Private · Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.
Costs, merit aid & admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 48%
- Undergraduates
- 6,552
- Avg merit aid / yr
- $16,788.41
- Cost of attendance
- $86,694
- SAT 75th percentile
- 1490
- ACT 75th percentile
- 33
Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.
Santa Clara University incoming freshman academic profile
- Average high school GPA
- 3.722024-25 CDS · Source
- SAT composite middle score
- 1,4102024-25 CDS · Source
- ACT composite middle score
- 322024-25 CDS · Source
Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.
Santa Clara University net price by family income
Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.
| Family income | $0–30K | $30–48K | $48–75K | $75–110K | $110K+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual net price | $22,696 | $13,570 | $25,352 | $40,238 | $63,129 | $50,570 |
Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.
At what family income does financial aid stop at Santa Clara University?
There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use Santa Clara University's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.
Graduation, earnings & student debt
- 6-year graduation
- 87.3%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
- First-year retention
- 93.9%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- $117,1932011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
- Median federal debt
- $19,500Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled
Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 122931).
Colleges with acceptance rates similar to Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University accepts about 48% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · New York, NY48% acceptance
- Defiance College · Defiance, OH48% acceptance
- Governors State University · University Park, IL48% acceptance
- Judson University · Elgin, IL48% acceptance
- Lane College · Jackson, TN48% acceptance
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design · Minneapolis, MN48% acceptance
- Sterling College · Sterling, KS48% acceptance
- Texas Christian University · Fort Worth, TX48% acceptance
- Centre College · Danville, KY48% acceptance
- Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY48% acceptance
Colleges with merit aid similar to Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University reports average merit aid of $16,788.41 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.
- The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL$16,895 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN$16,616 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Rochester · Rochester, NY$17,238 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Chicago · Chicago, IL$16,333 avg merit aid / yr
- California Baptist University · Riverside, CA$16,222 avg merit aid / yr
- Baylor University · Waco, TX$17,382 avg merit aid / yr
- Western New England University · Springfield, MA$17,406 avg merit aid / yr
- Northeastern University · Boston, MA$16,112 avg merit aid / yr
- Northeastern University Professional Programs · Boston, MA$16,112 avg merit aid / yr
- Occidental College · Los Angeles, CA$17,481 avg merit aid / yr
Data sources & limitations
Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.