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 |
|---|---|
|
Southern California Seminary
El Cajon, California |
100% |
|
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California |
100% |
|
National University
San Diego, California |
100% |
|
Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, California |
100% |
|
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, California |
100% |
|
Pacific States University
Los Angeles, California |
100% |
|
Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, California |
100% |
|
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
Redding, California |
100% |
|
Epic Bible College & Graduate School
Sacramento, California |
100% |
|
Antioch University Los Angeles
Culver City, California |
100% |
|
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% |
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.