California Colleges for a 34 on the ACT

With a 34 ACT, you are competitive at 98 four-year colleges in California (11 target, 8 reach, 79 safety). Your score is roughly equivalent to a 1500 SAT.

Colleges in California for a 34 ACT

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have middle 50% ranges that include 34 - your score fits squarely in the admitted pool.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Diego State University San Diego, CA	22-29	25	36%	Medium
University of California Irvine Irvine, CA	26-33	29	29%	Medium
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	28-34	31	33%	Medium
University of California Davis Davis, CA	25-33	29	42%	Medium
University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	28-34	31	27%	Medium
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA	28-32	30	45%	Medium
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	31-33	32	48%	Medium
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	26-32	29	31%	Medium
Occidental College Los Angeles, CA	31-34	32	44%	Medium
Scripps College Claremont, CA	31-34	32	38%	Medium
Northeastern University Oakland Oakland, CA	32-33	32	17%	Medium

Reach Schools (Lower Admission Chance)

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

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA	35-36	35	3%	Low
Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA	34-36	35	13%	Low
Stanford University Stanford, CA	34-35	34	4%	Low
Pomona College Claremont, CA	33-35	34	7%	Low
Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA	33-35	34	10%	Low
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	32-35	33	10%	Low
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	29-35	32	9%	Low
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA	30-35	32	11%	Low

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average ACT scores well below 34; you have a very high chance of acceptance.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Jose State University San Jose, CA	19-26	22	85%	High
Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	29-32	30	63%	High
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA	20-26	23	46%	High
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	16-23	19	96%	High
University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	25-30	27	62%	High
California State University Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	15-20	17	91%	High
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, CA	18-23	20	91%	High
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA	17-23	20	94%	High
University of California Riverside Riverside, CA	22-31	26	76%	High
Chapman University Orange, CA	28-31	29	65%	High
California State University Chico Chico, CA	18-24	21	93%	High
University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	25-33	29	66%	High

View all 79 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 34 ACT in California

See all colleges nationally for a 34 ACT

34 ACT to SAT Equivalent Conversion

Colleges use concordance tables to compare SAT and ACT scores. The following table shows the 34 ACT to SAT equivalent and nearby scores for context. These conversions are approximate.

ACT Score	SAT Equivalent
31	1400
32	1430
33	1460
34	1500
35	1540
36	1590

Individual colleges may interpret scores slightly differently, so treat concordance as a guide rather than an exact rule.

Published: August 19, 2026