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.
West Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

43 results

California State University Long Beach
Connect Me
C
Long Beach, CA

California State University Long Beach

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Public Universities in California

  • 40,278enrollment
  • $9,731net price
  • 1020-1240SAT range
  • 20-26ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Compare Calculate my chances 
University of San Diego
Connect Me
S
San Diego, CA

University of San Diego

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 9,110enrollment
  • $37,675net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.95Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15

Compare Calculate my chances 
The College of Idaho
Connect Me
I
Caldwell, ID

The College of Idaho

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Idaho

  • 1,076enrollment
  • $22,602net price
  • 1080-1270SAT range
  • 20-28ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Feb 15

Compare Calculate my chances 
University of La Verne
Connect Me
L
La Verne, CA

University of La Verne

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

48% Acceptance Rate

#23 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 5,596enrollment
  • $27,216net price
  • 970-1303SAT range
  • 18-25ACT range
  • 3.24Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Pepperdine University
Connect Me
P
Malibu, CA

Pepperdine University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

#13 Best Private Colleges in California

  • 9,545enrollment
  • $52,216net price
  • 1250-1450SAT range
  • 26-32ACT range
  • 3.74Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Compare Calculate my chances 
Multnomah University
Connect Me
M
Portland, OR
 

Multnomah University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 532enrollment
  • $23,072net price
  • 1050-1220SAT range
  • 16-28ACT range
  • 3.25Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

Compare Calculate my chances 
Whitman College
Connect Me
W
Walla Walla, WA

Whitman College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Private Colleges in Washington

  • 1,544enrollment
  • $41,601net price
  • 1270-1480SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.68Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Compare Calculate my chances