Santa Clara University
CA · Private · West · National university · Top 100 tier · 6,552 undergraduates (medium)
Admission rates
Latest admit rates
How much of the class comes from ED
~30% of enrolled freshmen were admitted through Early Decision.
This is a share of the freshman class, not an admit rate.
† Regular round (est.) = (all admitted students − Early Decision admits) ÷ (all applicants − Early Decision applicants). It also includes Early Action, because the Common Data Set does not report Early Action counts.
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2024
Admission rates
ED share of the enrolled freshman class (% of first-years admitted ED, not an admit rate)
Early plans
Fall 2027 applicants
Testing
Testing policy
Superscoring
What this means:
- SAT
- Superscores
- ACT
- Superscores
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Test-optional. Sending multiple tests lets SCU see subsections regardless of test date or type.
How to send scores
Self-report accepted; official scores only after admission/enrollment
School’s words: “If you are offered admission to Santa Clara University and choose to enroll, official test scores that match your self-reported scores will need to be received by your deposit deadline .”
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Students submitting scores
‡ Est. % submitting scores adds the share of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT to the share who submitted the ACT.
Score ranges (middle 50%)
Enrolled first-years who submitted scores, Fall 2024. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above.
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2024
Share of enrolled students submitting scores
SAT composite, middle 50%
ACT composite, middle 50%
Year-by-year data, Fall 2019–Fall 2024
| CDS year | Admitted | Admit rate | ED rate | ED share of class | Est. % submitting | % SAT | % ACT | SAT mid-50 | ACT mid-50 | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 7,958 | 48.8% | 100% | Not reported | 100% | 68% | 43% | 1300-1420 | 28-32 | ||
| 2020-21 | 8,362 | 50.7% | 69% | 32% | 100% | 68% | 39% | 1280-1430 | 28-32 | ||
| 2021-22 | 9,095 | 54% | 83.8% | 26% | 47% | 29% | 18% | 1300-1460 | 29-33 | ||
| 2022-23 | 8,677 | 52.1% | 82.7% | 23% | 51% | 34% | 17% | 1300-1470 | 29-33 | ||
| 2023-24 | Common Data Set not found online | ||||||||||
| 2024-25 | 9,105 | 48% | 80.1% | 30% | 34% | 24% | 10% | 1360-1480 | 31-33 | ||
| 2025-26 | Common Data Set not found online | ||||||||||
Waitlist admit rate
Share of students who stayed on the waitlist and were later admitted, by entering class.
- 2024: 6%
- 2022: 0.3%
- 2021: 5%
- 2020: 23%
Test policy in each Common Data Set
History only. The current policy is under Testing above.
- Fall 2027 CDS not available2025-26 CDS
- Fall 2026 Test-optional2024-25 CDS
- Fall 2025 CDS not available2023-24 CDS
- Fall 2024 Test-optional2022-23 CDSThis form’s own wording says Fall 2023; every CDS here is read as covering the fall two years after its first year.
- Fall 2023 Test-optional2021-22 CDS
- Fall 2022 Test-optional2020-21 CDS
- Fall 2021 Not reported2019-20 CDS