Quad

Key differences on Getting in

  1. 1

    U. Houston's yield is 13 pts higher than U. California-Riverside's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Houston admits 76% vs. 76% at U. California-Riverside

    Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate
U. Houston76%
U. California-Riverside76%
Applicants
U. Houston34.7K
U. California-Riverside58K
Admitted
U. Houston26.3K
U. California-Riverside44.3K
Yield rate
U. Houston25%
U. California-Riverside12%

Quad's selectivity

  • U. HoustonSelective
  • U. California-RiversideSelective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted
U. Houston76%
U. California-Riverside80%
Men admitted
U. Houston72%
U. California-Riverside72%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Houston
1140–1310
U. California-RiversideTest-blind–

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Houston
22–28
U. California-RiversideTest-blind–

Axis runs 18–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT
U. Houston55%
U. California-RiversideNot reported
Submitted ACT
U. Houston7%
U. California-RiversideNot reported

Test policy

  • U. HoustonTest-optional
  • U. California-RiversideTest-blind

How they read a record

  • U. Houston

    GPA and tests are both important; class rank is considered. 25% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

  • U. California-Riverside

    GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required. 51% of first-years who sent test scores had a 3.75 or higher, so .

What they look at

FactorU. HoustonU. California-Riverside
High school GPA ImportantRequired
High school record RequiredRequired
Class rank ConsideredNot considered
College-prep program RequiredRequired
Recommendations Not consideredNot considered
Essay ConsideredNot considered
Legacy status Not consideredNot considered
Work experience ConsideredNot considered
Demonstration of competencies ConsideredNot considered
English proficiency test RequiredRequired
Other tests Not consideredNot considered
All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of Houston (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent releaseAbout the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why