Colleges in California That Accept a 3.8 GPA

A 3.8 GPA is a safety at one school and a long shot at another, so these schools are split into likely, target and reach rather than one list. Every number is the school's own average admitted GPA, from U.S. Department of Education data. Only California schools are listed here.

Likely

Schools where the average admitted student is below 3.8 GPA. You are above their typical applicant.

• Occidental College — Los Angeles, CA · 3.64 avg GPA
• Saint Mary's College of California — Moraga, CA · 3.60 avg GPA
• University of the Pacific — Stockton, CA · 3.61 avg GPA
• San Jose State University — San Jose, CA · 3.50 avg GPA
• Westmont College — Santa Barbara, CA · 3.64 avg GPA
• University of California-Merced — Merced, CA · 3.57 avg GPA
• California State University-Chico — Chico, CA · 3.40 avg GPA
• California State University-Sacramento — Sacramento, CA · 3.38 avg GPA
• Otis College of Art and Design — Los Angeles, CA · 3.28 avg GPA
• California State University-San Marcos — San Marcos, CA · 3.32 avg GPA
• California State University-San Bernardino — San Bernardino, CA · 3.39 avg GPA
• California State University-Bakersfield — Bakersfield, CA · 3.44 avg GPA
• California State University-Los Angeles — Los Angeles, CA · 3.21 avg GPA
• California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt — Arcata, CA · 3.42 avg GPA

Target

Schools where the average admitted student is right around 3.8 GPA. These are realistic, competitive picks.

• Stanford University — Stanford, CA · 3.94 avg GPA
• Santa Clara University — Santa Clara, CA · 3.72 avg GPA
• University of California-Berkeley — Berkeley, CA · 3.90 avg GPA
• University of Southern California — Los Angeles, CA · 3.85 avg GPA
• University of California-Los Angeles — Los Angeles, CA · 3.94 avg GPA
• University of California-San Diego — La Jolla, CA · 3.88 avg GPA
• Pepperdine University — Malibu, CA · 3.65 avg GPA
• Dominican University of California — San Rafael, CA · 3.75 avg GPA
• University of California-Riverside — Riverside, CA · 3.75 avg GPA
• San Diego State University — San Diego, CA · 3.82 avg GPA
• California State Polytechnic University-Pomona — Pomona, CA · 3.70 avg GPA
• California Lutheran University — Thousand Oaks, CA · 3.80 avg GPA

Reach

Schools where the average admitted student is above 3.8 GPA. Possible, but you would be applying from below the median.

• University of San Diego — San Diego, CA · 4.02 avg GPA
• University of California-Davis — Davis, CA · 4.03 avg GPA
• Loyola Marymount University — Los Angeles, CA · 3.98 avg GPA
• Pitzer College — Claremont, CA · 3.95 avg GPA

All colleges that accept a 3.8 GPA, nationwide

Colleges in California That Accept a 3.8 GPA on PickACampus