Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best schools in California. The average acceptance rate of best schools in California is 9.05% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 47.50%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.57% and Stanford University has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 81.91% among best schools in California. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | 57,326 (29,602/27,724) | 2,067 (1,015/1,052) | 1,693 (835/858) | 4% (3%/4%) | 82% (82%/3%) |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 13,856 (9,401/4,446) | 356 (166/190) | 218 (107/111) | 3% (2%/4%) | 61% (64%/2%) |
| 3 | Pomona College | 12,249 (5,283/6,956) | 868 (401/466) | 436 (194/242) | 7% (8%/7%) | 50% (48%/3%) |
| 4 | Claremont McKenna College | 6,529 (2,967/3,225) | 626 (291/312) | 337 (171/156) | 10% (10%/10%) | 54% (59%/5%) |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | 146,272 (67,788/78,484) | 13,114 (5,468/7,646) | 6,610 (2,629/3,981) | 9% (8%/10%) | 50% (48%/5%) |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | 124,242 (60,612/63,630) | 13,639 (5,473/8,166) | 6,272 (2,705/3,567) | 11% (9%/13%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 7 | University of Southern California | 82,027 (36,539/44,530) | 8,050 (3,870/4,067) | 3,489 (1,623/1,866) | 10% (11%/9%) | 43% (42%/4%) |
| 8 | Harvey Mudd College | 5,094 (3,424/1,664) | 645 (293/351) | 231 (115/116) | 13% (9%/21%) | 36% (39%/7%) |
| 9 | Soka University of America | 634 (249/384) | 275 (80/195) | 126 (35/91) | 43% (32%/51%) | 46% (44%/24%) |
| 10 | Scripps College | 3,199 (0/3,199) | 1,225 (0/1,225) | 313 (0/313) | 38% (0%/38%) | 26% (0%/10%) |
| Average | 45,143 (21,587/21,709) | 4,087 (1,737/2,276) | 2,157 (935/1,221) | 9.05% (8.0%/10.5%) | 47.50% (48.4%/48.3%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best schools in California is 1514. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 739 and the average SAT Math score is 775.
Stanford University has the highest SAT scores of 1,550 and Soka University of America has the lowest SAT scores of 1,440 among best schools in California. The following table compares SAT Scores between best schools in California for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | 51% (857) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | Pomona College | 36% (155) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 4 | Claremont McKenna College | 26% (87) | 1530 | 750 | 780 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Los Angeles admission. | |||
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | University of Southern California | 34% (1,191) | 1500 | 730 | 770 |
| 8 | Harvey Mudd College | 52% (119) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 9 | Soka University of America | 16% (20) | 1440 | 675 | 765 |
| 10 | Scripps College | 24% (76) | 1500 | 750 | 750 |
| Average | 34.14% | 1514 | 739 | 775 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best schools in California is 34. By subject, the average ACT English score is 35 and the ACT math score is 33.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best schools in California for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | 19% (324) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | Pomona College | 14% (59) | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| 4 | Claremont McKenna College | 13% (45) | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Los Angeles admission. | |||
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | University of Southern California | 12% (432) | 33 | 35 | 33 |
| 8 | Harvey Mudd College | 16% (36) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 9 | Soka University of America | 1% (1) | |||
| 10 | Scripps College | 16% (49) | 33 | 35 | 30 |
| Average | 13.00% | 34 | 35 | 33 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best schools in California based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | Pomona College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | Claremont McKenna College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 7 | University of Southern California | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Harvey Mudd College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | Soka University of America | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Scripps College | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator. We compare the schools that ranked top 10 in Californiaand in top 500 ranking for all colleges and universities in United States.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.