California Colleges for a 3.5 GPA

With a 3.5 GPA, you are competitive at 114 four-year colleges in California (45 target, 26 reach, 43 safety). A 3.5 is typically a A- (~88%) on a common grading scale.

Colleges in California for a 3.5 GPA

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have average GPAs near 3.5 - your grades fit squarely in the admitted pool.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Jose State University San Jose, CA	3.35	85%	Medium
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA	3.7	46%	Medium
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	3.31	96%	Medium
University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	3.57	62%	Medium
California State University Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	3.31	91%	Medium
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	3.67	48%	Medium
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA	3.42	94%	Medium
Chapman University Orange, CA	3.7	65%	Medium
California State University Chico Chico, CA	3.37	93%	Medium
University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	3.63	66%	Medium
Occidental College Los Angeles, CA	3.63	44%	Medium
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA	3.4	93%	Medium

View all 45 target colleges

Reach Schools (Lower Admission Chance)

Reach schools typically enroll students with higher average GPAs; admission is possible but more competitive.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
Stanford University Stanford, CA	3.96	4%	Low
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	3.92	9%	Low
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	3.83	10%	Low
San Diego State University San Diego, CA	3.82	36%	Low
University of California Irvine Irvine, CA	3.75	29%	Low
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA	3.87	11%	Low
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	3.82	33%	Low
University of California Davis Davis, CA	4.0	42%	Low
Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	3.74	63%	Low
University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	3.82	27%	Low
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA	3.92	45%	Low
University of San Diego San Diego, CA	3.95	52%	Low

View all 26 reach colleges

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average GPAs well below 3.5; you have a very high chance of acceptance.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
California State University East Bay Hayward, CA	3.2	97%	High
California State University Fresno Fresno, CA	3.12	95%	High
University of La Verne La Verne, CA	3.24	71%	High
California State University Dominguez Hills Carson, CA	3.16	93%	High
Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont, CA	3.1	100%	High
Life Pacific University San Dimas, CA	2.91	96%	High
California State University Channel Islands Camarillo, CA	3.22	95%	High
Bethesda University Anaheim, CA	-	100%	High
Touro University Worldwide Los Alamitos, CA	-	100%	High
American Jewish University Los Angeles, CA	-	100%	High
Pacific States University Los Angeles, CA	-	100%	High
Los Angeles Pacific University San Dimas, CA	-	100%	High

View all 43 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 3.5 GPA in California

See all colleges nationally for a 3.5 GPA

Published: August 19, 2026