Test Scores Topic

SAT and ACT Scores

What SAT and ACT scores colleges actually expect, the typical score range, how scores track selectivity, and how much they still matter in a test-optional era.

By US College Data · Last updated June 2026

By the Numbers

1,188 Average SAT score at test-reporting four-year colleges

25 Average ACT score

1,083 to 1,289 The typical middle-50 percent SAT range

Test scores track selectivity

Average SAT score by admission rate, four-year colleges

Under 25% admit1,462

25-50% admit1,261

50-75% admit1,181

Over 75% admit1,136

The Highest-Scoring Colleges Highest average SAT score, four-year colleges with 1,000 or more students

#	College	State	Avg SAT
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	1,560
2	University of Chicago	IL	1,554
3	Princeton University	NJ	1,553
4	University of Pennsylvania	PA	1,553
5	Stanford University	CA	1,553
6	Johns Hopkins University	MD	1,553
7	Harvard University	MA	1,553
8	Rice University	TX	1,553
9	Columbia University in the City of New York	NY	1,553
10	Vanderbilt University	TN	1,549

What Score Do You Actually Need?

There is no single number that gets you into college. The average SAT at test-reporting four-year colleges is about 1188, with a typical middle-50 percent range running from roughly 1083 to 1289, and the average ACT is about 25. What matters is not the national average but each college's own range: a score is competitive when it lands inside the middle-50 percent of the students that college admits. At an open-admission college almost any score qualifies; at a highly selective one you generally need to be near the top of the scale. The right target is set by your list, not by a universal cutoff.

Why Scores Rise With Selectivity

Test scores and selectivity move together, and steeply. Average SAT scores climb from about 1136 at colleges that admit most applicants to about 1465 at those admitting fewer than a quarter. That is the real function of scores: they sort applicants where there are far more qualified students than seats. At the great majority of colleges, which admit most who apply, a test score does little work because the college is not rationing seats by score. The score matters most precisely where admission is most competitive, and barely at all where it is not.

Test-Optional: How Much Scores Still Matter

A growing share of colleges are test-optional, meaning a score can strengthen an application but is not required. That changes the calculus: submit a score that sits at or above a college's middle range, and withhold one that falls below it. For students at selective schools a strong score remains a real asset. For everyone else, the test has become one factor among many, and usually a minor one next to grades, course rigor, and finishing high school well. The score is a tool to use strategically, not a verdict on whether you belong in college.

The Findings on This Topic

Original data analyses built from the same federal sources. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.

What a Single-Digit Acceptance Rate Is Worth, in Dollars

The 30 colleges that admit under 10% of applicants post median earnings of $92,000, about $38,000 a year above every other four-year school. Here is the math.
- Acceptance rate
- Earnings
- Selectivity
- Ivy League
- Outcomes
Selectivity Barely Moves Earnings, Until the Top 10%

Across 1,600 four-year colleges, the earnings gap between a selective school and an open-admission one is about $5,000. Only the most exclusive tier truly separates.
- Acceptance rate
- Earnings
- Selectivity
- Prestige
- Outcomes
Safety Schools With Better Outcomes Than the Reaches

31 colleges admit 75 percent or more of applicants yet out-earn the typical low-admit reach school. The prestige order inverts more often than families assume.
- Acceptance rate
- Earnings
- Safety schools
- Selectivity
- Outcomes
Open-Admission Schools That Outearn Some Ivies

Four colleges that admit roughly 9 in 10 applicants post higher 10-year earnings than the lowest-earning Ivy. Selectivity is not destiny. Here is the list.
- Open admission
- Acceptance rate
- Earnings
- Ivy League
- College outcomes
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?

Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
- Graduation rate
- Acceptance rate
- Selectivity
- Completion
- College outcomes
The Selective Colleges Where Getting In Does Not Pay

Eight colleges admit under a quarter of applicants yet send graduates into pay below the four-year median. Most are arts conservatories and work colleges.
- Acceptance rate
- Earnings
- Selectivity
- Arts colleges
- Outcomes

Tools for This Topic

SAT & ACT College Finder Enter a score, see your Safety, Target, and Reach colleges. College Match Quiz Six questions, colleges ranked on real federal data.

What This Means for You

Aim for a score inside a college's middle-50 percent range to be competitive, but remember that most colleges admit a wide band of scores and many are test-optional. A strong score helps at selective schools; at the majority of colleges it matters far less than a solid high-school record.

SAT & ACT College Finder →

Questions you might still have

What is the average SAT score for college?

At test-reporting four-year colleges the average SAT is about 1188, with a typical middle-50 percent range of roughly 1083 to 1289. Half of admitted students at a given college score inside that college's own range, which varies widely by selectivity.

What is a good SAT score?

A good SAT score is one inside the middle-50 percent range of the colleges you are targeting. Around 1188 is average across test-reporting colleges, while the most selective schools cluster near 1465 and open-admission colleges near 1136. Good is relative to your list, not absolute.

What is the average ACT score?

The average ACT score at test-reporting four-year colleges is about 25 on the 1 to 36 scale. As with the SAT, the figure rises steeply at more selective colleges and is lower at colleges that admit most applicants.

Do colleges still require the SAT or ACT?

Many no longer do. A large share of colleges are now test-optional, meaning a score can help an application but is not required. Where a test is optional, a strong score is worth submitting and a weak one usually is not.

What SAT score do I need to get in?

There is no universal cutoff. Aim for a score inside the middle-50 percent range of each college on your list. At open-admission colleges almost any score is competitive; at the most selective schools you generally need to be near the top of the scale.

How do test scores relate to selectivity?

Closely. Average SAT scores climb from about 1136 at colleges that admit most applicants to about 1465 at those admitting under a quarter. A high score mainly matters for the selective schools where scores are part of a competitive process.