Scripps College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Santa Clara, California · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2025-2026
Scripps College is a private institution located in Santa Clara, California with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Scripps College admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 44%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1417 and an ACT composite around 32. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $50,959 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Scripps College 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 Scripps College?
Admitted students at Scripps College 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.
SAT and ACT scores Scripps College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 680–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 685. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1330 |
| 50th percentile | 1410 |
| 75th percentile | 1470 |
| % submitting SAT | 29% |
| 25th percentile | 29 |
| 50th percentile | 31 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | 9% |
- • 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 | 47% |
| Top 25% of class | 74% |
| Top 50% of class | 91% |
| % submitting class rank | 3% |
How much does Scripps College actually cost?
Published tuition is $59,241 for in-state students and $59,241 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $18,984 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $50,959 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 | $64,956 |
| Room and board | $21,234 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $50,959 |
| Application fee | $75 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Scripps College
| Regular deadline | January 7 |
| Notification date | Late March |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 76% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | November 1 |
Will my child graduate from Scripps College?
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.
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 Scripps College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Scripps College 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 Scripps College
What GPA do I need for Scripps College?
Admitted students at Scripps College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Scripps College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 680–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 685. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33.
How much does Scripps College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Scripps College after grants and scholarships is $50,959 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 Scripps College 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, Scripps College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Scripps College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.