SAT Score Ranges for 50+ Colleges: Find Your Ideal Score
We've discussed how your SAT score and corresponding percentile ranking show how you currently compare to other test-takers.However, you don't place the greatest importance on how you performed in comparison to other people. What counts as a good SAT score for you specifically depends on the institutions you are considering.
An 84th percentile score of 1280 indicates that you outperformed 84% of test-takers, making it a strong result for institutions like Arizona State University, where the average SAT score is 1245, and Temple University, where the average is 1238.
For highly elite schools like MIT, Caltech, Duke, the University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins, however, it would be a very low score.
Of course, not everyone aspires to attend highly prestigious institutions. For less selective universities like Indiana University Northwest (average SAT score: 1000) and CSU Stanislaus (average: 980), a score of 1040 (just below the 1050 average) is strong.
In conclusion, a good SAT score puts you in the running for the universities you want to attend.
Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that the higher your test scores, the more probable it is that institutions offering merit scholarships would award one to you. This guide will mostly focus on determining the score you need for admission (not scholarships), but it's important to keep in mind. Visit our guide to scholarships based on SAT/ACT results for additional details.
A good test score may also be useful if your GPA is lower than what is typically required for admission to a particular school. (However, this won't really help you at more selective institutions—they demand great marks across the board from students!)
Excellent SAT Scores for Top Schools
We're providing you with the Best SAT Tuition Classes in Masterclass Space and an SAT score chart showing the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores for 2020 for more than 50 well-known colleges to assist you in setting your target score. To give you an idea of how selective each institution is, I've also included the most recent US News ranking and admission rate. Every school is arranged according to ranking.
Check out our list of the best SAT scores for 101 prestigious schools for an even longer list.
| School | 25th %ile SAT Score | 75th %ile SAT Score | US News Ranking | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 1440 | 1570 | 1 | 6% |
| Harvard | 1460 | 1580 | 2 | 5% |
| Columbia | 1450 | 1560 | 2 | 6% |
| MIT | 1500 | 1570 | 2 | 6% |
| Yale | 1470 | 1560 | 5 | 6% |
| Stanford | 1440 | 1550 | 6 | 4% |
| UChicago | 1470 | 1570 | 6 | 7% |
| Penn | 1440 | 1560 | 8 | 8% |
| Caltech | 1530 | 1570 | 9 | 6% |
| Johns Hopkins | 1450 | 1560 | 9 | 11% |
| Northwestern | 1450 | 1540 | 9 | 9% |
| Duke | 1450 | 1570 | 9 | 9% |
| Dartmouth | 1450 | 1550 | 13 | 8% |
| Brown | 1420 | 1550 | 14 | 8% |
| Vanderbilt | 1450 | 1560 | 14 | 10% |
| WUSTL | 1470 | 1570 | 14 | 15% |
| Rice | 1450 | 1560 | 17 | 11% |
| Cornell | 1420 | 1540 | 17 | 11% |
| Notre Dame | 1400 | 1550 | 19 | 17% |
| UCLA | 1290 | 1510 | 20 | 12% |
| Emory | 1350 | 1520 | 21 | 18% |
| UC Berkeley | 1300 | 1530 | 22 | 15% |
| Georgetown | 1370 | 1370 | 23 | 14% |
| U of Michigan | 1340 | 1530 | 23 | 23% |
| Carnegie Mellon | 1460 | 1560 | 25 | 15% |
| UVA | 1340 | 1500 | 25 | 24% |
| USC | 1350 | 1530 | 27 | 13% |
| UNC--Chapel Hill | 1300 | 1470 | 28 | 23% |
| Wake Forest University | 1310 | 1470 | 28 | 30% |
| NYU | 1370 | 1510 | 28 | 16% |
| Tufts | 1390 | 1540 | 28 | 15% |
| UC Santa Barbara | 1230 | 1480 | 28 | 32% |
| University of Florida | 1280 | 1440 | 28 | 39% |
| The University of Rochester | 1340 | 1500 | 34 | 31% |
| UC San Diego | 1250 | 1470 | 34 | 30% |
| Boston College | 1370 | 1490 | 36 | 27% |
| UC Irvine | 1180 | 1440 | 36 | 29% |
| Georgia Tech | 1390 | 1540 | 38 | 23% |
| UC Davis | 1150 | 1410 | 38 | 41% |
| William & Mary | 1230 | 1510 | 38 | 38% |
| UT Austin | 1240 | 1470 | 38 | 32% |
| Tulane | 1350 | 1490 | 42 | 17% |
| Boston University | 1340 | 1500 | 42 | 22% |
| Brandeis | 1280 | 1500 | 42 | 31% |
| Case Western | 1350 | 1520 | 42 | 29% |
| University of Wisconsin | 1300 | 1480 | 42 | 52% |
| University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign | 1220 | 1480 | 47 | 62% |
| University of Georgia | 1240 | 1410 | 48 | 49% |
| Lehigh | 1300 | 1430 | 49 | 32% |
| Northeastern | 1390 | 1540 | 49 | 18% |
| Pepperdine University | 1220 | 1420 | 49 | 36% |
| University of Miami | 1280 | 1420 | 49 | 27% |
| Ohio State University--Columbus | 1300 | 1420 | 49 | 54% |
| Purdue University--Lafayette | 1190 | 1440 | 49 | 60% |
| Villanova University | 1330 | 1460 | 49 | 28% |
What If I Have A Poor SAT Score? 3 Techniques
What happens if your actual SAT score is lower than your target score? What ought you to do? In this situation, there are a few things to consider.
We'll go over them all here to make it easier for you to choose the right one.
Strategy 1: Retake the SAT
This is definitely the simplest plan of action if you have the time to study more for the SAT and retake it.
Having said that, remember that you'll need to devote a lot of time to preparation and concentrate on overcoming your deficiencies if you truly want to improve your SAT score. These are the approximate times for various total score gains on the SAT (not per section):
10 hours for a 0–30 point improvement.
Improvement of 30–70 points: 20 hours
40 hours for a 70–130 point improvement
80 hours for a 130–200 point improvement
Improvement of 200–330 points: 150 hours plus
Strategy 2: Don't Stress If your score was only marginally below your target (say, within 50 points), you might not actually need to take any action if your score was still competitive at that level. If your objective was a 1560 but you only got a 1530, you would surely still be in the competitive range for the most selective college.
Depending on how soon you want to apply to college, use the time and energy you would have spent studying for and retaking the test on other components of your application.
Consider using strategies 1 or 3 if your SAT goal score was more than 50 points out of reach.
Strategy 3: Modify Your List of Schools
You need to change your selection of schools if you're 50+ points below your target score and don't have time to retake the exam. While you should still submit applications to your top choices as reach schools, it's a good idea to bolster your list of match and safety schools to account for students with lower test scores.
For instance, it's possible that you intended to get 1510 but received 1410. You selected NYU (middle 50%: 1370-1510) as one of your match schools based on your goal score. However, since your actual score is 1410 and this school's 75th percentile is more than 50 points higher, it is now more of a reach.
Lehigh University, which you also listed as a safety school (middle 50%: 1300-1430), is now more appropriate as a match school given your current grade.
Last but not least, you might think about including a few more safety institutions that better fit your 1410 score, like American University (middle 50%: 1220-1380) and Penn State (middle 50%: 1160-1370).
Need help determining a good SAT score for the Math, Reading, and Writing sections? Curious about what constitutes a good score for highly selective institutions? We've got you covered here in Masterclass Space! Whether you're aiming for improvement or perfection, our guides provide valuable insights and strategies. Visit us at www.masterclassspace.com and mail at info@masterclassspace.com.
