First-year acceptance rate, Fall 2025, out of 124,230 applicants.
Academic + Athletic Fit
College Water Polo Fit Data
Admissions, GPA, SAT, and NCAA classification for selected men's water polo programs.
Summary
Reference numbers
Estimated open NCAA men's water polo roster spots per year, against roughly 5,400 graduating high school players.
Rough share of graduating high school players who land an NCAA men's water polo roster spot in a given year.
The Comparison
NCAA men's water polo programs
Sorted by acceptance rate. UC Irvine is highlighted.
Notes
Division reflects the school's overall NCAA classification, not a separate water polo tier.
GPA, acceptance rate, and test-score figures are directional. Some rows use estimates or proxies. Verify current numbers with each school.
| School | Division | Acceptance Rate | Average HS GPA | SAT Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology | III | 3.10% | 3.97 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1530-1580 |
| Harvard University | I | 3.50% | 4.00 (weighting unspecified) | 1500-1580 |
| Stanford University | I | 3.90% | 3.96 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1510-1580; testing required for fall 2026 entry |
| Princeton University | I | 4.50% | 3.93 (weighting unspecified) | 1500-1580 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | III | 4.70% | 3.96 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1510-1580 |
| Brown University | I | 5.20% | 3.94 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1500-1570 |
| Johns Hopkins University | III | 7.50% | 3.92 (weighting unspecified) | 1530-1570 |
| University of California, Los Angeles | I | 8.70% | 3.92 (weighting unspecified) | test-free; historical 1300-1530 |
| United States Naval Academy | I | 9.40% | 3.80 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1200-1420 |
| University of Southern California | I | 10.00% | 3.83 (weighting unspecified) | 1440-1550 |
| University of California, Berkeley | I | 11.70% | 3.87 (secondary; weighting unspecified) | test-free; historical 1310-1530 |
| United States Air Force Academy | I | 13.90% | 3.81 (weighting unspecified) | 1250-1450 |
| University of California, San Diego | I | 24.50% | 3.82 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | test-free; historical 1270-1480 |
| University of California, Irvine | I | 25.60% | 3.75 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | test-free; historical 1230-1430 |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | I | 27.80% | 3.82 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | test-free; historical 1230-1460 |
| Bucknell University | I | 32.00% | 3.62 (weighting unspecified) | 1300-1450 |
| Connecticut College | III | 36.20% | 3.70 (weighting unspecified) | 1390-1490 |
| Occidental College | III | 39.40% | 3.63 (weighting unspecified) | 1360-1490 |
| Loyola Marymount University | I | 40.30% | 3.92 (weighting unspecified) | 1300-1460 |
| University of California, Davis | I | 41.60% | 4.00 (weighting unspecified) | test-free; historical 1160-1400 |
| George Washington University | I | 43.50% | 3.81 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | 1350-1500 |
| Santa Clara University | I | 43.80% | 3.67 (weighting unspecified) | 1340-1500 |
| California State University, Long Beach | I | 47.10% | 3.70 (weighting unspecified) | test-free; historical 1020-1240 |
| Pepperdine University | I | 49.90% | 3.74 (weighting unspecified) | 1250-1450 |
| Austin College | III | 54.40% | 3.63 (weighting unspecified) | 1140-1360 |
| Chapman University | III | 55.60% | 3.70 (weighting unspecified) | 1250-1430 |
| Fordham University | I | 56.30% | 3.67 (weighting unspecified) | 1330-1490 |
| Concordia University Irvine | II | 59.90% | 3.44 weighted only (official first-year profile) | 1038 average (official profile; no middle-50 range) |
| Biola University | II | 60.10% | 3.61 (weighting unspecified) | 1080-1310 |
| Augustana College | III | 61.30% | 3.30 (weighting unspecified) | 1130-1370 |
| McKendree University | II | 63.90% | 3.38 (weighting unspecified) | 871-1277 |
| Mount St. Mary's University | I | 71.90% | 3.36 (weighting unspecified) | 1030-1280 |
| University of La Verne | III | 72.00% | 3.24 (weighting unspecified) | 930-1160 |
| California Baptist University | I | 73.60% | 3.58 (weighting unspecified) | 960-1150 |
| Gannon University | II | 76.70% | 3.59 (weighting unspecified) | 1035 average (middle-50 range unspecified) |
| San Jose State University | I | 80.20% | 3.35 estimated; official unweighted unspecified | test-free; historical SAT unspecified |
| Whittier College | III | 82.20% | 3.61 (weighting unspecified) | 1030-1220 |
| University of Redlands | III | 82.30% | 3.74 (weighting unspecified) | 1120-1350 |
| Wagner College | I | 83.50% | 3.50 (weighting unspecified) | 1150-1320 |
| California State University, Fullerton | I | 86.70% | 3.77 (weighting unspecified) | test-free; historical 1000-1180 |
| California Lutheran University | III | 87.40% | 3.73 (weighting unspecified) | 1160-1350 |
| Washington & Jefferson College | III | 88.10% | 3.53 (weighting unspecified) | 1080-1280 |
| Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | III | 88.20% | 3.48 (weighting unspecified) | 1250-1410 |
| Iona University | I | 91.10% | 3.40 (weighting unspecified) | 1055-1265 |
| Salem University | II | 92.70% | 2.90 (weighting unspecified) | no data |
| University of the Pacific | I | 94.90% | 3.58 (weighting unspecified) | 1160-1420 |
| Penn State Behrend | III | 95.00% | 3.31 (weighting unspecified) | 1080-1300 |
| Fresno Pacific University | II | 64.1% (2024) | 3.54 (weighting unspecified) | test-blind; historical 970-1240 |
| Long Island University | I | 89.8% (LIU Post proxy) | 3.36 (LIU Post; weighting unspecified) | 1140-1350 (LIU Post proxy) |
| University of California, Merced | II | 89% (2024 profile) | 3.64 (weighting unspecified) | test-blind; no current score data |
| Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | III | varies by member; CMC proxy 10.4% | varies by member; CMC proxy 3.97 estimated | varies by member; CMC proxy 1470-1550 |
| Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | III | varies by member; Pomona proxy 6.8% | varies by member; Pomona proxy 3.89 estimated | varies by member; Pomona proxy 1480-1560 |
Highlighted row: UC Irvine, the reference point for this comparison.
Only UC Irvine's figures and the water-polo division classification note above were independently checked against current published sources for this page. The remaining rows reflect the source data as compiled and have not each been individually re-verified; some acceptance-rate and SAT figures use a proxy from a related campus or member college where the school does not publish its own standalone admissions profile, as noted in that row.