Colleges in California for 1250 SAT Scores: Where You Fall in the Middle 50%
California has 27 main-campus colleges that report SAT percentiles to College Scorecard. A score of 1250 on the SAT is inside the middle 50% at 10 of them, below the 25th percentile at 13 (a reach) and above the 75th percentile at 4 (above typical).
Those 10 typical colleges have a median net price of $30,802 and a median acceptance rate of 78%. By sector, 0 public and 10 private nonprofit; 9 report a test-optional policy.
Acceptance rates in this group run from 62% at University of San Francisco to 84% at Point Loma Nazarene University, so a score inside the middle 50% says little about an admission decision. The lowest net price among them is $25,447 at University of the Pacific.
Nationwide, the 377 typical colleges for this score have a median net price of $23,130 and a median acceptance rate of 75%; in California the figures are $30,802 and 78%. Test-optional colleges among the 10 in California: 9. Test-optional colleges often publish ranges that skew high.
-
Typical
10
Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
-
Reach
13
Your score is below the school's 25th percentile.
-
Above typical
4
Your score is above the school's 75th percentile.
How the groups are defined
One rule sorts every college, using the 25th and 75th percentile scores in the College Scorecard data. We never say a college will admit a score; we only show where it falls.
- Who is counted
- College Scorecard describes these percentiles as the middle 50% of first-time students who enrolled in the fall of 2024; admitted students who did not enroll are not included. Colleges can only report scores for students who submitted them, and colleges that do not require tests often report mostly higher scorers, so their ranges tend to skew high.
- Reach. Your score is below the school's 25th percentile.
- Typical. Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
- Above typical. Your score is above the school's 75th percentile.
- SAT totals are approximate. Scorecard publishes 25th and 75th percentiles for the Reading and Writing and Math sections but not for the total, so we add the two 25th percentiles and the two 75th percentiles. Across the 866 colleges that also report Scorecard's average SAT score, the midpoint of that range differs from the average by a median of 15 points (90% are within 45).
- We do not convert between the SAT and the ACT. This page uses SAT scores only; the other test has its own pages.
- Test policy
- The test policy comes from the admissions field Scorecard calls ADMCON7. We tag a college as test-optional when it reports that tests are neither required nor recommended, or are considered only if submitted. Test-optional colleges among the 10 typical ones: 9.
- Left out: 1,471 of 2,356 main-campus colleges with missing or suppressed SAT percentiles, and 19 dropped because their figures contradict themselves: Scorecard's own average SAT score falls outside the summed section range, so the percentiles and the average describe different groups of students. None had a 25th percentile above the 75th or a value outside the valid range. 866 colleges are counted.
- Data periodTest score percentiles: fall 2024 entering class. Acceptance rate: fall 2024 applicants. Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24 (in-state price at public colleges).
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Read the full methodology Test-optional colleges and how to read SAT/ACT ranges
Typical: the middle 50% includes 1250 (10)
Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Sorted by net price, lowest first; colleges with no reported net price come last. Showing all 10.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $25,447 · Acceptance rate: 71% | 1183–1480 | ||
| Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year Net price: $26,196 · Acceptance rate: 83% | 1220–1400 | ||
| Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $29,053 · Acceptance rate: 77% | 1240–1450 | ||
| University of Redlands Redlands, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $30,031 · Acceptance rate: 83% | 1107–1350 | ||
| California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $30,109 · Acceptance rate: 76% | 1150–1330 | ||
| Biola University La Mirada, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $31,495 · Acceptance rate: 74% | 1160–1370 | ||
| John Paul the Great Catholic University Escondido, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $34,666 · Acceptance rate: 80% | 975–1270 | ||
| Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $35,333 · Acceptance rate: 84% | 1210–1300 | ||
| Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $38,729 · Acceptance rate: 84% | 1175–1365 | ||
| University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $41,431 · Acceptance rate: 62% | 1190–1390 |
Reach: 1250 is below the 25th percentile (13)
Your score is below the school's 25th percentile. Closest first: the colleges whose 25th percentile is nearest above 1250. Showing all 13.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman University Orange, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $46,555 · Acceptance rate: 65% | 1260–1440 | ||
| Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $48,381 · Acceptance rate: 45% | 1260–1430 | ||
| Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $51,248 · Acceptance rate: 82% | 1265–1395 | ||
| Pepperdine University Malibu, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $58,098 · Acceptance rate: 63% | 1290–1450 | ||
| Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $18,260 · Acceptance rate: 43% | 1333–1510 | ||
| Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $50,062 · Acceptance rate: 48% | 1350–1490 | ||
| Occidental College Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $38,263 · Acceptance rate: 44% | 1380–1520 | ||
| Scripps College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $36,294 · Acceptance rate: 38% | 1440–1540 | ||
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $32,740 · Acceptance rate: 10% | 1450–1550 | ||
| Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $28,849 · Acceptance rate: 10% | 1470–1560 | ||
| Pomona College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $19,285 · Acceptance rate: 7% | 1490–1560 | ||
| Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $35,924 · Acceptance rate: 13% | 1500–1570 | ||
| Stanford University Stanford, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $13,807 · Acceptance rate: 4% | 1510–1580 |
Above typical: 1250 is above the 75th percentile (4)
Your score is above the school's 75th percentile. Closest first: the colleges whose 75th percentile is nearest below 1250. Showing all 4.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $22,212 · Acceptance rate: 88% | 983–1238 | ||
| University of La Verne La Verne, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $20,161 · Acceptance rate: 71% | 986–1236 | ||
| William Jessup University Rocklin, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $28,062 · Acceptance rate: 93% | 1041–1228 | ||
| Hope International University Fullerton, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $29,310 · Acceptance rate: 33% | 840–1220 |
National view
See all 377 typical colleges nationwide for 1250 SAT