California Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
Below is a ranking of the 100 private colleges in California with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. California Institute of Technology leads the list by accepting 3% 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 |
|---|---|
|
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California |
44% |
|
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California |
45% |
|
The Chicago School at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California |
46% |
|
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California |
47% |
|
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California |
48% |
|
University of San Diego
San Diego, California |
52% |
|
Latin American Bible Institute
La Puente, California |
55% |
|
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California |
55% |
|
Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary
Los Angeles, California |
58% |
|
The King's University
Southlake, California |
61% |
|
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California |
62% |
|
Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa, California |
62% |
|
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California |
63% |
|
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California |
64% |
|
Chapman University
Orange, California |
65% |
|
Concordia University Irvine
Irvine, California |
66% |
|
California Jazz Conservatory
Berkeley, California |
67% |
|
Menlo College
Atherton, California |
68% |
This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026
Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.