4.0
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.2
2.1
2.0
Try , or
My colleges
Where your 4.0 fits: Safety, Target or Reach, from each college's reported average GPA and acceptance rate. A guide, not a prediction.
Colleges in CaliforniaEvery college we list in California, with its average GPA and test scores where it reports them.
Showing 30 of 286 colleges
Colleges that report an average GPA (18) · best fit first
San Diego State UniversityModerate to get into,36% admitted
Average GPA3.82As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.82Target
University of California San DiegoModerate to get into,27% admitted
Average GPA3.88As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.88Target
California State University FullertonEasy to get into,91% admitted
Average GPA3.43As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.43Safety
California State University NorthridgeEasy to get into,93% admitted
Average GPA3.33As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.33Safety
California State University SacramentoEasy to get into,94% admitted
Average GPA3.38As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.38Safety
University of California RiversideEasy to get into,76% admitted
Average GPA3.75As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.75Safety
California State University San BernardinoEasy to get into,94% admitted
Average GPA3.39As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.39Safety
California State University San MarcosEasy to get into,95% admitted
Average GPA3.32As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.32Safety
California State University ChicoEasy to get into,93% admitted
Average GPA3.40As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.40Safety
California Lutheran UniversityEasy to get into,76% admitted
Average GPA3.74As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%590–670 R&W560–660 Math
ACT, middle 50%24–31
Your 4.0their average 3.74Safety
Westmont CollegeEasy to get into,77% admitted
Average GPA3.64As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%630–750 R&W610–700 Math
ACT, middle 50%25–32
Your 4.0their average 3.64Safety
Otis College of Art and DesignEasy to get into,82% admitted
Average GPA3.28As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%665–720 R&W600–675 Math
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.28Safety
Dominican University of CaliforniaEasy to get into,84% admitted
Average GPA3.65As reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%620–660 R&W590–640 Math
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.65Safety
University of California Los AngelesVery hard to get into,9% admitted
Average GPA3.94As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their average 3.94Reach
University of Southern CaliforniaVery hard to get into,9.8% admitted
Average GPA3.85As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%710–760 R&W740–790 Math
ACT, middle 50%32–35
Your 4.0their average 3.85Reach
Stanford UniversityVery hard to get into,3.6% admitted
Average GPA3.94As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%740–780 R&W770–800 Math
ACT, middle 50%34–35
Your 4.0their average 3.94Reach
California Polytechnic State University San Luis ObispoModerate to get into,31% admitted
Average GPA4.03Weighted, as reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their weighted average 4.03not comparable with an unweighted GPA
University of San DiegoFairly easy to get into,52% admitted
Average GPA4.02Weighted, as reported by the college for 2024–25
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Your 4.0their weighted average 4.02not comparable with an unweighted GPA
More colleges in your filters (no GPA reported)
California State University Long BeachModerate to get into,46% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
University of California BerkeleyHard to get into,11% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
University of California DavisModerate to get into,42% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
University of California IrvineModerate to get into,29% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
California State Polytechnic University PomonaEasy to get into,75% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
University of California Santa BarbaraModerate to get into,33% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
California State University FresnoEasy to get into,95% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
California State University Los AngelesEasy to get into,91% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
San Francisco State UniversityEasy to get into,96% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
University of California Santa CruzFairly easy to get into,66% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
California State University Dominguez HillsEasy to get into,93% admitted
Average GPA–
SAT, middle 50%–
ACT, middle 50%–
Browse by state
Alabama 59 Alaska 7 Arizona 40 Arkansas 47 California 286 Colorado 42 Connecticut 28 Delaware 5 Washington, D.C. 11 Florida 100 Georgia 89 Hawaii 14 Idaho 13 Illinois 117 Indiana 50 Iowa 52 Kansas 53 Kentucky 50 Louisiana 48 Maine 26 Maryland 45 Massachusetts 92 Michigan 77 Minnesota 69 Mississippi 33 Missouri 76 Montana 23 Nebraska 32 Nevada 10 New Hampshire 21 New Jersey 59 New Mexico 29 New York 223 North Carolina 122 North Dakota 19 Ohio 139 Oklahoma 41 Oregon 41 Pennsylvania 160 Rhode Island 12 South Carolina 55 South Dakota 19 Tennessee 66 Texas 164 Utah 18 Vermont 10 Virginia 82 Washington 62 West Virginia 32 Wisconsin 55 Wyoming 8 Northern Mariana Islands 1How to read the figures
University of MichiganHard to get into,16% admitted
Average GPA3.90As reported by the college for 2025–26
SAT, middle 50%680–750 R&W680–780 Math
ACT, middle 50%31–34
- How hard it is to get in: the share of first-year applicants the college admitted for fall 2024. Very hard is under 10%, Hard 10–24%, Moderate 25–49%, Fairly easy 50–74% and Easy 75% or more. Open admission colleges accept everyone, so they have no rate.
- Average GPA: the average high school GPA of the college's first-year students, from the college's own yearly report (its Common Data Set), with the year and, when the college says, whether it's weighted. Colleges calculate GPA in different ways, so use it as a rough guide, not a cutoff.
- Safety, Target and Reach: with your GPA in the box, where it fits at each college that reports an average GPA. Your GPA is compared with the college's average (0.15 or more above it, close to it, or below it), and the acceptance rate decides how much that counts: a college that admits under 15% of applicants is a reach for everyone. Colleges that don't report an average get no label: we never estimate one.
- SAT: the middle 50% of scores of first-year students who sent them, for reading and writing (R&W) and math. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it.
- ACT: the middle 50% of overall ACT scores, read the same way.
A dash means the college didn't report that figure.
Where the data comes from
| Figure | Source | Data year |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate, SAT and ACT ranges | The U.S. Department of Education's yearly college survey | Fall 2024 |
| Average high school GPA (268 colleges) | Each college's own yearly report (Common Data Set) | 2023–24 to 2025–26 |
| Average SAT for the SAT filter and sort | College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education | Latest available |
Each college's page also has its enrollment, net price, admission factors and policies on AP and dual credit from the same survey, and gives the year of every figure. Admission policies change every year, so check anything important with the college's admissions office.
Sources
- IPEDS: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
- College Scorecard dataU.S. Department of Education (June 10, 2026 release)
- Common Data Set InitiativeThe standard format colleges use to publish their own admissions data