Santa Clara University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Santa Clara University is a private college in California that admits roughly 48% of applicants, which puts it in the selective range. A rate like this means it admits a minority of applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Santa Clara University weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1430, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Santa Clara University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Santa Clara University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Santa Clara University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Santa Clara University?
At Santa Clara University, your real chance depends on far more than the published 48% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Santa Clara University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Santa Clara University hard to get into?
Santa Clara University is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 48% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into Santa Clara University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Santa Clara University, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. Santa Clara University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Santa Clara University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Santa Clara University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Santa Clara University with a 3.5 GPA and a 1420 SAT?
About 75% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 1420 SAT, the middle of Santa Clara University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.8 GPA with a 1490 SAT comes out near 89%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/santa-clara-university.
How to get into Santa Clara University
Built from Santa Clara University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Santa Clara University comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Santa Clara University carries about a 3.47 core GPA and a 1440 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1350 to 1490 SAT (31 to 33 ACT). Submit a score at 1420 or higher; below 1350, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Santa Clara University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Santa Clara University's exact dates at www.scu.edu.
How many students apply to Santa Clara University, and how many get in?
18,843 students applied to Santa Clara University for fall 2023; 8,261 were admitted (43.8%). 1,552 enrolled. Only about 19% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Santa Clara University enrolls about 6,552 undergraduates in total, 49% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Santa Clara University?
Admitted students at Santa Clara University post SAT scores of 1350 to 1490 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1426. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 31 to 33. A score above 1490 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1350 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Santa Clara University is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Santa Clara University looks for
What Santa Clara University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Santa Clara University signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Santa Clara University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Santa Clara University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Santa Clara University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Santa Clara University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $82,026 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $61,293. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $50,062 a year, and it ranges from $22,985 for families earning under $30,000 to $60,678 for families earning over $110,000. 11% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Santa Clara University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Santa Clara University students ten years after entry are $109,183 ($91,198 at the six-year mark). 88% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $19,162; 37% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Santa Clara University compares in California
Santa Clara University ranks #19 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, Santa Clara University ranks #19 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Santa Clara University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Santa Clara University is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Austin College, Rollins College, and St. Olaf College. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Santa Clara University's acceptance rate?
Santa Clara University admitted 8,261 of 18,843 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 43.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 19% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Santa Clara University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1350 to 1490 on the SAT and 31 to 33 on the ACT. A score above 1490 is in the top quarter of admits. Santa Clara University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Santa Clara University test-optional?
Yes. Santa Clara University reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Santa Clara University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Santa Clara University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $50,062 a year against a sticker price of about $82,026. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $22,985 on average.
What do Santa Clara University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Santa Clara University are $109,183 a year among students who received federal aid, and 88% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Santa Clara University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Santa Clara University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Santa Clara University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Santa Clara University's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Santa Clara University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Santa Clara University specifically.
Is Santa Clara University a target or a reach for an average applicant?
For an applicant whose GPA and scores sit near Santa Clara University's admitted range, it generally reads as a target rather than a reach. Run your exact profile through the free calculator to see your personal verdict.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.