What is California Lutheran University's acceptance rate?

California Lutheran University admitted 4,544 of 6,005 first-year applicants for 2024-25, an acceptance rate of 75.7%, according to its Common Data Set.

Does California Lutheran University have early decision?

No. California Lutheran University does not offer early decision, per its 2024-25 Common Data Set.

What SAT score do you need for California Lutheran University?

The middle 50% of California Lutheran University's enrolled first-years scored 1120–1330 on the SAT and 24–31 on the ACT.

How much does California Lutheran University cost?

Tuition is $53,650, plus $17,540 for food and housing, before aid.

What is California Lutheran University's graduation rate?

70% of students graduate within six years.

All colleges

California Lutheran University Common Data Set 2024-25

CATest policy: Test-optional: SAT or ACT not required but considered if submitted; SAT, ACT, AP and CLEP used for placementCompare with other schools AP credit

Acceptance rate

75.7%

4,544 of 6,005

Early decision rate

No ED

SAT middle 50%

1120–1330

ACT middle 50%

24–31

Admissions

AppliedC1	6,005
AdmittedC1	4,544
EnrolledC1	502
YieldC1	11%
Early decisionC21	Not offered
Early actionC22	Offered, counts not reported

Waitlist

Offered a placeC2	—
Accepted a placeC2	—
Admitted from waitlistC2	—
Odds if you stay on the listC2	—

Test scores and GPA

Submitted SATC9	7%
Submitted ACTC9	3%
SAT Reading & Writing (25th–75th)C9	590–670
SAT Math (25th–75th)C9	560–660
Average high school GPAC12	3.74
GPA of 4.0C11	14.1%
GPA 3.75–3.99C11	28.7%
GPA 3.50–3.74C11	26.9%
GPA below 3.50C11	30.3%

Cost and financial aid

TuitionG1	$53,650
Required feesG1	$830
Food and housingG1	$17,540
Need fully met (first-years)H2	—
Average % of need metH2	—
Average need-based packageH2	—
Average need-based grantH2	—

What admissions looks at

Rigor of secondary school recordConsidered
Class rankImportant
Academic GPAVery important
Standardized test scoresConsidered
Application essayVery important
Recommendation(s)Very important
InterviewConsidered
Extracurricular activitiesImportant
Talent/abilityConsidered
Character/personal qualitiesImportant
First generationImportant
Alumni/ae relationConsidered
Geographical residenceImportant
State residencyConsidered
Religious affiliation/commitmentConsidered
Volunteer workConsidered
Work experienceConsidered
Level of applicant's interestConsidered

From item C7.

Outcomes

UndergraduatesB1	2,297
First-year retentionB22	79%
4-year graduation rateB	—
6-year graduation rateB	70%

Notes on this filing

Year label taken from the filing title 'Common Data Set 2024-2025'; fall 2024 enrollment data.
C1: applied, admitted and enrolled totals are not printed in the C1 table; summed men/women/unknown (2594+3398+13=6005; 1944+2596+4=4544; 231+271=502). These match the residency table totals.
C1: another-gender and part-time rows are blank or zero.
C2: policy for waiting list is No and all waitlist counts are blank.
C21: Early decision not offered; counts blank.
C22: Early action offered (closing 1/15, notification 11/1), but applied and admitted counts are not reported.
C8A: all three test categories are 'not required but considered if submitted'; C8F clarification is blank.
C8E: latest SAT/ACT score date is 1/1/2025.
B4-B11: the Fall 2018 cohort is used (Fall 2017 blank). The printed six-year rate is 70% (474 of 681). The four-year completion count is 423 of 681, but no four-year rate is printed, so grad_rate_4yr is null.
B22: retention printed as 79.00%.
C11: GPA bands use the 'Percent (All enrolled students)' column. pct_below_3_50 is the sum of the 3.25-3.49, 3.00-3.24, 2.50-2.99, 2.0-2.49, 1.0-1.99 and below-1.0 bands (16.2+10.9+3.2+0+0+0 = 30.3).
G1: private institution, so in-state and out-of-state tuition are null. Tuition, fees and food/housing are from the first-year column.
H1: totals are printed as $0 and the H2 first-time full-time column is blank, so aid percentages and averages are null. H2 line A shows 502 first-time full-time students.
B1: total undergraduates 2,297 matches the B4 total.

Similar colleges

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College

LA · 74% admitted · SAT 1150–1300

Compare with California Lutheran University

Eckerd College

FL · 75.8% admitted · SAT 1160–1320

Compare with California Lutheran University

Augustana University

SD · 72.9% admitted · SAT ~1090–1360

Compare with California Lutheran University

DeSales University

PA · 78.7% admitted · SAT 1120–1300

Compare with California Lutheran University

Taylor University

IN · 73.5% admitted · SAT 1080–1320

Compare with California Lutheran University

Art Center College of Design

CA · 78.9% admitted · SAT —

Compare with California Lutheran University

More colleges in CA

California Lutheran University admissions FAQ

What is California Lutheran University's acceptance rate?: California Lutheran University admitted 4,544 of 6,005 first-year applicants for 2024-25, an acceptance rate of 75.7%, according to its Common Data Set.
Does California Lutheran University have early decision?: No. California Lutheran University does not offer early decision, per its 2024-25 Common Data Set.
What SAT score do you need for California Lutheran University?: The middle 50% of California Lutheran University's enrolled first-years scored 1120–1330 on the SAT and 24–31 on the ACT.
How much does California Lutheran University cost?: Tuition is $53,650, plus $17,540 for food and housing, before aid.
What is California Lutheran University's graduation rate?: 70% of students graduate within six years.

Source: California Lutheran University Common Data Set 2024-25 . “—” means the college left the item blank.