Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit
48%
Acceptance rate
1,417
SAT Average
$50,959
Avg net price
6,235
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 1,601Master’s 959Doctoral 262 |
| Bachelor’s 439Master’s 300Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 253Master’s 296Doctoral 8 |
| Bachelor’s 169Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 119Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 103Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 102Master’s 168Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 97Master’s 38Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 97Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 60Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 39Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 26Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 20Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 14Master’s 13Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 14Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 13Master’s 1Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 12Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 8Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 7Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 5Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 4Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 6Doctoral 200 |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 99Doctoral 21 |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 24Doctoral 33 |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 14Doctoral None reported |
NCAA program details
- Primary division
- Division I
- Primary conference
- West Coast Conference
Projected sponsored sports21
Athletic participation
396 unique student-athletes · 22 varsity teams
Early Decision I
Early Decision I is a binding admission program. By applying ED I, you are making a commitment to enroll in the term that you applied to if admitted to SCU.
Binding · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Nov 15
Early Action
CSS Profile, FAFSA due Nov 15
Early Decision II
Binding · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Jan 15
Regular Decision
CSS Profile, FAFSA due Feb 1
· Apply with Common App
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $60,639
- Required fees
- $654
- Food and housing
- $19,893
- Books and supplies
- $1,062
- Other expenses
- $4,446
- Total
- $86,694
- $74,8292019–2019–20
- $72,9842020–2120–21
- $76,4972021–2221–22
- $78,8492022–2322–23
- $83,1422023–2423–24
- $86,6942024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $50,959 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid.
Need-based aid, 2025–26
- First-years with need-based aid
- 35%
- Average share of need met
- 87.1%
- Average need-based grant
- $50,851
- Required forms
- FAFSA and CSS Profile
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from Santa Clara University’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
Santa Clara University admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 4 years of Common Data Set filings.
Santa Clara University runs two binding Early Decision rounds and a nonbinding Early Action plan. ED applicants were admitted at versus for the regular pool, a edge, and ED admits fill of the class.
The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. Santa Clara University withholds applicants and admits by residency, so in-state, out-of-state, and international admit odds can't be computed.
Enrolled first-years by geography
1,641 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are considered but not required. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT, down from 29% in 2021–22, and an ACT, down from 18%.
Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.
SAT composite
24% of the class submitted an SAT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ACT composite
10% of the class submitted an ACT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
Santa Clara University’s enrolled first-years averaged a high-school GPA, among the 100% who submitted one. ranked in the top tenth of their high-school class, among the 1.9% who submitted class rank.
High-school GPA
shares of all enrolled first-years
Average 3.72
High-school class rank
Among the 1.9% of first-years who submitted class rank. Shares are cumulative — students in the top tenth also count in the top quarter and top half.
Santa Clara University rates 8 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Application essay
- Very important
- Class rank
- Important
- Recommendation(s)
- Important
- Standardized test scores
- Considered
Nonacademic
- Extracurricular activities
- Very important
- Talent / ability
- Very important
- Character / personal qualities
- Very important
- Volunteer work
- Very important
- Work experience
- Very important
- Level of applicant's interest
- Important
- First generation
- Considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Considered
- Geographical residence
- Considered
- State residency
- Considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Considered
- Interview
- Not considered
Santa Clara University’s sticker drops once grant aid is applied, and what a family actually pays depends on income. of first-years received need-based aid; a family with no aid pays the full sticker. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Bars read against the $86,970 sticker. Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $50,959 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 570 of 1,638 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
What that meant in 2025–26
Cost of attendance $86,970
Averages among the 570 first-years awarded need-based aid.
Institutional non-need (merit) aid, as reported to the Common Data Set. For international applicants, Santa Clara University offers need-based aid only (no merit for nonresidents): nonresidents received aid, averaging .
Merit-aid share
Not disclosedSanta Clara University admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class.
93.6% of Santa Clara University’s first-years return for a second year and 88.4% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03