The Best Colleges with High Acceptance Rates in California
Getting into a good college doesn't need to be difficult. There are many colleges that are highly rated yet accept most students who apply. These four-year colleges all have acceptance rates over 75%. You will have an easy time getting accepted if your GPA, SAT and ACT scores meet their admission criteria. These are colleges ranked by using the methodology for the CollegeSimply.com Best Colleges rankings.
See also, popular colleges with high acceptance rates and the highest acceptance rate colleges in California.
Westmont College
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Barbara, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
Westmont is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs in the sciences and humanities. The residential hillside campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean above Santa Barbara.
- SAT Range 1240-1450
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Net Price $32,172
University of Redlands
- Private 4 Year
- Redlands, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 83% acceptance rate
- Jul 1 application deadline
University of Redlands is a private university known for undergraduate music, business, and the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. The residential campus sits in Redlands in Southern California's Inland Empire.
- SAT Range 1107-1350
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Net Price $28,482
Azusa Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Azusa, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 88% acceptance rate
- Jun 1 application deadline
Azusa Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry programs. The suburban campus sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 983-1238
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Net Price $26,143
Point Loma Nazarene University
- Private 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- 84% acceptance rate
- Feb 15 application deadline
Point Loma Nazarene is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, biology, and business. The campus sits on coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1175-1365
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Net Price $39,696
California Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Thousand Oaks, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 76% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Cal Lutheran is a private university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and communication. The suburban campus in Thousand Oaks is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 1150-1330
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Net Price $32,774
Saint Mary's College of California
- Private 4 Year
- Moraga, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 87% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and a Great Books liberal arts program. The residential campus lies in the hills of Moraga in the East Bay.
- SAT Range 1070-1253
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Net Price $35,332
Dominican University of California
- Private 4 Year
- San Rafael, CA
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2.5 | 2 reviews
- 83% acceptance rate
A private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The San Rafael campus sits in Marin County north of San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1210-1300
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $37,456
University of California Riverside
- Public 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 76% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Riverside is a large public university known for undergraduate entomology, plant sciences, and business. The suburban campus lies in California's Inland Empire east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 1080-1280
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Net Price $14,562
Otis College of Art and Design
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
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1.0 | 1 reviews
- 82% acceptance rate
Otis is a private art and design college known for undergraduate fashion design, graphic design, and digital media. The urban campus is in Los Angeles's Westchester neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1265-1395
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Net Price $54,295
William Jessup University
- Private 4 Year
- Rocklin, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 93% acceptance rate
Jessup is a private Christian university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and ministry programs. The suburban campus sits in Rocklin in the greater Sacramento area.
- SAT Range 1041-1228
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Net Price $29,679
California State Polytechnic University Pomona
- Public 4 Year
- Pomona, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 75% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. The hillside campus includes working farm facilities and an Arabian horse center.
- SAT Range 1010-1250
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Net Price $11,940
San Jose State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Jose, CA
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5.0 | 3 reviews
- 85% acceptance rate
- Dec 15 application deadline
San Jose State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and business. The urban campus sits in downtown San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.35
- Net Price $13,892
Sonoma State University
- Public 4 Year
- Rohnert Park, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 93% acceptance rate
Sonoma State is a public university known for undergraduate wine business and environmental studies. The campus sits in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County wine country.
- SAT Range 950-1150
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Net Price $14,614
University of California Merced
- Public 4 Year
- Merced, CA
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3.0 | 1 reviews
- 91% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Merced is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, biology, and psychology. The newest University of California campus is located in California's Central Valley.
- SAT Range 960-1140
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Net Price $13,690
California State University Chico
- Public 4 Year
- Chico, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 93% acceptance rate
- Dec 15 application deadline
Chico State is a public university known for undergraduate agriculture, nursing, and business. The campus sits in the college town of Chico in Northern California.
- SAT Range 970-1170
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Net Price $14,630
La Sierra University
- Private 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 91% acceptance rate
La Sierra is a private Seventh-day Adventist university known for undergraduate business, education, and biology. The suburban campus sits in Riverside east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 880-1140
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Net Price $23,848
San Francisco State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 96% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
SF State is a large public university known for undergraduate ethnic studies, cinema, and creative writing. The urban campus borders Lake Merced in southwestern San Francisco.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Net Price $13,168
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt
- Public 4 Year
- Arcata, CA
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| 0 reviews
- 98% acceptance rate
- Apr 30 application deadline
Cal Poly Humboldt is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate environmental science, forestry, and marine biology. The campus is set among coastal redwoods in far northern California.
- SAT Range 970-1190
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Net Price $14,090