California Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 32 public colleges in California with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. University of California Los Angeles leads the list by accepting 9% 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.

List of California Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate
93%

Rohnert Park, California

93%

Bakersfield, California

94%

San Bernardino, California

94%
94%
95%
95%
95%
95%

San Francisco, California

96%
97%
97%
98%
98%

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.