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 SATRequired
- University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA9% admit~3.94 GPAblind
- 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 GPAblind
- Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA13% admit1500–1570 SAToptional
- University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA27% admit~3.88 GPAoptional
Acceptance rate and cost from U.S. Department of Education reporting; admitted SAT, ACT and GPA 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 and get a read on every school on this list, plus whether the list you are building adds up. No account.
Open the chances calculatorCommon questions
How was most selective colleges in california built?
From published federal reporting and each college's own Common Data Set, filtered and sorted on the number the list is about. It is not a ranking and there is no editorial judgment in the order.
What should I do with a list like this?
Use it to find candidates, then check each one against your own numbers. A school being on a list says nothing about whether it fits you, and the fit question is the one 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 works on the parts a list cannot show.
One email when Spike opens. No card, no account. About the waitlist.