Colleges with Highest Acceptance Rates (2026)

Quality four-year colleges with high acceptance rates — great options for students who want a strong education without cutthroat admissions. Filtered for schools with graduation rates above 40%.

Showing top 50 of 230 qualifying colleges

230

Qualifying Colleges

$15,338

Avg Net Price

96%

Avg Acceptance Rate

$52,922

Avg Graduate Earnings

Top 6 — Colleges with Highest Acceptance Rates (2026)

The University of Texas at El Paso campus

The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX

100% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$25,512

Net Price

$10,726

Graduation Rate

47%

Median Earnings

$50,923

University of Southern Mississippi campus

University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, MS

99% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$11,618

Net Price

$14,224

Graduation Rate

51%

Median Earnings

$44,140

Liberty University campus

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

99% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$21,222

Net Price

$29,552

Graduation Rate

65%

Median Earnings

$44,813

Columbus State University campus

Columbus State University

Columbus, GA

99% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$16,805

Net Price

$11,889

Graduation Rate

43%

Median Earnings

$44,544

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt campus

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Arcata, CA

99% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$19,793

Net Price

$13,167

Graduation Rate

46%

Median Earnings

$47,626

South Dakota State University campus

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD

99% Acceptance

Open Admissions

Out-of-State Tuition

$12,809

Net Price

$18,219

Graduation Rate

59%

Median Earnings

$55,070

Full Rankings — Top 50

1

The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX · Public

100% / 47%

Accept / Grad Rate

2

University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, MS · Public

99% / 51%

Accept / Grad Rate

3

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA · Private

99% / 65%

Accept / Grad Rate

4

Columbus State University

Columbus, GA · Public

99% / 43%

Accept / Grad Rate

5

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt

Arcata, CA · Public

99% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

6

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD · Public

99% / 59%

Accept / Grad Rate

7

California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA · Public

98% / 55%

Accept / Grad Rate

8

University of Mississippi

University, MS · Public

98% / 68%

Accept / Grad Rate

9

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA · Public

97% / 57%

Accept / Grad Rate

10

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private

97% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

11

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY · Public

97% / 60%

Accept / Grad Rate

12

West Texas A & M University

Canyon, TX · Public

97% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

13

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL · Public

97% / 54%

Accept / Grad Rate

14

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY · Public

97% / 53%

Accept / Grad Rate

15

Brigham Young University-Idaho

Rexburg, ID · Private

97% / 54%

Accept / Grad Rate

16

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA · Public

97% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

17

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, CO · Public

97% / 44%

Accept / Grad Rate

18

University of North Alabama

Florence, AL · Public

96% / 53%

Accept / Grad Rate

19

Marshall University

Huntington, WV · Public

96% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

20

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA · Public

96% / 56%

Accept / Grad Rate

21

Belmont University

Nashville, TN · Private

96% / 72%

Accept / Grad Rate

22

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR · Public

96% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

23

University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV · Public

96% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA · Public

96% / 52%

Accept / Grad Rate

25

Southern New Hampshire University

Manchester, NH · Private

96% / 43%

Accept / Grad Rate

26

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY · Public

96% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

27

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN · Public

96% / 44%

Accept / Grad Rate

28

North Dakota State University-Main Campus

Fargo, ND · Public

96% / 63%

Accept / Grad Rate

29

University of Maine

Orono, ME · Public

96% / 56%

Accept / Grad Rate

30

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA · Public

96% / 55%

Accept / Grad Rate

31

The University of Montana

Missoula, MT · Public

96% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

32

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH · Public

95% / 49%

Accept / Grad Rate

33

University of New Mexico-Main Campus

Albuquerque, NM · Public

95% / 52%

Accept / Grad Rate

34

Wright State University-Main Campus

Dayton, OH · Public

95% / 45%

Accept / Grad Rate

35

Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX · Public

95% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

36

Wichita State University

Wichita, KS · Public

95% / 52%

Accept / Grad Rate

37

University of Toledo

Toledo, OH · Public

95% / 55%

Accept / Grad Rate

38

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, PA · Public

95% / 55%

Accept / Grad Rate

39

California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA · Public

95% / 62%

Accept / Grad Rate

40

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, PA · Public

95% / 53%

Accept / Grad Rate

41

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI · Public

95% / 67%

Accept / Grad Rate

42

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA · Public

94% / 66%

Accept / Grad Rate

43

Southeastern Louisiana University

Hammond, LA · Public

94% / 44%

Accept / Grad Rate

44

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX · Public

94% / 48%

Accept / Grad Rate

45

Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Natchitoches, LA · Public

94% / 46%

Accept / Grad Rate

46

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA · Public

94% / 64%

Accept / Grad Rate

47

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Saint Louis, MO · Private

94% / 69%

Accept / Grad Rate

48

Pennsylvania Western University

California, PA · Public

94% / 50%

Accept / Grad Rate

49

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA · Public

94% / 55%

Accept / Grad Rate

50

Utah State University

Logan, UT · Public

94% / 56%

Accept / Grad Rate

Rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Rankings do not reflect editorial opinion and are generated algorithmically based on publicly available outcomes data.

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