The Westmont College acceptance rate was 77.0% for Fall 2024: 1,913 of 2,483 first-year applicants were admitted, according to Westmont’s Common Data Set 2024-25, the latest edition the college has published. That headline blends two very different pools. U.S. applicants were admitted at 83.5% (California 86.4%, other states 78.1%), while international applicants were admitted at 14.0%.
Some college-data sites show 81%, 80.6% or 82.8% instead. Those figures come from other admission cycles or carry no year at all, which is why this guide ties every number to its Fall cohort. Westmont is test-optional, both of its applications are free, and for Fall 2027 Early Action I closed on October 15, 2026; Early Action II is due November 1, 2026, and Regular Decision January 15, 2027.
Westmont College in Brief
Westmont is a small private liberal arts college in Montecito, in Santa Barbara County. If you searched for a Westmont Santa Barbara acceptance rate or a Westmont University acceptance rate, you are looking at the same school, because “Westmont University” is a common misnaming. It is not UC Santa Barbara and not Santa Barbara City College.
Westmont is one of the schools covered in the CalChannel guide to private colleges in California. The table below collects the core facts, each with its year.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Montecito, Santa Barbara County, California |
| Type | Private; “an evangelical Christian, liberal arts community” |
| Undergraduates | 1,312 (CDS 2024-25) |
| First-year acceptance rate | 77.0% (Fall 2024) |
| Yield | 15.9% (Fall 2024) |
| Average high school GPA | 3.64 (Fall 2024 enrollees) |
| Testing | Optional (SAT, ACT or CLT) |
| Application fee | $0 |
| Early Action I / II | October 15 / November 1, 2026 |
| Tuition 2026-27 | $56,630 |
| On-campus cost of attendance 2026-27 | $79,300 |
| Six-year graduation rate | 70.3% |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II, PacWest |
Source: Westmont Common Data Set 2024-25; NCES College Navigator; westmont.edu (apply, tuition and fees 2026-27).
Westmont College Acceptance Rate by Residency: 83.5% for U.S. Applicants
The Westmont acceptance rate splits sharply by where you apply from. In Fall 2024, 77.0% of all first-year applicants were admitted, but U.S. applicants got in at 83.5% and international applicants at 14.0%. California residents had the best odds of any group.
Westmont’s Common Data Set reports applicants by residency in section C1, and few college profiles read that far. Here’s what the data actually shows. California applicants were admitted at 86.4%, and applicants from other states at 78.1%.
| Fall 2024 group | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,454 | 1,256 | 86.4% | 210 |
| Other U.S. states | 800 | 625 | 78.1% | 88 |
| U.S. total | 2,254 | 1,881 | 83.5% | 298 |
| International | 229 | 32 | 14.0% | 5 |
| All first-year applicants | 2,483 | 1,913 | 77.0% | 303 |
Source: Westmont Common Data Set 2024-25, section C1 (Fall 2024 first-year applicants).
International applicants were 9.2% of the pool but 34.6% of all denials: 197 of the 570 applicants Westmont turned down. A U.S. applicant was 6.0 times as likely to be admitted.
Fall 2023 looked much the same. California applicants were admitted at 89.4%, other states at 77.9% and international applicants at 16.3%, so the U.S. total came to 85.3% against 79.9% overall.
Admit rates also differed by gender. In Fall 2024 men were admitted at 70.2% and women at 81.2%, per the same C1 section.
How CalChannel calculated this: the residency rows of section C1 come from the Westmont Common Data Set files for 2024-25 and 2023-24, downloaded on October 15, 2026. Each rate is admitted divided by applied within the group, and the U.S. total adds California and other states; the groups sum to 2,483 applicants (2,244 for Fall 2023). The same method reproduces the overall Westmont College acceptance rate of 77.0%, and no 2025-26 edition was posted on that date.
Westmont Acceptance Rate by Year, 2013 to 2024
Westmont’s first-year admit rate has moved between 62.4% and 84.7% over twelve Fall cohorts. The table pairs it with yield, the share of admitted students who enrolled.
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2,145 | 1,505 | 70.2% | 19.8% |
| 2014 | 2,103 | 1,669 | 79.4% | 22.5% |
| 2015 | 2,077 | 1,687 | 81.2% | 20.0% |
| 2016 | 2,001 | 1,656 | 82.8% | 21.0% |
| 2017 | 1,826 | 1,546 | 84.7% | 22.9% |
| 2018 | 2,937 | 1,833 | 62.4% | 18.8% |
| 2019 | 3,074 | 1,992 | 64.8% | 20.4% |
| 2020 | 2,494 | 1,749 | 70.1% | 17.6% |
| 2021 | 2,351 | 1,856 | 78.9% | 18.0% |
| 2022 | 2,326 | 1,907 | 82.0% | 16.5% |
| 2023 | 2,244 | 1,792 | 79.9% | 17.9% |
| 2024 | 2,483 | 1,913 | 77.0% | 15.9% |
Source: Westmont Common Data Sets 2013-14 to 2024-25 (C1); yield and Fall 2016 from IPEDS via NCES.
That history explains the mismatched figures online. 82.8% is the Fall 2016 rate, while sites showing 81% or 80.6% do not say which cycle they measured. If you are looking for a Westmont College acceptance rate 2025 figure, none exists yet: the 2025-26 Common Data Set was not on westmont.edu and IPEDS had not released Fall 2025 admissions as of October 15, 2026.
The Fall 2018 dip to 62.4% is the oddest row. Applications jumped 61.6% in one year, from 1,818 to 2,937 by the IPEDS count, while admits rose 19.0% and the entering class shrank 2.5%. So Westmont did not cut seats; it simply received far more applications.
The jump coincided with two process changes printed in the Common Data Set: no application fee in the 2018-19 edition (the 2017-18 edition listed one) and earlier deadlines, with Early Action moving to November 1. The college has not published a reason for the surge. Federal College Navigator data matches the latest row, with 2,479 applicants and 77% admitted in Fall 2024.
Why Is Westmont’s Acceptance Rate So High?
Westmont’s rate is high mainly because few admitted students enroll, not because the bar is low. Yield fell from 22.9% in Fall 2017 to 15.9% in Fall 2024, the lowest in twelve years against a 19.3% average. To fill a class, the college has to admit more people.
In Fall 2024 Westmont admitted 6.3 students for every first-year seat, up from 4.4 in Fall 2017. At the Fall 2017 yield, the same 303-student class would have needed about 1,322 admits, which works out to roughly a 53% acceptance rate. At the Fall 2019 yield of 20.4%, the figure would be 60.0%.
CalChannel computed admits per seat as admitted divided by enrolled, using IPEDS data for Fall 2013 through Fall 2024. The peer comparison uses the same source. Among private colleges in Southern California, Fall 2024 yield was 29.7% at Biola, 23.8% at Cal Baptist and 21.4% at Point Loma.
Azusa Pacific (13.7%) and Pepperdine (11.6%) sat below Westmont.
What GPA Do You Need for Westmont College?
Westmont does not publish a minimum GPA. The average high school GPA of first-years who enrolled in Fall 2024 was 3.64, per Common Data Set section C12, and 72% of them had a 3.50 or higher.
The more useful view splits enrollees by whether they sent test scores. These are the Fall 2024 shares by GPA band, from section C11:
- GPA 3.75 or higher: 65% of test submitters, 45% of non-submitters, 52% of all enrollees
- GPA 3.50 or higher: 80% of submitters and 69% of non-submitters
- Below 3.25: 13% of submitters, 20% of non-submitters
Testing became optional with Fall 2021; through Fall 2020 Westmont required the SAT or ACT. The first-year admissions page puts it plainly: “As a test-optional college, whether or not you send standardized test scores is up to you.” Westmont accepts the SAT, ACT or CLT.
Few enrollees send scores now. The Fall 2024 SAT middle range of 1220–1430 (median 1320) describes only 61 of 303 first-years, or 20%, and just 8% (24 students) sent the ACT, with a 25–32 range.
A score at or above 1320, the submitters’ median, sits in the upper half of the scores Westmont reports. Without scores, the GPA carries the file: about seven in ten non-submitters who enrolled had a 3.50 or higher.
How Do You Get Into Westmont College?
Westmont College admissions start with a free application: you can use Westmont’s own form or the Common App, and the college says “There is no preference, and both are free of charge.” Its Common Data Set rates three factors as very important: academic GPA, the application essay and recommendations.
Westmont College Requirements
The checklist below comes from Westmont’s first-year page and its 2024-25 Common Data Set.
- Application: Westmont’s own or the Common App, both $0
- Official transcripts of all high school work, plus college work if you were dual-enrolled
- Coursework: westmont.edu requires “a minimum of 14 academic units” (English 4, science 3, math 3, one foreign language 2, social science 2); the Common Data Set lists 16 units (English 4, math 3, science 3 including 2 lab, foreign language 2, social studies 1, history 1, electives 2)
- References: “one academic reference from a teacher in a major subject,” and “an optional pastoral/character reference may be submitted”
- Essay: rated very important in the Common Data Set (C7)
- Interview: optional for first-year applicants, required for international applicants
- Test scores: optional (SAT, ACT or CLT)
Beyond those three factors, section C7 lists test scores, the interview, character and personal qualities, religious affiliation or commitment, and level of interest as “considered.” Rigor of the secondary school record is “not considered.” In the 2014-15 through 2021-22 editions religious affiliation or commitment was rated “important,” and since 2022-23 it has been “considered.”
Westmont Application Deadlines for Fall 2027
These Fall 2027 dates come from westmont.edu, checked on October 15, 2026. Once October 15 passes, Early Action II and Regular Decision remain open for first-year applicants.
- Early Action I: apply by October 15, 2026; decision by December 1
- Early Action II: apply by November 1, 2026; decision by Christmas break
- Regular Decision: apply by January 15, 2027; rolling decisions beginning January 1
- Candidate reply date: May 1, 2027
- Spring 2027 first-year priority date: November 15, 2026
- Transfer priority dates: March 15 for fall and November 1 for spring, then rolling as space allows
- International applicants: no separate deadline is listed, and a file is reviewed only after the Certification of Finances arrives
Early Action at Westmont is non-binding, and the 2024-25 Common Data Set reports that no waitlist is used. The Westmont apply page shows the same calendar, and the first-year page adds a nudge: “We strongly encourage students to apply Early Action, which is by November 1st!”
Transfer and International Admission at Westmont
Transfer applicants faced a 63.3% admit rate in Fall 2024 (155 of 245), per Common Data Set section D2. Across 11 Fall cohorts from 2013 to 2024, the pooled rate was 65.2%, and it ran below the first-year rate every year except Fall 2018.
Westmont’s transfer page is direct: “Westmont does not require transfers to have completed a specified number of units/credits before applying.” If you have fewer than 24 semester or 36 quarter units, you also send your high school transcript. The site lists no minimum admission GPA for transfers.
International applicants face much lower odds: 14.0% were admitted in Fall 2024 (32 of 229) and 16.3% in Fall 2023 (29 of 178). But there’s a catch. The paperwork has to be complete before the file is reviewed, and the international admissions page sets these requirements:
- TOEFL 83 minimum or IELTS 6.5 minimum if English is not the primary language in your home country
- “We do not currently accept the Duolingo English Test”
- Certification of Finances, which “will not impact your admissions decision, but must be sent in order for the application to be reviewed”
- An interview, since “Interviews are required of all international student applicants”
- Transcripts translated into English and evaluated by an approved NACES credential evaluation service
- The Common App, which Westmont recommends for international students and which is free
Westmont does not publicly explain why so few international applicants are admitted. If you apply from abroad, finish the language test, the finance form and the interview early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Westmont College a good school?
Westmont College ranking lists differ by publisher and by method, so no single rank settles the question. The college’s own data gives firmer ground. Its six-year graduation rate was 70.3% (242 of 344 students), per the Common Data Set 2024-25. With 1,312 undergraduates, it is a small liberal arts college.
Is Westmont College religious?
Westmont calls itself “an evangelical Christian, liberal arts community” on its community commitments page. NCES College Navigator lists its religious affiliation as “Non-Denominational” in federal data. In admissions, the Common Data Set rates religious affiliation or commitment as “considered,” and the optional second reference is a “pastoral/character” one. The Student Handbook tells students they will be “held accountable for the agreement you signed in your application to Westmont” in its section on accountability. CalChannel did not find the text of that agreement on a public page.
What is the Westmont College student population?
Westmont enrolled 1,312 undergraduates, according to the Common Data Set 2024-25. The Fall 2024 first-year class had 303 students. That class came from a pool of 2,483 applicants. NCES College Navigator lists 1,302 undergraduates for Fall 2024, so check the year and source when you compare.
Is there a Westmont nursing program acceptance rate?
Westmont does not publish a nursing acceptance rate, and its Common Data Set has no figure for it. The nursing program is a 16-month accelerated BSN (ABSN) taught at Westmont Downtown in Santa Barbara. It requires a completed bachelor’s degree before you apply. Westmont says it offers three cohorts per year, in fall, spring and summer, each with 36 nursing students.
Is Westmont a Division I school?
No, Westmont competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the PacWest. It received full Division II membership on July 11, 2024, after a waiver for year three of the transition process. Its teams became eligible for postseason play starting with the 2024-25 season. That covers both the PacWest and the NCAA Division II championships.
Is Westmont University the same as Westmont College?
Yes. “Westmont University” is a common misnaming of Westmont College, so any Westmont University acceptance rate you see refers to the same school. Its first-year acceptance rate was 77.0% in Fall 2024. The college is in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, and is separate from UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College.
Should Westmont Be on Your List?
The Westmont College acceptance rate looks generous, and for most U.S. applicants it is. More than four in five domestic applicants were admitted in Fall 2024, and the low yield shows Westmont competing for the students it admits.
Our take: for a U.S. applicant with a GPA around 3.5 or higher, Westmont is a realistic admit, and Early Action II, due November 1, brings a decision by Christmas break. For an international applicant it is a selective school, roughly one admit in seven, so finish the language test, the Certification of Finances and the interview well ahead of time.
If you are comparing private colleges in Southern California, the Fall 2024 yield figures above put Westmont next to Biola, Point Loma and Pepperdine.
Sources
- Westmont College, Institutional Data: Common Data Set 2013-14 to 2024-25. https://www.westmont.edu/institutional-portfolio/institutional-data
- NCES College Navigator, Westmont College (IPEDS, Fall 2024). https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=125727
- Westmont College, Apply to Westmont (Fall 2027 and Spring 2027). https://westmont.edu/apply
- Westmont College, First-Year Students. https://www.westmont.edu/first-year-students
- Westmont College, International Students. https://www.westmont.edu/node/5696
- Westmont College, Tuition and Fees 2026-2027. https://www.westmont.edu/node/4736
