California Lutheran University (CLU) is a private university located in Thousand Oaks, California. Founded in 1959, CLU is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). CLU was founded by the California Lutheran Education Foundation and was originally named California Lutheran College. Initially, the college had only 145 students and 13 faculty members. Since then, it has grown to include more than 3,000 students and more than 200 faculty members. The college’s first president was Dr. Robert C. Kistler who served from 1959-1969 and oversaw tremendous growth for the institution during his tenure.
In 1972, the school changed its name to California Lutheran University after it gained accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). During this time period, CLU also established several new programs including a master’s degree program in business administration and a doctoral program in educational leadership. In 2006, CLU completed its first major construction project when it opened its main academic center on campus known as the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center. This building houses classrooms, laboratories, an indoor track facility and an aquatic center with swimming pools for recreational use by students. In addition to this facility, CLU has also constructed several other new buildings such as Ahmanson Science Center which provides students with access to advanced laboratory equipment for research projects.
California Lutheran University, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of California Lutheran University. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about California Lutheran University, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
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University acronym: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/clu_california-lutheran-university.html
Admissions Stats
California Lutheran University is a private four-year university located in Thousand Oaks, California. The school has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 undergraduate students and over 1,000 graduate students. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, business, and education.
The average SAT score at California Lutheran University is 1130 out of 1600. The 25th percentile of admitted students scored 1060 or higher on the SAT while the 75th percentile scored 1240 or higher. The average ACT score is 24 out of 36. The 25th percentile of admitted students scored 21 or higher on the ACT while the 75th percentile scored 27 or higher. In terms of GPA, the average GPA for incoming freshmen is 3.45 out of 4.0 scale with a range between 2.5 to 3.9 for accepted students. Out-of-state applicants are accepted at a rate of 40%, while international applicants are accepted at a rate of 15%. Approximately 70% of admitted freshmen were in the top 25% of their high school class and 90% were in the top 50%.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 47% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 47% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 6,116 |
| Female applicants | 3,574 |
| Male applicants | 2,542 |
| Applicants accepted | 2,886 |
| Female applicants accepted | 1,683 |
| Male applicants accepted | 1,203 |
| Freshman enrollment | 556 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 321 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 235 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | Yes |
| Applicants placed on wait list | 236 |
| Students accepting place on wait list | 104 |
| Students accepted from wait list | 9 |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 56% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 100% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.6 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 3.3-3.9 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 92% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 540 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 500-590 |
| SAT Math average score | 560 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 520-610 |
| SAT Writing average score | 540 |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | 490-590 |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 47% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 24 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 22-27 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 22-29 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 21-26 |