Santa Clara University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Claremont, California · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Santa Clara University is a private nonprofit university in Claremont, California that admits about 34% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $38,802 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Political Science and Government, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Research and Experimental Psychology, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 87% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 18.9 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Santa Clara University is a private institution located in Claremont, California with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Santa Clara University admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 34%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1480 and an ACT composite around 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $38,802 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Santa Clara University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Santa Clara University?
Admitted students at Santa Clara University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Santa Clara University weight in admissions?
Santa Clara University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Recommendations
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Santa Clara University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 700–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 730. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–34. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1450 |
| 50th percentile | 1490 |
| 75th percentile | 1520 |
| % submitting SAT | 24% |
| 25th percentile | 31 |
| 50th percentile | 33 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 16% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 70% |
| Top 25% of class | 91% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 14.06% |
How much does Santa Clara University actually cost?
Published tuition is $63,434 for in-state students and $63,434 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $20,998 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $38,802 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 11% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $65,650 |
| Room and board | $21,792 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $38,802 |
| Application fee | $60 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Santa Clara University
| Regular deadline | 1/8 |
| Notification date | 1-Apr |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/15 |
| ED acceptance rate | 47% |
Will my child graduate from Santa Clara University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Santa Clara University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Santa Clara University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Political Science and Government, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Research and Experimental Psychology. Across all programs, Santa Clara University confers roughly 137 bachelor's degrees a year. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science and Government | 24 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 20 | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 19 | — |
| Biology, General | 17 | — |
| Economics | 16 | — |
| English Language and Literature, General | 15 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 13 | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 13 | — |
Is Santa Clara University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Santa Clara University disclosed 21 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 18.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 6 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Santa Clara University?
About 97% of undergraduates at Santa Clara University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Santa Clara University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Santa Clara University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Santa Clara University
What GPA do I need for Santa Clara University?
Admitted students at Santa Clara University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Santa Clara University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 700–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 730. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–34.
How much does Santa Clara University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Santa Clara University after grants and scholarships is $38,802 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Santa Clara University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Santa Clara University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Santa Clara University?
Santa Clara University accepts about 34% of applicants out of roughly 3,199 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Santa Clara University test-optional?
Yes. Santa Clara University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Santa Clara University?
About 87% of students at Santa Clara University graduate within six years, and 68% finish in four years. 94% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Santa Clara University?
Santa Clara University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 47%, compared with its overall rate of 34%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Santa Clara University look for in applicants?
Santa Clara University rates course rigor, GPA, the application essay and character and personal qualities as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Santa Clara University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Santa Clara University is a private nonprofit institution located in Claremont, California.
What are the most popular majors at Santa Clara University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Santa Clara University by annual graduates are Political Science and Government, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Research and Experimental Psychology. The school awards about 137 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Santa Clara University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Santa Clara University reported 21 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 18.9 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Santa Clara University?
At Santa Clara University, 97% of undergraduates live on campus, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Santa Clara University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.