Research · Majors and pay · October 2026
Business administration in California, the admit rate and pay by campus
As of October 2026: Twenty-seven of the 59 California colleges with a business program report an admit rate into the program, from 5% at UC Berkeley to 96.1% at Cal State Monterey Bay. Pay four years out runs from $56,773 at Cal State San Bernardino to $144,599 at UC Berkeley.
The table holds every California college with a business program in the federal data, the program each campus reports under, the admit rate where there is one, and the pay and average net price; 32 report no rate.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Berkeley is the one genuinely hard business door. UC Berkeley admits 10% of applicants to the campus and 5% to business administration, 323 of 7,102. UC Irvine is next at 15%. It also has the largest applicant pool here: 15,478 applied and 2,299 were admitted. UC Davis follows at 21% and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 26.9%.
The name on the door is not always business administration. Cal State Long Beach reports its first-year business gate under management, at 28.0%. San Diego State does the same, at 31.3%. UC Riverside reports business analytics, at 90%. San Jose State reports entrepreneurship, at 84.0%. The program column holds the name a campus admits into, so that is the row to read.
A harder door does not mean better pay. UC Irvine admitted 15% into its business program. Its graduates report a median of $80,755 four years out. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 26.9% and reports $110,902. UC Berkeley tops the table at $144,599. The bottom is $56,773, at Cal State San Bernardino.
Business at every California college in the federal data
Sorted by the admit rate into the reported program, lowest first; colleges with no reported rate follow, by pay.
| College | Program reported | Admit rate into the program | Applied | Admitted | Campus admit rate | What the system reports | Median pay, 4 years out | Average net price, per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | Business Administration | 5.0% | 7,102 | 323 | 10% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $144,599 | $13,481 |
| University of California-Irvine | Business Administration | 15.0% | 15,478 | 2,299 | 30% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $80,755 | $14,251 |
| University of California-Davis | Business | 21.0% | 8,516 | 1,786 | 46% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $86,155 | $14,741 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Business Administration | 26.9% | 8,836 | 2,373 | 30% | First-year admission reported | $110,902 | $16,665 |
| California State University-Long Beach | Management | 28.0% | 2,686 | 751 | 47% | First-year admission reported | $73,857 | $10,440 |
| San Diego State University | Management | 31.3% | 3,190 | 999 | 34% | First-year admission reported | $69,902 | $15,364 |
| California State University Maritime Academy | Business Administration | 43.6% | 241 | 105 | — | First-year admission reported | — | $20,555 |
| California State University-Bakersfield | Small Business Management | 73.8% | 465 | 343 | 88% | First-year admission reported | $61,705 | $5,652 |
| San Jose State University | Entrepreneurship | 84.0% | 918 | 771 | 80% | First-year admission reported | — | $13,760 |
| California State University-East Bay | Business Administration | 85.4% | 403 | 344 | 97% | First-year admission reported | $77,567 | $9,320 |
| San Francisco State University | Business Administration | 86.0% | 594 | 511 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $75,824 | $12,278 |
| California State University-Fullerton | Business Administration | 86.7% | 11,119 | 9,637 | 87% | First-year admission reported | $83,878 | $6,555 |
| California State University-Chico | Management | 87.9% | 1,144 | 1,006 | 94% | First-year admission reported | $72,651 | $14,480 |
| University of California-Riverside | Business Analytics | 90.0% | 5,339 | 4,784 | 88% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $72,027 | $14,304 |
| California State University-Los Angeles | Business Administration | 90.5% | 2,269 | 2,054 | 92% | First-year admission reported | $62,716 | $3,967 |
| California State University-San Marcos | Business Administration | 91.8% | 4,425 | 4,062 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $77,965 | $10,229 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Management | 91.9% | 935 | 859 | 74% | First-year admission reported | $70,954 | $11,531 |
| California State University-Northridge | Management | 92.1% | 1,307 | 1,204 | 93% | First-year admission reported | $65,760 | $7,021 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | Business Administration | 92.1% | 1,117 | 1,029 | 99% | First-year admission reported | $60,005 | $13,171 |
| California State University-Sacramento | Business Administration | 92.5% | 1,949 | 1,802 | 94% | First-year admission reported | $67,636 | $9,338 |
| California State University-Channel Islands | Business Administration | 92.8% | 892 | 828 | 93% | First-year admission reported | $71,183 | $9,849 |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills | Entrepreneurship | 93.0% | 689 | 641 | 91% | First-year admission reported | $75,412 | $8,615 |
| Sonoma State University | Business Administration | 94.2% | 531 | 500 | 95% | First-year admission reported | $75,887 | $12,885 |
| California State University-Stanislaus | Business Administration | 94.3% | 282 | 266 | 98% | First-year admission reported | $63,677 | $6,067 |
| California State University-San Bernardino | Business Special Interest | 94.8% | 464 | 440 | 98% | First-year admission reported | $56,773 | $4,564 |
| California State University-Fresno | Business Administration | 95.4% | 3,354 | 3,200 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $64,479 | $7,000 |
| California State University-Monterey Bay | Business Administration | 96.1% | 2,091 | 2,009 | 95% | First-year admission reported | $72,558 | $13,663 |
| Northeastern University Oakland | — | — | — | — | 16% | Not reported by the college system | $113,620 | $25,181 |
| University of Southern California | — | — | — | — | 10% | Not reported by the college system | $109,128 | $32,740 |
| University of San Francisco | — | — | — | — | 51% | Not reported by the college system | $104,390 | $41,431 |
| Pepperdine University | — | — | — | — | 50% | Not reported by the college system | $100,595 | $58,098 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | — | — | — | — | 44% | Not reported by the college system | $96,078 | $16,109 |
| Pitzer College | — | — | — | — | 17% | Not reported by the college system | $89,636 | $34,191 |
| University of California-San Diego | — | — | — | — | 27% | Not reported by the college system | $89,451 | $12,470 |
| Dominican University of California | — | — | — | — | 96% | Not reported by the college system | $88,913 | $35,333 |
| University of San Diego | — | — | — | — | 47% | Not reported by the college system | $85,285 | $30,365 |
| University of Redlands | — | — | — | — | 81% | Not reported by the college system | $85,278 | $30,031 |
| Chapman University | — | — | — | — | 56% | Not reported by the college system | $84,378 | $46,555 |
| California Lutheran University | — | — | — | — | 89% | Not reported by the college system | $83,310 | $30,109 |
| Loyola Marymount University | — | — | — | — | 40% | Not reported by the college system | $82,543 | $48,381 |
| Menlo College | — | — | — | — | 68% | Not reported by the college system | $81,996 | $31,100 |
| California Baptist University | — | — | — | — | 74% | Not reported by the college system | $80,632 | $26,285 |
| Saint Mary's College of California | — | — | — | — | 89% | Not reported by the college system | $80,262 | $30,378 |
| Azusa Pacific University | — | — | — | — | 80% | Not reported by the college system | $78,900 | $22,212 |
| Woodbury University | — | — | — | — | 73% | Not reported by the college system | $77,992 | $33,692 |
| University of La Verne | — | — | — | — | 48% | Not reported by the college system | $76,769 | $20,161 |
| University of the Pacific | — | — | — | — | 95% | Not reported by the college system | $76,025 | $25,447 |
| Santa Clara University | — | — | — | — | 44% | Not reported by the college system | $75,430 | $50,062 |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | — | — | — | — | 82% | Not reported by the college system | $74,495 | $38,729 |
| Fresno Pacific University | — | — | — | — | 58% | Not reported by the college system | $74,265 | $13,630 |
| Whittier College | — | — | — | — | 85% | Not reported by the college system | $73,792 | $25,757 |
| Pacific Union College | — | — | — | — | 42% | Not reported by the college system | $73,035 | $41,008 |
| Biola University | — | — | — | — | 60% | Not reported by the college system | $69,873 | $31,495 |
| Concordia University-Irvine | — | — | — | — | 60% | Not reported by the college system | $68,635 | $28,115 |
| University of California-Merced | — | — | — | — | 95% | Not reported by the college system | $68,277 | $11,983 |
| The Master's University and Seminary | — | — | — | — | 76% | Not reported by the college system | $66,165 | $32,647 |
| Mount Saint Mary's University | — | — | — | — | 69% | Not reported by the college system | $63,194 | $21,413 |
| Vanguard University of Southern California | — | — | — | — | 65% | Not reported by the college system | $62,957 | $21,241 |
| La Sierra University | — | — | — | — | 93% | Not reported by the college system | $56,939 | $45,566 |
Admit rates are Fall 2025, from the UC Information Center's first-year admissions by major and the CSU Chancellor's Office's admissions by major. The Cal State dashboard suppresses small groups. UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs, so a UC rate describes the students who applied under that major rather than a decision made by the business school. Pay is the College Scorecard median four years after the degree for graduates of the reported business program who received federal student aid, and net price is the average for aid recipients, both from the latest federal file. A blank cell means the college or system reports no figure.
What the admit rate here means
UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs. A UC rate here covers the students who applied under that major. At most campuses the decision is made by the campus, not by the business school. UC presents these figures as a general guide to selectivity, not as a predictor.
A campus with no first-year row is not closed to freshmen. It reported no first-year applicants under that name. Freshmen enter under another business major and apply into this one later. That is why the program column matters as much as the campus name.
Thirty-two of these colleges report no rate
Thirty-two of the 59 colleges here publish no admit rate for business. USC, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Chapman are in that group. So are UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego, which both have business programs in the federal data. A blank is not an easier door.
Among the campuses that do publish a rate, most doors are open. Fourteen of the 27 admitted 90% or more of their first-year applicants. Most of California's business capacity is easy to enter. Pay is what separates the campuses.
What a family should do with this
Read the program column before the campus name. Several Cal States admit into management or entrepreneurship rather than business administration. That is the program a student will apply to.
Match the campus to the pay rather than to the admit rate. UC Berkeley reports $144,599 four years out and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo $110,902. Those are the two highest among campuses that publish a rate. Cal Poly's door is open to more than a quarter of its applicants.
Put the price beside the pay. Cal State Los Angeles reports $62,716 four years out against an average net price of $3,967 a year. Chapman reports $84,378 against $46,555. Both numbers belong in the same decision. And keep in mind what the pay figure is: earnings travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose.
Questions parents ask
What is the hardest business program to get into in California?
UC Berkeley admits 10% of applicants to the campus and 5% to business administration, 323 of 7,102.
Can freshmen apply straight into business at a California campus?
A campus with no first-year row is not closed to freshmen. It reported no first-year applicants under that name. Freshmen enter under another business major and apply into this one later.
Does a lower admit rate mean higher pay?
UC Irvine admitted 15% into its business program. Its graduates report a median of $80,755 four years out. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 26.9% and reports $110,902.
Method & sources: The admit rates are Fall 2025, from the UC Information Center and the CSU Chancellor's Office, for the campuses that publish a business figure. Pay is the College Scorecard median four years after the degree, counting only graduates of the reported program who got federal student aid. Net price is the average for aid recipients, from the same federal file. Rows are sorted by the admit rate into the program, lowest first, then by pay, and every California college with a business program in the federal data is kept.
- UC Information Center, first-year applicants and admits by major
- CSU Chancellor's Office, applications and admissions by major
- College Scorecard, field-of-study data
This brief as data: /research/business-administration-california-admit-and-pay.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Business administration: admit rates, cost and pay by college · The hardest majors to get into at the CSU · What the 25 most common majors pay four years out · College outcomes: earnings and payoff by college and major