Western Colleges for a 3.5 GPA

With a 3.5 GPA, you are competitive at 232 four-year colleges in the West (98 target, 40 reach, 94 safety). A 3.5 is typically a A- (~88%) on a common grading scale.

Colleges in the West 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
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI	3.67	87%	Medium
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO	3.68	78%	Medium
San Jose State University San Jose, CA	3.35	85%	Medium
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA	3.7	46%	Medium
Colorado State University Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	3.68	89%	Medium
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	3.31	96%	Medium
Washington State University Pullman, WA	3.5	87%	Medium
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	3.61	77%	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
Boise State University Boise, ID	3.37	87%	Medium

View all 98 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 Washington Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	3.82	39%	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
University of Oregon Eugene, OR	3.73	88%	Low

View all 40 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
Utah Valley University Orem, UT	3.52	100%	High
Adams State University Alamosa, CO	3.2	100%	High
University of La Verne La Verne, CA	3.24	71%	High
Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	3.03	99%	High
Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA	3.08	91%	High
Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO	3.28	82%	High
California State University Dominguez Hills Carson, CA	3.16	93%	High
Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA	3.29	91%	High
Bellevue College Bellevue, WA	-	100%	High
Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont, CA	3.1	100%	High

View all 94 safety colleges

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

See all colleges nationally for a 3.5 GPA

Published: August 19, 2026