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California ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Most Selective Colleges in California

Looking for the most selective colleges in California? Using College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating California campuses with at least 1,000 undergraduates rank hardest to get into by reported acceptance rate. Selectivity is not quality - use it alongside earnings, net price, and graduation rates.

3.6%
Lowest acceptance rate
69
California colleges ranked
1,553
#1 average SAT

The list in one line

The most selective colleges in California on this list admit no more than 100.0% of applicants. Stanford University is the hardest on the list, admitting just 3.6%.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

3.6%
#1 hardest - Stanford University
100.0%
#69 cutoff on this list
Scorecard
reported undergraduate acceptance rate

Acceptance rate is the College Scorecard undergraduate admission-rate field; see methodology for vintage details.

Top 15 most selective California colleges by acceptance rate

Lower bars mean a lower reported acceptance rate

acceptance rate %

What this shows Private colleges and flagship campuses often dominate California selectivity rankings - a low acceptance rate is not the same as better outcomes.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals
# School Name Acceptance rateAvg SATCity
1 Stanford University 3.6% 1,553 Stanford
2 Pomona College 7.1% 1,534 Claremont
3 University of California-Los Angeles 9.0% - Los Angeles
4 Claremont McKenna College 9.6% 1,527 Claremont
5 University of Southern California 9.8% 1,495 Los Angeles
6 Stanbridge University 10.0% - Irvine
7 University of California-Berkeley 11.0% - Berkeley
8 Pitzer College 25.2% - Claremont
9 University of California-San Diego 26.7% - La Jolla
10 University of California-Irvine 28.6% - Irvine
11 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo 31.3% - San Luis Obispo
12 University of California-Santa Barbara 33.0% - Santa Barbara
13 San Diego State University 36.2% - San Diego
14 Scripps College 38.3% 1,492 Claremont
15 University of California-Davis 41.8% - Davis
16 Occidental College 44.2% 1,452 Los Angeles
17 Loyola Marymount University 45.1% 1,359 Los Angeles
18 California State University-Long Beach 46.3% - Long Beach
19 Santa Clara University 48.0% 1,426 Santa Clara
20 University of San Diego 52.4% - San Diego
21 University of San Francisco 61.7% 1,295 San Francisco
22 Vanguard University of Southern California 62.4% - Costa Mesa
23 Pepperdine University 62.9% 1,384 Malibu
24 MTI College 63.4% - Sacramento
25 Fresno Pacific University 64.1% - Fresno
26 Chapman University 65.4% 1,357 Orange
27 University of California-Santa Cruz 65.8% - Santa Cruz
28 Concordia University-Irvine 66.0% - Irvine
29 University of La Verne 71.2% 1,083 La Verne
30 University of the Pacific 71.3% 1,346 Stockton
31 Mount Saint Mary's University 73.1% - Los Angeles
32 Westcliff University 73.2% - Irvine
33 Biola University 74.4% 1,261 La Mirada
34 Art Center College of Design 74.5% - Pasadena
35 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona 75.2% - Pomona
36 California Lutheran University 75.7% 1,266 Thousand Oaks
37 University of California-Riverside 76.4% - Riverside
38 Westmont College 77.0% 1,328 Santa Barbara
39 Otis College of Art and Design 81.8% 1,310 Los Angeles
40 University of Redlands 82.7% 1,241 Redlands
41 Dominican University of California 83.5% 1,290 San Rafael
42 Point Loma Nazarene University 83.7% 1,287 San Diego
43 The Master's University and Seminary 84.0% - Santa Clarita
44 San Jose State University 84.6% - San Jose
45 California Baptist University 84.9% - Riverside
46 Saint Mary's College of California 86.5% - Moraga
47 Azusa Pacific University 88.4% 1,195 Azusa
48 California State University-Fullerton 90.5% - Fullerton
49 University of California-Merced 90.5% - Merced
50 California State University-Los Angeles 91.3% - Los Angeles
51 La Sierra University 91.5% - Riverside
52 California State University-Chico 92.7% - Chico
53 California State University-Dominguez Hills 93.3% - Carson
54 William Jessup University 93.3% 1,150 Rocklin
55 Sonoma State University 93.4% - Rohnert Park
56 California State University-Northridge 93.5% - Northridge
57 California State University-San Bernardino 93.7% - San Bernardino
58 California State University-Bakersfield 93.8% - Bakersfield
59 California State University-Sacramento 94.0% - Sacramento
60 California State University-Channel Islands 94.8% - Camarillo
61 California State University-San Marcos 95.1% - San Marcos
62 California State University-Fresno 95.3% - Fresno
63 San Francisco State University 96.4% - San Francisco
64 California State University-East Bay 97.4% - Hayward
65 California State University-Monterey Bay 97.4% - Seaside
66 California State University-Stanislaus 98.1% - Turlock
67 California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt 98.2% - Arcata
68 DeVry University-California 98.5% - Ontario
69 Reach University 100.0% - Oakland

About This Ranking

California schools are ranked by reported undergraduate acceptance rate (lowest first) from College Scorecard. Only operating colleges with enrollment of at least 1,000 and a published acceptance rate are included. The national companion is our most selective colleges list. See our methodology for source vintage and cohort definitions.

Caveats and limitations

Acceptance rate measures how hard it is to get an offer, not teaching quality, affordability, or graduate earnings. A less selective campus can still be a better fit on cost, program mix, or outcomes.

For earnings-adjusted value in California, see best colleges in California. For campus scale, see largest colleges in California.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute admissions advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.