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Accessible colleges with high acceptance rates

These colleges admit most of the students who apply, which makes them dependable safety options on a balanced list. A high acceptance rate does not mean low quality; many are large public universities or strong regional schools that simply admit broadly.

Every applicant should have at least one or two true safeties: schools you are very likely to get into and would be genuinely happy to attend. The list below is sorted by acceptance rate, highest first. Confirm any of them really is a safety for you with the chances calculator.

42 schools on this list

UC Merced admits 95.1% Kentucky admits 93% ASU admits 90% Kansas admits 88% UNH admits 88% George Mason admits 87% Nebraska admits 87% Utah admits 87% Washington State admits 87% Oregon admits 86% Cincinnati admits 85% Michigan State admits 85% Iowa admits 84% Loyola Chicago admits 82% Marquette admits 81% Creighton admits 80% CU Boulder admits 79% Gonzaga admits 79% Hope admits 79% Drexel admits 78% Indiana admits 78% Lewis & Clark admits 78% Mizzou admits 78% Denver admits 77% Minnesota admits 77% Oklahoma admits 77% Oregon State admits 77% Willamette admits 77% Kalamazoo admits 76% UC Riverside admits 76% Hampshire admits 75% SLU admits 75% UGA admits 75% Arkansas admits 74% Houston admits 74% Earlham admits 73% UC Santa Cruz admits 72.7% JMU admits 72% Puget Sound admits 72% URI admits 72% Knox admits 71% DePaul admits 70%

See your real chances at every one of these.

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More college lists

Test-blind colleges 18 Test-optional colleges 165 Colleges that still require test scores 76 Colleges where the essay matters most 77 Colleges that decide on the numbers 21 Colleges that no longer consider legacy 167 Public universities with the biggest in-state advantage 63 The most selective colleges 288 Colleges that track demonstrated interest 31 Colleges that weigh character most heavily 90