How to Get Into Santa Clara University: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

July 23, 2025

Santa Clara University is a mid-sized, private Jesuit institution in California that caters to around 5,900 undergraduate students. Unsurprisingly, given its location, SCU is known for having one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Fortunately, the academic strength of the school is also quite strong. In particular, the Leavey School of Business is highly respected, and the university has solid computer science and engineering offerings as well. While the acceptance rate at Santa Clara University isn鈥檛 as intimidating as some comparable institutions, the admissions standards are still quite stringent.

With the aim of providing future SCU applicants with a deep knowledge of relevant admissions data and strategies, we will touch on the following topics:

Santa Clara University鈥檚 Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
Santa Clara University鈥檚 ED acceptance rate
SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of accepted Santa Clara University students
Admissions trends at Santa Clara for the Class of 2029
The demographics of current Santa Clara University undergraduates
Santa Clara University鈥檚 yield rate
How Santa Clara University鈥檚 admissions officers evaluate candidates
Tips for applying to Santa Clara University
How to assess whether applying to Santa Clara University is even worth the $70 application fee (for you)

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Santa Clara University Overall Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2028

Santa Clara received 18,970 applications for a place in the Class of 2028 and accepted 9,105. This means that the most recent Santa Clara University acceptance rate is 48%, four points higher than the previous year.

Recent SCU acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	18,839	8,304	44%
Class of 2026	16,650	8,677	52%
Class of 2025	16,848	9,095	54%

Santa Clara University Early Decision Acceptance Rate

There are two rounds of Early Decision at Santa Clara as well as an Early Action round. The ED I deadline is November 1, and the ED II deadline is in early January. According to the university, around 12,100 students applied either via ED I, ED II, or Early Action to join the Class of 2029. Of these students, 50% were admitted.

The previous year, across both (binding) Early Decision rounds only, 609 students applied and 488 were admitted. This means that the Santa Clara early decision acceptance rate is 80%.

What GPA do you need to get into Santa Clara?

Among enrolled 2024-2025 first-year students, the average GPA was 3.72. Additionally, 55% of students had a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The admitted students in the Class of 2029 are even more impressive. They have an average GPA of 3.86.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Santa Clara?

An impressive 35% of the Class of 2028 hailed from the top decile of their high school class, while another 61% earned a place in the top quarter.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Santa Clara?

Santa Clara is test-optional, but nearly a third of enrolled Class of 2028 students submitted test scores alongside their applications. For these students, the mid-50% SAT range was 1360-1480, while the mid-50% ACT range was 31-33.

Admissions Trends & Notes Class of 2029

The average unweighted GPA was 3.86 for admitted Class of 2029 students.
12% of students are first-generation.
6% of ED and EA admits are international students.
Class of 2029 admits represent nearly 3000 high schools.
11% are Pell-eligible students.
Over 800 admitted students are coming from Cristo Rey and Jesuit High Schools
Students are from all 49 states and 72 countries.
Santa Clara will welcome more than 200 transfer students to the Class of 2029.

Who Gets Into Santa Clara University?

Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of current Santa Clara University undergraduates. Geographically, the Class of 2027 is from:

California: 51%
Out-of-state: 39%
International: 10%

As at any selective university, competition is toughest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you hail from a less populated state like Idaho, Wyoming, or Alaska, your location is more likely to聽provide a boost聽to your admissions chances.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2028 was as follows:

Asian American: 22%
Hispanic: 20%
Black or African American: 2%
White: 35.5%
Two or more races: 9%

The breakdown by gender of the Class of 2028 is perfectly even:

Male: 50%
Female: 50%

Members of the Class of 2027 (most recent data available) attended the following types of high schools:

Public: 48%
Independent: 19%
Catholic: 14%
Jesuit: 8%

Class of 2027 students enrolled in the following schools:

College of Arts & Sciences: 48%
Leavey School of Business: 28%
School of Engineering: 24%

The most popular majors for entering first-year students in fall 2023 were:

Computer science and engineering
Psychology
Mechanical engineering
Finance
Computer science (mathematics)

SCU’s Yield Rate

Santa Clara University鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted鈥攚as 17.6% for the enrolled Class of 2028. This is slightly lower than the previous year. For comparison, other CA-based institutions like UCSD, UCSB, and UC Irvine have very similar yield rates.

How Santa Clara University Rates Applicants

Santa Clara University rates eight factors as being 鈥渧ery important鈥� to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, application essays, extracurriculars, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, volunteer work, and work experience. Three additional factors are viewed by SCU as 鈥渋mportant鈥� in their evaluation of candidates: class rank, recommendations, and level of interest.

Straight from the Santa Clara University admissions staff:

鈥淲hen we review your application we will consider several elements, from your academic performance and grades, recommendations, activities outside the classroom, life experiences, and if reported, test scores. Our goal is to gain a sense of who you are as a person and as a scholar.鈥�
鈥淲hile the selectivity between our schools and programs does not vary greatly, academic readiness for the program of interest will be gauged based on your expressed interest. For natural science, business, and engineering applicants, readiness at the level of calculus is expected.鈥�
鈥淲ithout test scores, your GPA and course rigor are increasingly important components of the academic side of your application. Not only do we want to see that you have excelled in your classes, but we also want to see that you鈥檝e challenged yourself academically by taking advanced courses like honors, IB, AP, or dual-enrollment courses your school offers.鈥�

Additional Tips for Applying

Should you end up as one of the almost 19,000+ Santa Clara applicants in the next admissions cycle, you will benefit from being aware of the following:

Santa Clara has extended its test-optional policy through the 2025-2026 application cycle.
If you are serious about attending SCU, applying ED can yield an enormous admission advantage at this school.
Santa Clara does not conduct evaluative interviews, but does offer chances to to learn more about the school.
Santa Clara University considers 鈥�demonstrated interest鈥� as being important in the admissions process. Therefore, you will be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit (in non-pandemic times), contacted an admissions officer, followed them on social media, etc.
SCU requires one teacher recommendation. For tips on requesting a letter of recommendation, check out this blog.
Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Santa Clara. In the 2025-26 cycle, they were as follows:

Prompt 1:

Why are you interested in pursuing the [Division or Major] selected above? (Note: students select a division/major from a dropdown box) (50 words)

Prompt 2:

At Santa Clara University, we value our diverse and inclusive community. Our campus learning environment is enriched by the lived experiences of people from different backgrounds. What people, places, events, or circumstances have shaped the individual you are today and how you could contribute to our community? (150- 300 words)

Prompt 3:

At SCU, we push our students to be creative, be challenged, and be the solution. Think about an ethical dilemma that you care about that our society is currently facing. This can be something happening in your local community or more globally. How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge? (150-300 words)

Should I apply to Santa Clara?

If you have received mostly A’s in a rigorous curriculum and fall within the top quarter of your graduating class, applying to Santa Clara would absolutely make sense. Furthermore, if this institution is at the top of your list, make sure to demonstrate your interest in attending and consider applying early decision. Borderline applicant? Early decision would be a smart decision for you as well.

Santa Clara University Acceptance Rate — Final Thoughts

Unless you have stats that will blow away the admissions committee, you鈥檒l need to have a rock-solid backup plan if applying to Santa Clara. All applicants need to work with their guidance counselor to formulate a balanced聽college list, containing a complement of 鈥渢arget鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools.

Ready to start crafting your applications? Check out the following:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).