California Private Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate
Below is a ranking of the 100 private colleges in California with the highest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Bethesda University leads the list by accepting 100% of high school students that applied.
Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.
| College | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|
|
Antioch University Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California |
100% |
|
World Mission University
Los Angeles, California |
100% |
|
University of the West
Rosemead, California |
100% |
|
Providence Christian College
Pasadena, California |
100% |
|
Homestead Schools
Torrance, California |
100% |
|
Horizon University
Indianapolis, California |
100% |
|
Touro University Worldwide
Los Alamitos, California |
100% |
|
Los Angeles Pacific University
San Dimas, California |
100% |
|
The University of America
Temecula, California |
100% |
|
Grace Mission University
Fullerton, California |
100% |
|
Claremont Lincoln University
Claremont, California |
100% |
|
University of the People
Pasadena, California |
100% |
|
Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America
Santa Fe Springs, California |
100% |
|
America Evangelical University
Gardena, California |
100% |
|
The Chicago School at San Diego
San Diego, California |
100% |
|
Oak Valley College
Rialto, California |
100% |
|
Pathways College
Phoenix, California |
100% |
|
Agape College of Business and Science
Fresno, California |
100% |
This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026
Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.