California Colleges for a 27 on the ACT

With a 27 ACT, you are competitive at 88 four-year colleges in California (23 target, 8 reach, 57 safety). Your score is roughly equivalent to a 1280 SAT.

Colleges in California for a 27 ACT

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have middle 50% ranges that include 27 - your score fits squarely in the admitted pool.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Diego State University San Diego, CA	22-29	25	36%	Medium
University of California Irvine Irvine, CA	26-33	29	29%	Medium
University of California Davis Davis, CA	25-33	29	42%	Medium
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA	20-26	23	46%	Medium
University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	25-30	27	62%	Medium
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	26-32	29	31%	Medium
University of California Riverside Riverside, CA	22-31	26	76%	Medium
University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	25-33	29	66%	Medium
Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA	25-30	27	88%	Medium
University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	23-32	27	71%	Medium
California State Polytechnic University Pomona Pomona, CA	19-27	23	75%	Medium
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA	25-32	28	84%	Medium

View all 23 target colleges

Reach Schools (Lower Admission Chance)

Reach schools typically enroll students with higher average ACT scores; admission is possible but more competitive.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	29-35	32	9%	Low
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA	30-35	32	11%	Low
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	28-34	31	33%	Low
Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	29-32	30	63%	Low
University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	28-34	31	27%	Low
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA	28-32	30	45%	Low
Chapman University Orange, CA	28-31	29	65%	Low
Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, CA	28-33	30	83%	Low

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average ACT scores well below 27; you have a very high chance of acceptance.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Jose State University San Jose, CA	19-26	22	85%	High
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	16-23	19	96%	High
California State University Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	15-20	17	91%	High
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, CA	18-23	20	91%	High
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA	17-23	20	94%	High
California State University Chico Chico, CA	18-24	21	93%	High
California State University Fresno Fresno, CA	16-21	18	95%	High
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA	17-23	20	93%	High
California State University Northridge Northridge, CA	16-22	19	93%	High
University of California Merced Merced, CA	19-24	21	91%	High
California State University San Marcos San Marcos, CA	17-22	19	95%	High
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt Arcata, CA	17-25	21	98%	High

View all 57 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 27 ACT in California

See all colleges nationally for a 27 ACT

27 ACT to SAT Equivalent Conversion

Colleges use concordance tables to compare SAT and ACT scores. The following table shows the 27 ACT to SAT equivalent and nearby scores for context. These conversions are approximate.

ACT Score	SAT Equivalent
24	1180
25	1210
26	1240
27	1280
28	1310
29	1340
30	1370

Individual colleges may interpret scores slightly differently, so treat concordance as a guide rather than an exact rule.

Published: August 19, 2026