Best Test-Optional California Colleges
California has 55 ranked test-optional colleges, part of our national test-optional list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application, ranked by academic quality and outcomes.
Claremont McKenna College tops our 2027 test-optional rankings in California. The top rated public option is University of California Berkeley. Also highly ranked: Pomona College, University of Southern California and Scripps College.
Without test scores, your GPA, activities, recommendation letters, and essays carry more weight. Compare acceptance rates, tuition, and enrollment across the colleges below. Sort by tuition or acceptance rate to find schools that fit your profile. See our ranking methodology for how schools are scored.
Pepperdine University
- Private 4 Year
- Malibu, CA
-
3.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Pepperdine is a private Christian university known for undergraduate business, communication, and international studies. The Malibu campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean from hillsides above the coast.
- SAT Range 1290-1450
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $66,585
University of Redlands
- Private 4 Year
- Redlands, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $28,482
Azusa Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Azusa, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $26,143
Point Loma Nazarene University
- Private 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $39,696
University of California Santa Cruz
- Public 4 Year
- Santa Cruz, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Santa Cruz is a public university known for undergraduate marine science, environmental studies, and astronomy. The residential-college campus sits among redwood forests overlooking Monterey Bay.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $18,059
California Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Thousand Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $32,774
Saint Mary's College of California
- Private 4 Year
- Moraga, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $35,332
Dominican University of California
- Private 4 Year
- San Rafael, CA
-
2.5 | 2 reviews
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
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $37,456
University of California Riverside
- Public 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $14,562
Biola University
- Private 4 Year
- La Mirada, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
Biola is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and cinema and media arts. The suburban La Mirada campus requires Bible coursework of all undergraduates.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $34,082
San Diego State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 36%
- Net Price $14,704
Otis College of Art and Design
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
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
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $54,295
University of La Verne
- Private 4 Year
- La Verne, CA
-
| 0 reviews
University of La Verne is a private university known for undergraduate education, business, and public administration. The suburban campus sits in the San Gabriel foothills east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 986-1236
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $21,530
Mount Saint Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Mount Saint Mary's is a private Catholic women's university known for undergraduate nursing and the health sciences. The hillside Chalon campus overlooks Los Angeles from the Brentwood area.
- SAT Range 900-1110
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $27,368
Concordia University Irvine
- Private 4 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Concordia Irvine is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and theology. The suburban campus sits in Irvine in Orange County.
- SAT Range 1030-1260
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $29,845
William Jessup University
- Private 4 Year
- Rocklin, CA
-
| 0 reviews
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
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $29,679
California State University Long Beach
- Public 4 Year
- Long Beach, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $10,607
Fresno Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Fresno, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fresno Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate teacher education and nursing. The campus is located in Fresno in California's Central Valley.
- SAT Range 970-1240
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $15,261