The most selective colleges in California

California Institute of Technology is the most selective four-year college in California, admitting 2.6% of applicants (Fall 2024).

College	City	Admission rate	Applicants	Average net price
California Institute of Technology	Pasadena	2.6%	13,107	$8,509
Minerva University	San Francisco	3%	9,856	—
Stanford University	Stanford	3.6%	53,733	$12,307
Pomona College	Claremont	7.1%	12,121	$18,978
University of California-Los Angeles	Los Angeles	9%	145,903	$14,659
Claremont McKenna College	Claremont	9.6%	5,799	$26,039
University of Southern California	Los Angeles	9.8%	80,808	$33,056
Stanbridge University	Irvine	10%	2,700	$25,124
University of California-Berkeley	Berkeley	11%	125,910	$14,538
Harvey Mudd College	Claremont	13%	4,792	$39,347
Northeastern University Oakland	Oakland	17%	17,177	$30,622
Pitzer College	Claremont	25%	3,464	$36,135
University of California-San Diego	La Jolla	27%	130,771	$14,794
University of California-Irvine	Irvine	29%	121,101	$13,866
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo	31%	63,736	$18,832

See all colleges in California.

How we got these numbers

Figures come from two U.S. Department of Education sources, the College Scorecard (released 2026-10-15) and the IPEDS Admissions survey. Data years:

• Admission rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
• Applicants: Fall 2023, reported in IPEDS ADM2023
• Average net price: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Colleges with fewer than 500 applicants are excluded from selectivity rankings because their admission rates say little about selectivity. Full details on our data page.

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