December 2018

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2018 - Santa Clara University received a record 7,782 applications for the early cycle of applications for the Class of 2023, an 8.4 percent increase from last year. Students who were notified of their decisions applied through two possible early admission plans: Early Action and Early Decision I. Both groups received their notifications by email on December 12.

Santa Clara’s acceptance rate for these early applications was 53.6 percent overall. Another 30.3 percent of students were deferred. Other notable characteristics of the admitted class include:

• Middle 50% academic unweighted GPA: 3.72-3.97
• Middle 50% SAT score: 1360-1490
• Middle 50% ACT score: 31-34
• 46.5 percent are students of color

"We are pleased to offer admission to the many accomplished students who applied to Santa Clara early," said Eva Blanco Masias, Santa Clara University's dean of admissions.

Santa Clara expects about another 9,000 applications to come in for the final two application plans, Early Decision II and Regular Decision, due January 7. It is the first year that Santa Clara will offer Early Decision II, a second binding admission plan to give students time after November 1st to decide if SCU is their number one choice. This is an option for any new applicants as well as those who were deferred in the Early Action round.

“Santa Clara is on the cusp of monumental changes on campus. From building a new residence hall for incoming students to the construction of the state of the engineering and sciences campus, students coming to Santa Clara will be a part of a thriving intellectual and social community,” said Blanco Masias.  

The Class of 2023 will be arriving at an exciting time on the Mission Campus:

• The Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation will be the new home for the Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics. Built to foster convergence across traditional disciplines, and inspired by Jesuit ideals and Silicon Valley’s culture of collaboration and innovation, the campus will allow students to forge breakthroughs and help build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.
• Finn Residence Hall, which will open fall 2019, constructs its communal life around the theme of well-being in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense.
• The redesigned Benson Center, SCU’s on-campus eatery and student center, has been renovated to create new spaces for gathering, studying, and community building.
• The 50,000-square-foot Athletic Excellence Center, which will break ground next year, will help the next generation of Olympians, All-Americans, World Champions and Hall of Fame athletes from SCU.

Students admitted through Early Action have until May 1 to accept Santa Clara’s admission offer, while students admitted through Early Decision I must deposit by January 7.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see scu.edu.

Media Contact

Deepa Arora | SCU Communications | darora@scu.edu | (408) 554-5125