Most Selective California Colleges
California has 32 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
California Institute of Technology is the hardest to get into in California, accepting just 3% of 13,856 applicants. Also highly selective: Minerva University, Stanford University and Pomona College.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges in California. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Pacific Oaks College
- Private 4 Year
- Pasadena, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 34% acceptance rate
Pacific Oaks is a private college known for undergraduate early childhood education and human development. The campus is located in Pasadena in the Los Angeles metro area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
San Diego State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- 36% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
SDSU is a large public university known for undergraduate international business, hospitality management, and communications. The urban campus sits in San Diego's College Area with Spanish Colonial Revival buildings.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Net Price $14,704
Scripps College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Scripps is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, humanities, and its interdisciplinary Core Curriculum. Most students live on the residential campus and take classes across the Claremont Colleges consortium.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $44,396
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 39% acceptance rate
- Jul 30 application deadline
Charles Drew University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and biomedical sciences. The urban campus in South Los Angeles is a historically Black health sciences institution.
- SAT Range -
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.26
- Net Price $35,558
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary
- Private 4 Year
- El Dorado Hills, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
SUM is a private Bible college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and ministry. The campus is in El Dorado Hills in the Sacramento-area Sierra foothills.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $22,276
University of California Davis
- Public 4 Year
- Davis, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Davis is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, environmental science, and biological sciences. The campus sits in the bike-friendly college town of Davis.
- SAT Range 1160-1400
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $17,270
Casa Loma College Los Angeles
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Casa Loma College is a private career college known for undergraduate allied health programs in MRI technology, physical therapist assisting, and surgical technology. The campus is in Sherman Oaks in the Los Angeles area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $28,167
Soka University of America
- Private 4 Year
- Aliso Viejo, CA
-
4.7 | 18 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Soka is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies and a required study-abroad semester. The residential campus sits in the hills of Aliso Viejo in Orange County.
- SAT Range 1333-1510
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $15,691
Occidental College
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Jan 10 application deadline
Occidental is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics, international relations, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in Los Angeles's Eagle Rock neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1380-1520
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Net Price $48,400
Loyola Marymount University
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Loyola Marymount is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate film and television, business, and communications. The bluff-top Los Angeles campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.92
- Net Price $59,926
California State University Long Beach
- Public 4 Year
- Long Beach, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal State Long Beach is a large public university known for undergraduate art and design, nursing, and business. The campus sits near the Pacific coast in the Los Angeles metro area.
- SAT Range 1020-1240
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $10,607
The Chicago School at Los Angeles
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
The Chicago School at Los Angeles is a private university known for undergraduate psychology and behavioral sciences. The urban Los Angeles campus centers on professional programs in those fields.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
Pacific Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Angwin, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
Pacific Union College is a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and theology. The rural campus sits in the hills above Napa Valley.
- SAT Range 930-1190
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $22,767
Santa Clara University
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Clara, CA
-
4.9 | 14 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Jan 7 application deadline
Santa Clara is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and engineering. The historic campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1350-1490
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Net Price $53,883