What Safety Schools Should You Apply To?
Find schools with the highest acceptance rates!
Find top ranked national universities with high acceptance rates!
Learn about guaranteed acceptances!
Find top liberal arts colleges with high acceptance rates!
One big takeaway from the college application process.
The Best Safety Schools
Selecting a final list of colleges to apply to can feel like a daunting task and safety schools can seem like the last thing you want to think about when thinking about where you’re going to spend the next four years! However, taking the time to consider safety schools that fit your interests and your expectations for a college experience will make your application process much less stressful in the long fun!
In this article, we examine safety schools that not only have a high acceptance rate, but also maintain high standards for learning. All rankings and acceptance rates have been taken from US News. The universities in the lists below are organized by ranking.
Which Schools Have High Acceptance Rates?
Whether you are interested in a school with a large student population or a smaller school, a school in an urban setting, or a school in a rural setting, there is a top safety school for you. A safety school does not just have to be a school with a high acceptance rate. If a school has average test scores and average grade point average stats that are below your level of achievement, it could be a great opportunity to earn merit based scholarships and add a safety school to your list. Within the following lists, there are even schools that offer full scholarships and other amazing opportunities!
Top National Universities With High Acceptance Rates
On top of schools with guaranteed admission, there are also top national universities with surprisingly high acceptance rates! While these schools do not guarantee automatic acceptance, they still offer a very good chance to attend a highly ranked school.
|
University |
US Ranking |
Acceptance Rate |
|
Rutgers University |
63 |
58% |
|
Michigan State University |
80 |
71% |
|
University of Iowa |
88 |
83% |
|
Syracuse University |
58 |
50% |
|
SUNY Stony Brook |
88 |
44% |
|
SUNY Binghamton |
88 |
41% |
|
SUNY Buffalo |
88 |
61% |
|
Gonzaga University |
80 |
62% |
|
University of Delaware |
97 |
71% |
|
Fordham University |
66 |
46% |
|
University of Illinois--Urbana Champaign |
47 |
59% |
|
Purdue University |
53 |
60% |
|
Texas A&M |
66 |
58% |
|
Penn State |
63 |
76% |
|
Ohio State University |
53 |
54% |
|
University of Washington |
58 |
52% |
|
Clemson University |
74 |
51% |
|
Indiana University--Bloomington |
76 |
78% |
|
Temple University |
103 |
60% |
|
University of South Carolina |
118 |
68% |
|
University of Georgia |
47 |
46% |
|
Virginia Tech |
74 |
70% |
|
University of Wisconsin |
42 |
54% |
Guaranteed Acceptances
In some cases, students can gain automatic admission to a college or university depending upon whether they meet the school’s acceptance criteria. For example, at Portland State University, an unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher will lead to automatic acceptance, while at Northern Arizona University a GPA of 3.0 or higher will do the trick!
Other schools, such as the University of Arizona, have programs that guarantee admission as well, even if they are a bit more complicated. At the University of Arizona, automatic acceptance is granted if a student attends a regionally accredited high school, ranks in the top fourth of their graduating class, and fulfills the coursework requirements held by the Arizona Board of Regents. Students can also be accepted by the merit of an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher in their core coursework. This is called the Assured Admission process.
Top Liberal Arts Colleges With High Acceptance Rates
If you’re interested in a smaller school that offers an interdisciplinary education (a course of study combining two or more academic disciplines), look no further than a liberal arts college! Most liberal arts colleges are private and may have high tuition costs, but there are still some great opportunities to pursue at highly ranked liberal arts schools that have fairly high acceptance rates:
|
University |
US News Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking |
Acceptance Rate |
|
Mount Holyoke College** |
34 |
51% |
|
Gettysburg College |
54 |
48% |
|
Dickinson College |
47 |
49% |
|
St. Lawrence University |
54 |
42% |
|
Hobart and William Smith Colleges |
72 |
66% |
|
Wofford College |
69 |
60% |
|
Ursinus College |
84 |
79% |
**indicates all female college
Final Thoughts
While your dream may be to get into schools like Harvard or Stanford, you don’t need to get top, exclusive schools to obtain a top-quality education. In the unfortunate event that you don’t get into your dream school, the blow will hit a lot harder if you don’t have backups. There are many universities with high acceptance rates that can provide everything you’re looking for!
Developing a balanced college wishlist that is considered in both your dream schools and safety schools is an important part of making your college application experience as easy as possible. Remember - no matter what school you end up in, you’ll be growing into an amazing person and embarking on the next step of your academic journey!
