West Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in West for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in West. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is California Institute of Technology which sent acceptance letters to only 3% of the 13,107 students who applied and rejected 97%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of West colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.


43 results

University of California Santa Barbara
C
Santa Barbara, CA

University of California Santa Barbara

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

28% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Public Universities in America

  • 26,068enrollment
  • $15,283net price
  • 1230-1460SAT range
  • 28-34ACT range
  • 3.82Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
C
San Luis Obispo, CA

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

30% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Public Universities in California

  • 22,485enrollment
  • $16,888net price
  • 1220-1410SAT range
  • 26-32ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

San Diego State University
S
San Diego, CA

San Diego State University

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

34% Acceptance Rate

#10 Best Public Universities in California

  • 39,241enrollment
  • $19,500net price
  • 1090-1300SAT range
  • 22-29ACT range
  • 3.82Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Scripps College
S
Claremont, CA

Scripps College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

34% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,103enrollment
  • $45,505net price
  • 1420-1530SAT range
  • 32-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Hope International University
H
Fullerton, CA

Hope International University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

35% Acceptance Rate

#31 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,140enrollment
  • $30,514net price
  • 1000-1180SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.26Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 20

Casa Loma College Los Angeles
C
Sherman Oaks, CA
 

Casa Loma College Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

36% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 581enrollment
  • $26,780net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Brigham Young University Hawaii
B
Laie, HI

Brigham Young University Hawaii

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

38% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Hawaii

  • 2,836enrollment
  • $17,887net price
  • 985-1191SAT range
  • 21-25ACT range
  • 3.47Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
C
Los Angeles, CA
 

Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 763enrollment
  • $27,789net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.26Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 30

University of California Merced
C
Merced, CA

University of California Merced

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Public Universities in California

  • 9,147enrollment
  • $13,232net price
  • 960-1140SAT range
  • 19-24ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Loyola Marymount University
L
Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 10,256enrollment
  • $54,471net price
  • 1300-1460SAT range
  • 29-32ACT range
  • 3.92Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Occidental College
O
Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

#9 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 1,854enrollment
  • $47,113net price
  • 1360-1500SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.63Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
C
Los Angeles, CA
 

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 3,392enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

University of California Davis
C
Davis, CA

University of California Davis

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Public Universities in America

  • 39,707enrollment
  • $17,315net price
  • 1160-1400SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Pacific Union College
P
Angwin, CA

Pacific Union College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 938enrollment
  • $22,799net price
  • 930-1190SAT range
  • 20-24ACT range
  • 3.24Estimated Avg GPA

University of Washington Seattle Campus
W
Seattle, WA

University of Washington Seattle Campus

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

43% Acceptance Rate

#8 Best Public Universities in America

  • 55,620enrollment
  • $11,023net price
  • 1200-1453SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.82Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 16

Santa Clara University
S
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University

Private 4 Year

14 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#7 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 9,340enrollment
  • $49,651net price
  • 1340-1500SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.67Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 7

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus
S
Calexico, California

San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 808enrollment
  • -net price
  • 850-1060SAT range
  • 16-21ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

University of Saint Katherine
S
San Marcos, California
 

University of Saint Katherine

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 262enrollment
  • $32,299net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.43Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15