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 |
|---|---|
|
Whittier College
Whittier, California |
81% |
|
John Paul the Great Catholic University
Escondido, California |
80% |
|
Southern California Institute of Architecture
Los Angeles, California |
77% |
|
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California |
77% |
|
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California |
76% |
|
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California |
75% |
|
Biola University
La Mirada, California |
74% |
|
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California |
73% |
|
University of La Verne
La Verne, California |
71% |
|
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California |
71% |
|
Menlo College
Atherton, California |
68% |
|
California Jazz Conservatory
Berkeley, California |
67% |
|
Concordia University Irvine
Irvine, California |
66% |
|
Chapman University
Orange, California |
65% |
|
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California |
64% |
|
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California |
63% |
|
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California |
62% |
|
Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa, California |
62% |
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.