In 2020, LMU accepted 8,411 of its 17,846 applicants, giving the institution an acceptance rate of around 47%.
This is a much higher acceptance rate than other prominent universities and colleges in Southern California, such as USC (13%), UCLA (14%), and California Institute of Technology (7%).
However, out of the 8,411 applicants LMU accepted in 2020, only 18% (1,512) enrolled.
USC, UCLA, and California Institute of Technology had much higher admission yields (the portion of accepted applicants that enrolled) of 41%, 39%, and 43%, respectively.
Based on this data, it appears that LMU may be a backup choice for many students seeking admission to some of Southern California’s most prestigious institutions.
Acceptance rates also indicate that LMU may not have the name recognition or broad appeal that these other schools have, leading to fewer applicants in the first place.
This is reflected not only in the acceptance rates and admissions yields but the total number of applicants, too.
That said, LMU isn’t necessarily an easy school to get into, given its high GPA and SAT/ACT requirements. However, these requirements are still slightly lower than USC’s, UCLA’s, and California Institute of Technology’s.
Overall, LMU does have high standards for acceptance in absolute terms. It’s merely up against some tough competition for high-achieving prospective students since Los Angeles is home to some of the country’s top schools.