For the application year 2024, California Lutheran University has an overall acceptance rate of 75.6%, accepting 4,544 out of 6,005 applicants. The Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rate mirrors the overall rate at 75.6%. The transfer acceptance rate is significantly higher at 62.7%, with 339 of 504 applicants admitted. The university offered 106 students a place on the waitlist, accepting 41, resulting in a 38.6% acceptance rate. Average SAT scores for admitted students fall between a composite of 1,120 (25th percentile) and 1,330 (75th percentile), with an average GPA also at 3.74.

California Lutheran University's overall acceptance rate for the 2024 application year is 75.6%, with 6005 applicants and 4544 admitted. This represents a significant decline from the previous year, 2023, where the acceptance rate was 88.8% with 5290 applicants. Over the past five years, acceptance rates have generally shown fluctuations—decreasing from 87.2% in 2022 to 81.9% in 2021, and down to 74.3% in 2020, indicating a trend towards a more competitive admission process. The highest recent acceptance rate of 88.8% in 2023 stands out against the backdrop of lower rates in preceding and subsequent years.
California Lutheran University has a waitlist acceptance rate of 38.6% for the application year 2022, with 41 out of 106 students offered admission from the waitlist. This acceptance rate is a drop from 54.3% in 2020 when 106 of 195 waitlisted applicants were admitted. The lack of data for the surrounding years, including 2023 and 2024, reflects inconsistency in admissions trends, making the waitlist process at California Lutheran University somewhat unpredictable. Overall, the notable decrease in acceptance rates emphasizes the importance for waitlisted students to remain prepared for various outcomes.
California Lutheran University's transfer acceptance rate for the application year 2024 stands at 62.7%, with 504 applicants and 339 being accepted. This marks a decline from the previous year's acceptance rate of 70.7%, where 452 applicants were considered, and 320 were accepted. Historically, the acceptance rates have hovered around the mid-70s in recent years, including 77.2% in 2022 and 76.6% in 2020. With an average GPA of 3.74 among transfer applicants, competition remains strong despite the recent drop in acceptance rates.
| Race | Applicants |
|---|---|
| White | 38.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 37.4% |
| Asian American | 6.3% |
| Black/African American | 4.7% |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 0.1% |
| International students | 2.3% |

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