Ranked

780 uS universities with the highest acceptance rates

Acceptance rate, highest first. An open door is a policy, not a verdict — the repayment and earnings columns matter more.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
681 Whitman College Walla Walla, Washington $64,050 $78,092 54% 93% 1410 38%
682 Regent University Virginia Beach, Virginia $21,650 $32,838 57% 43% 1153 38%
683 LeTourneau University Longview, Texas $37,160 $51,124 24% 57% 1208 38%
684 Fisk University Nashville, Tennessee $25,858 $39,450 53% 40% 1200 37%
685 Connecticut College New London, Connecticut $67,242 $84,623 35% 91% 1432 37%
686 Dickinson State University Dickinson, North Dakota $9,118 $20,567 34% 76% — 37%
687 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio $66,608 $85,851 47% 85% 1513 37%
688 San Diego State University San Diego, California $8,728 $27,780 23% 66% — 36%
689 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, Massachusetts $67,018 $84,926 44% 80% 1463 36%
690 University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico $6,284 $12,501 4% 66% — 35%
691 United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, New York $895 $9,168 6% — 1207 34%
692 Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio $67,366 $87,404 31% 82% 1447 34%
693 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California $16,414 $41,573 18% 75% — 33%
694 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California $58,996 $77,560 36% 67% — 32%
695 Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania $65,398 $83,133 20% 91% 1424 31%
696 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California $13,596 $32,265 25% 87% — 31%
697 Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio $71,520 $87,590 21% 87% 1429 31%
698 San Diego Christian College Santee, California $28,012 $31,745 35% 45% — 31%
699 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania $65,920 $83,250 49% 79% 1396 29%
700 Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania $67,812 $83,756 35% 90% 1410 29%
701 University of California, Irvine Irvine, California $15,722 $38,632 20% 78% — 29%
702 Macalester College Saint Paul, Minnesota $68,104 $82,991 36% 89% 1440 29%
703 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, Pennsylvania $70,794 $85,776 44% 85% 1392 28%
704 Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania $67,776 $84,793 35% 90% 1460 27%
705 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California $16,758 $38,701 21% 82% — 27%
706 University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas $11,688 $31,247 27% 77% 1395 27%
707 Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania $64,980 $80,856 37% 88% 1440 26%
708 Trinity University San Antonio, Texas $53,676 $68,224 44% 86% 1416 26%
709 Pitzer College Claremont, California $65,192 $86,466 20% 84% — 25%
710 Spelman College Atlanta, Georgia $31,556 $50,952 48% 42% 1220 25%
711 Reed College Portland, Oregon $69,350 $86,376 40% 85% 1437 25%
712 Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida $5,656 $25,720 20% 63% 1361 24%
713 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida $6,381 $22,523 11% 69% 1403 24%
714 United States Coast Guard Academy New London, Connecticut — — — — 1339 22%
715 University of Richmond University of Richmond, Virginia $65,230 $80,961 32% 76% 1497 22%
716 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina $67,642 $87,499 14% 88% 1475 22%
717 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, New York $67,290 $85,270 33% 86% 1405 21%
718 Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts $65,178 $86,030 14% 82% 1500 21%
719 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan $33,189 — 0% — 1415 21%
720 Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, New York $46,820 $64,190 21% 75% 1410 21%

Questions

Easiest admission in the US: which university leads?
Whitman College — 38% of applicants admitted.
Where does this data come from?
The US Department of Education College Scorecard, which publishes what institutions charge, what students borrow and repay, and the test scores of admitted students. Nothing here is estimated — universities without a published figure are left out of the ranking.
Is the cheapest university the best value?
Not necessarily. Price is one half of value; the other is what graduates earn and whether they clear the debt. Each university page links to its earnings and repayment record.
All university data Cheapest tuition Most expensive Best loan repayment Fewest borrowers Highest SAT

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.