"COLLEGE ADMISSIONS MAY be competitive, but the overall odds are generally in the applicant’s favor based on the numbers. The national average acceptance rate for first-time freshmen was 65.4% in fall 2016, according to data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. But those odds aren’t nearly so promising among some highly selective schools.
The acceptance rate at some private colleges is in the single digits. For example, Stanford University in California accepted only 4% of applicants in fall 2018, per U.S. News data. Stanford had the lowest acceptance rate in the country, but other private schools aren’t far off.
Public schools, however, tend to offer greater access, admitting more students than their private peers. According to NACAC data, public colleges admitted 69.1% of first-time freshmen in fall 2016, compared with 63.5% for private schools." …