relatively larger, with 14 students for every 1 faculty member. Many of these classrooms will be training students in Maryville’s most popular major: Nursing.
Besides academics, the university offers a number of sports including soccer, track, tennis, softball, and wrestling.LocationSaint Louis, MOInstitution TypePrivateStudent Enrollment9,139
3 Houghton College
This school has colors of purple and gold, and students are known as the Highlanders. Their mascot, Luckey, cheers on over 240 student-athletes as they compete in NCAA Division III (without football) sports.
The college has many notable alumni, including professors, politicians, and business leaders, and more.LocationHoughton, NYInstitution TypePrivateStudent Enrollment1,001
4 University of Kentucky
This university has a motto of “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” The students go by the nickname of the Wildcats, with their mascot fittingly being Scratch the Wildcat.
The almost 500 student-athletes can be seen sporting school colors of blue and white at competitions. UK has a first-year retention rate of 85%.LocationLexington, KYInstitution TypePublicStudent Enrollment29,182
5 Loyola University New Orleans
At Loyola University’s New Orleans branch, 99% of the student body receives grant aid. Popular majors include Psychology, Music Management, Business, and Public Relations.
The student to faculty ratio is 12 students for every 1 faculty member. Their mascot is Havoc T. Wolf, and students compete as the Wolf Pack.LocationNew Orleans, LAInstitution TypePrivateStudent Enrollment4,261
6 Kansas State University
KSU has only one school color: royal purple. The school has a motto of “Rule by Obeying Nature’s Laws.”
Perhaps this ideal is why the university’s most popular majors are mainly science-based, such as Animal Science, Human Development, and Kinesiology.
Location: Manhattan, KSInstitution TypePublicStudent Enrollment22,221
7 University of Kansas
Over 500 students compete as athletes for this university, wearing the school colors of crimson and blue. Popular majors at the school include Journalism, Psychology, and Accounting.
The university has many notable alumni, including Fulbright scholars, NASA astronauts, and Nobel Prize laureates.LocationLawrence, KSInstitution TypePublicStudent Enrollment27,690
8 University of Alabama at Birmingham
The majority of first-year students attending this university are from the southern region of the United States. Students go by the nickname of the Blazers, and their mascot is Blaze the Dragon.
The official school colors are green, white, and gold. UAB tends to have larger class sizes, with a 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio.LocationBirmingham, ALInstitution TypePublicStudent Enrollment21,923
9 Principia College
Principia College’s motto is “As the Sowing, The Reaping.” The school’s colors are blue and gold. Principia College is nonselective, with a 92% acceptance rate. The college offers a range of majors and programs.
The most popular ones include Education, Business Administration and Management, and Mass Communication/Media Studies.LocationElsah, ILInstitution TypePrivateStudent Enrollment447
10 Iowa State University
Cy the Cardinal is the mascot of Iowa State University. With over 400 athletes, Iowa State is notably in the Big 12 athletics conference and a member of the NCAA Division I.
Besides athletics, the school is also known for its engineering programs. The most popular majors are Mechanical Engineering, Kinesiology, and Marketing.LocationAmes, IAInstitution TypePublicStudent Enrollment34,992
11 Whitworth University
12 Pennsylvania State University — Altoona
13 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
14 Valparaiso University
15 Illinois State University
16 Transylvania University
17 Pennsylvania State University — Erie-Behrend College
18 Massachusetts Maritime Academy
19 Martin Luther College
20 University of Mississippi
21 Western Washington University
22 University of Puget Sound
23 Pennsylvania State University — Harrisburg
24 Niagara University
25 Dominican University of California
