California Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 100 private colleges in California with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. California Institute of Technology leads the list by accepting 3% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of California Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Pasadena, California

3%

San Francisco, California

3%

Stanford, California

4%

Claremont, California

7%

Claremont, California

10%

Los Angeles, California

10%

Claremont, California

13%

Oakland, California

17%

Claremont, California

25%

Santee, California

31%

Valencia, California

32%

Fullerton, California

33%

Pasadena, California

34%

Claremont, California

38%
39%

El Dorado Hills, California

41%

Sherman Oaks, California

43%

Aliso Viejo, California

43%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.