Most selective colleges in California
Ranked by how few applicants they admit. Every one of these is a reach for every applicant, whatever the numbers say.
8 colleges
- Stanford UniversityStanford, CA4% admit1510–1580 SATRequired
- Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA7% admit1490–1560 SATOptional
- University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA9% admit~3.94 GPANot considered
- Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA10% admit1470–1560 SATOptional
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA10% admit1450–1550 SAT~3.80 GPAOptional
- University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA11% admit~3.90 GPANot considered
- Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA13% admit1500–1570 SATOptional
- University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA27% admit~3.88 GPANot considered
Acceptance rate and cost come from U.S. Department of Education reporting. Admitted SAT, ACT and GPA come from each college’s Common Data Set, where it publishes one. Every name links to that school’s full read.
Check your own numbers
Where do you stand at these schools?
Add your GPA and scores once. You get a read on every school on this list, and on whether the list you’re building adds up. No account.
Open the chances calculatorRelated lists
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Common questions
How was most selective colleges in california built?
From published federal reporting and each college’s own Common Data Set. It’s filtered and sorted on the number the list is about. It isn’t a ranking, and nobody set the order by hand.
What should I do with a list like this?
Use it to find schools worth a look. Then check each one against your own numbers. A school being on a list says nothing about whether it fits you. Fit is the question that matters.
What Spike does with this
A list is a start, not a plan.
Spike reads your whole profile against every school on it. Then it works on the parts a list can’t show.
The full counselor launches in November.