Santa Clara University
Santa Clara publishes 48% (Fall 2025). Out-of-state applicants got in at 54%; international at 29%.
Acceptance rate
What Santa Clara's 48% is made of
The published rate averages groups with very different odds. These are the splits Santa Clara reports itself.
Part of Real Acceptance Rates, our series decomposing published rates from each school's own Common Data Set.
Testing
Test-Optional for 2026-27
- Policy
Official page states verbatim: 'Santa Clara University has adopted a "test optional" policy for first-year applicants. Scores on the SAT or ACT are not required for students applying to Santa Clara University nor will they be disadvantaged for doing so in the admission process.' No end date or 'temporary' language attached.
- SAT middle 50%
- 1350–1490sum of section 25th–75th percentiles
- ACT middle 50%
- 31–33
- Average HS GPA
- Not published by the school
Applying
Deadlines, essays and AI policy
- Early deadlines
- Nov 1, 2026 (EA); Nov 1, 2026 (ED); Jan 7, 2027 (ED2)
- Regular decision
- Jan 7, 2027Source
Full cycle calendar: Application Deadlines.
At a glance
Size and cost
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 6,552
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $61,293
- Category
- Private
- Admissions site
- www.scu.edu
What should this school mean for your list?
A published rate is one input. Working out what it means alongside the rest of your list is the part that actually changes an application. Free 25-minute call, no commitment.
Sources
- Santa Clara test policy (2026-27)
- Santa Clara deadlines
- Acceptance rate, test-score percentiles, enrollment and tuition: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, pulled 2026-08-19.
Test policy and deadlines last verified 2026-08-17.
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