California Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in California for 2024

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in California. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is Minerva University which sent acceptance letters to only 1% of the 20,816 students who applied and rejected 99%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of California colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.


30 results

University of California Davis
C
Davis, CA

University of California Davis

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

37% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in America

  • 39,679enrollment
  • $17,385net price
  • 1160-1400SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Occidental College
O
Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,942enrollment
  • $44,853net price
  • 1370-1510SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.63Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

San Diego State University
S
San Diego, CA

San Diego State University

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Public Universities in California

  • 37,402enrollment
  • $13,017net price
  • 1090-1300SAT range
  • 22-29ACT range
  • 3.82Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

California State University Long Beach
C
Long Beach, CA

California State University Long Beach

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in California

  • 38,973enrollment
  • $9,346net price
  • 1020-1240SAT range
  • 20-26ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Casa Loma College Los Angeles
C
Sherman Oaks, CA
 

Casa Loma College Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 415enrollment
  • $14,985net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Pacific Oaks College
P
Pasadena, CA
 

Pacific Oaks College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,068enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Loyola Marymount University
L
Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

41% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 10,165enrollment
  • $52,815net price
  • 1300-1460SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.92Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

San Francisco Conservatory of Music
S
San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 437enrollment
  • $45,726net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 7

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus
S
Calexico, California

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 808enrollment
  • -net price
  • 850-1060SAT range
  • 16-21ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

University of California Santa Cruz
C
Santa Cruz, CA

University of California Santa Cruz

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Public Universities in California

  • 19,478enrollment
  • $17,975net price
  • 1160-1360SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 3.63Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Pacific Union College
P
Angwin, CA

Pacific Union College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

48% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 870enrollment
  • $21,841net price
  • 990-1200SAT range
  • 18-23ACT range
  • 3.24Estimated Avg GPA

Pepperdine University
P
Malibu, CA

Pepperdine University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

49% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 10,030enrollment
  • $47,804net price
  • 1285-1480SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.74Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15