Colleges With a 20% to 30% Acceptance Rate

22 colleges in the CollegeCalcAI database have a 20 to 30 percent acceptance rate, spread across 12 states: 6 public and 16 private. The median admitted-student SAT (75th percentile) in this band is 1425. Ranked from most to least selective, the list starts with Carleton College, Florida A&M University, and Hillsdale College. Schools admitting one in five to one in three applicants are reaches for most and targets for the strongest profiles; treat every one as competitive.

Schools

Median acceptance

26%

Most selective

Carleton College

20% acceptance

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Estimated chance of admission for three typical students, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA; 2, 4 and 7 AP courses respectively; Regular Decision; no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook.

Which of the Colleges With a 20% to 30% Acceptance Rate can I get into with a 3.7 GPA and a 1300 SAT?

By CollegeCalcAI's model, a student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT has a Likely or Safety estimate (45% or higher) at 2 of the 22 colleges here, including Trinity University (TX) and Mississippi College. 19 more are Target (25 to 44%), such as Florida A&M University and Hillsdale College. The other 1 is a Reach. Estimates assume Regular Decision and no hook; courses, activities and essays move them.

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT
College	3.3 GPA1150 SAT	3.7 GPA1300 SAT	4.0 GPA1500 SAT
Carleton Collegeadmits 20%	14%Reach	22%Reach	41%Target
Florida A&M Universityadmits 21%	25%Target	40%Target	51%Likely
Hillsdale Collegeadmits 21%	14%Reach	28%Target	48%Likely
Skidmore Collegeadmits 21%	14%Reach	29%Target	49%Likely
Smith Collegeadmits 21%	14%Reach	26%Target	47%Likely
University of Richmondadmits 22%	15%Reach	28%Target	51%Likely
Wake Forest Universityadmits 22%	15%Reach	25%Target	46%Likely
Crown Collegeadmits 23%	30%Target	44%Target	56%Likely
Florida State Universityadmits 24%	16%Reach	35%Target	59%Likely
University of Floridaadmits 24%	15%Reach	31%Target	57%Likely
Lehigh Universityadmits 26%	17%Reach	34%Target	61%Likely
Trinity University (TX)admits 26%	25%Target	48%Likely	62%Likely
UC San Diegoadmits 27%	17%Reach	32%Target	59%Likely
University of Texas at Austinadmits 27%	17%Reach	33%Target	62%Likely
Villanova Universityadmits 27%	17%Reach	33%Target	61%Likely
Franklin & Marshall Collegeadmits 28%	18%Reach	38%Target	64%Likely
Bucknell Universityadmits 29%	19%Reach	41%Target	70%Safety
UC Irvineadmits 29%	18%Reach	40%Target	69%Likely
Bryn Mawr Collegeadmits 29%	18%Reach	38%Target	67%Likely
Macalester Collegeadmits 29%	18%Reach	38%Target	67%Likely
Mississippi Collegeadmits 29%	35%Target	58%Likely	71%Safety
Trinity Collegeadmits 29%	19%Reach	41%Target	68%Likely

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities or compare your own list with the free admissions API.

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CollegeCalcAI. "Colleges With a 20% to 30% Acceptance Rate." 2026. https://collegecalcai.com/data/colleges-with-20-to-30-percent-acceptance-rate

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26%median acceptance rate, colleges with a 20% to 30% acceptance rate (22 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI

<a href="https://collegecalcai.com/data/colleges-with-20-to-30-percent-acceptance-rate?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=statcard" style="display:inline-block;padding:16px 20px;border:1px solid #E5E9F0;border-radius:14px;text-decoration:none;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;background:#fff">26%median acceptance rate, colleges with a 20% to 30% acceptance rate (22 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI</a>

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Acceptance rates and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.