California Colleges with high acceptance rates

Colleges with the Highest Acceptance Rate in California for 2024

These are the least selective public and private four-year colleges in California. These colleges historically accept more than seventy-five percent of students who apply for admission and are ranked by acceptance rate. These are good safety schools for your college list and you should have a good chance on getting in if your grades and test scores are above or within their typical admission thresholds. Just because a school is less selective doesn't mean it's a lesser school academically and easy to get into for all students. Unless a college has guaranteed admission or accepts 100% of applicants, you still need sufficient grades to be accepted.

Use the filters on this page to narrow down the list based on your high school GPA, SAT and ACT scores. Once you do, your estimated admission chance will be displayed for each school. Additionally, you can filter the list by state, region or distance from your home to narrow down the list of colleges that are easiest for you to get into.

See also, the best and popular California colleges with high acceptance rates. If you're looking for colleges that have easy admission requirements, explore rankings of California colleges with the lowest SAT scores, lowest ACT scores and lowest GPA's.


91 results

San Francisco State University
S
San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

94% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Public Universities in California

  • 25,282enrollment
  • $13,267net price
  • 930-1130SAT range
  • 16-23ACT range
  • 3.31Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Sonoma State University
S
Rohnert Park, CA

Sonoma State University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

94% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Public Universities in California

  • 6,637enrollment
  • $15,507net price
  • 950-1150SAT range
  • 17-23ACT range
  • 3.4Avg GPA

King's University
K
Van Nuys, TX
 

King's University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

94% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 532enrollment
  • $22,507net price
  • 870-1130SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jul 29

California State University Sacramento
C
Sacramento, CA

California State University Sacramento

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

93% Acceptance Rate

#21 Best Public Universities in California

  • 31,818enrollment
  • $11,596net price
  • 930-1130SAT range
  • 17-23ACT range
  • 3.42Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Dominican University of California
D
San Rafael, CA

Dominican University of California

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

93% Acceptance Rate

#24 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,877enrollment
  • $49,907net price
  • 1088-1236SAT range
  • 23-25ACT range
  • 3.66Avg GPA

University of the Pacific
T
Stockton, CA

University of the Pacific

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

93% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 6,277enrollment
  • $28,164net price
  • 1120-1423SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 3.58Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

La Sierra University
L
Riverside, CA
 

La Sierra University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

92% Acceptance Rate

#29 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,614enrollment
  • $25,076net price
  • 880-1140SAT range
  • 18-28ACT range
  • 3.54Avg GPA

California State University Monterey Bay
C
Seaside, CA

California State University Monterey Bay

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

92% Acceptance Rate

#22 Best Public Universities in California

  • 7,045enrollment
  • $11,435net price
  • 960-1160SAT range
  • 17-23ACT range
  • 3.45Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

California State University San Bernardino
C
San Bernardino, CA

California State University San Bernardino

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

91% Acceptance Rate

#25 Best Public Universities in California

  • 19,803enrollment
  • $8,805net price
  • 910-1080SAT range
  • 15-20ACT range
  • 3.41Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

California State University Northridge
C
Northridge, CA

California State University Northridge

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

91% Acceptance Rate

#24 Best Public Universities in California

  • 37,579enrollment
  • $8,936net price
  • 900-1110SAT range
  • 16-22ACT range
  • 3.38Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

California State University Channel Islands
C
Camarillo, CA

California State University Channel Islands

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

90% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 6,128enrollment
  • $13,540net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.22Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 30

California State University Dominguez Hills
C
Carson, CA

California State University Dominguez Hills

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

89% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 16,426enrollment
  • $5,068net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.16Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 4

University of California Merced
C
Merced, CA

University of California Merced

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

89% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Public Universities in California

  • 9,103enrollment
  • $13,549net price
  • 960-1140SAT range
  • 19-24ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Laguna College of Art and Design
L
Laguna Beach, CA
 

Laguna College of Art and Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

88% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 760enrollment
  • $42,896net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.69Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

Saint Marys College of California
S
Moraga, CA

Saint Marys College of California

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

88% Acceptance Rate

#17 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 2,765enrollment
  • $32,129net price
  • 1070-1253SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.6Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Azusa Pacific University
A
Azusa, CA
 

Azusa Pacific University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

87% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 7,169enrollment
  • $26,666net price
  • 980-1240SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.74Avg GPA

Applications Due Jun 1

California Lutheran University
C
Thousand Oaks, CA

California Lutheran University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

87% Acceptance Rate

#22 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 3,615enrollment
  • $30,416net price
  • 1150-1320SAT range
  • 26-30ACT range
  • 3.73Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

California State University Bakersfield
C
Bakersfield, CA

California State University Bakersfield

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

87% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 9,613enrollment
  • $7,521net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15