Info hub · Score targets

What score do your colleges expect?

Search 60+ well-known US colleges and see the approximate middle-50% SAT range of their enrolled students, then set a target that actually means something.

CollegeTier25th pct75th pctSuggested target
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyReach for everyone152015801580+
California Institute of TechnologyReach for everyone153015801580+
Harvard UniversityReach for everyone149015801580+
Stanford UniversityReach for everyone150015801580+
Yale UniversityReach for everyone150015801580+
Princeton UniversityReach for everyone150015801580+
University of ChicagoReach for everyone151015801580+
Columbia UniversityReach for everyone147015701570+
University of PennsylvaniaReach for everyone150015701570+
Brown UniversityReach for everyone149015701570+
Duke UniversityReach for everyone149015701570+
Northwestern UniversityReach for everyone149015701570+
Johns Hopkins UniversityReach for everyone152015701570+
Vanderbilt UniversityReach for everyone150015701570+
Dartmouth CollegeReach for everyone144015601560+
Rice UniversityReach for everyone150015601560+
Cornell UniversityReach for everyone147015501550+
University of Notre DameReach for everyone142015501550+
Washington University in St. LouisHighly selective150015701570+
Carnegie Mellon UniversityHighly selective150015701570+
New York UniversityHighly selective147015601560+
Georgetown UniversityHighly selective141015401540+
Emory UniversityHighly selective143015401540+
Tufts UniversityHighly selective144015401540+
University of VirginiaHighly selective140015401540+
University of Southern CaliforniaHighly selective143015301530+
University of Michigan, Ann ArborHighly selective135015301530+
Georgia Institute of TechnologyHighly selective137015301530+
Boston CollegeHighly selective142015301530+
Northeastern UniversityHighly selective143015301530+
Case Western Reserve UniversityHighly selective138015201520+
William & MaryHighly selective137015201520+
UNC Chapel HillHighly selective133015001500+
Boston UniversityHighly selective137014901490+
Wake Forest UniversityHighly selective138014901490+
University of Texas at AustinHighly selective123014801480+
University of FloridaHighly selective130014701470+
University of MiamiHighly selective131014601460+
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignSelective131015001500+
University of Maryland, College ParkSelective133014901490+
University of Wisconsin, MadisonSelective130014601460+
Southern Methodist UniversitySelective130014501450+
University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesSelective127014401440+
University of PittsburghSelective124014201420+
Ohio State UniversitySelective124014101410+
Purdue UniversitySelective119014101410+
Rutgers University, New BrunswickSelective119014101410+
University of GeorgiaSelective122014001400+
Texas A&M UniversitySelective115013901390+
Virginia TechSelective118013901390+
Clemson UniversitySelective122013901390+
University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleSelective118013701370+
Penn State University ParkSelective116013601360+
Indiana University BloomingtonSelective114013601360+
Baylor UniversitySelective119013601360+
Florida State UniversitySelective117013401340+
Auburn UniversitySelective115013401340+
University of Central FloridaBroad access117013401340+
Arizona State UniversityBroad access110013301330+
University of AlabamaBroad access107013301330+
University of ArizonaBroad access108013201320+
University of IowaBroad access111013201320+
University of OregonBroad access110013101310+
University of KentuckyBroad access107013101310+
University of OklahomaBroad access108013001300+
Michigan State UniversityBroad access103012801280+
University of MississippiBroad access105012701270+

Approximate 2024-25 figures compiled from publicly reported Common Data Set facts and institutional class profiles, rounded to the nearest 10. Ranges describe enrolled students, shift modestly year to year, and are estimates for goal-setting rather than admissions cutoffs. Always confirm current figures with each college. Test-blind schools (including the University of California system) are excluded because they do not consider SAT scores.

How to set your target

Aim at or above the 75th percentileof your most selective realistic school. The middle-50% range means a quarter of enrolled students scored below the low number and a quarter scored above the high number. At the 25th-percentile mark your score is merely tolerable; at the 75th it actively argues for you. If Michigan's range is roughly 1350 to 1530, a 1530+ makes your score an asset rather than a question mark.

Recruited athletes, legacies, and other hooked applicants pull the published ranges down. At the most selective schools, the effective bar for an unhooked applicant often sits near or above the published 75th percentile. That is the honest reason we suggest p75 as the target, not the midpoint.

Test-optional does not mean test-irrelevant. At most test-optional colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates, and merit scholarships frequently key off scores even when admissions do not. The practical rule: if your score is at or above a school's 50th percentile, submit it. Several highly selective schools, including MIT, Caltech, Harvard, and Georgetown, have returned to requiring scores outright.

Build a ladder, not a single rung. Pick a reach, a match, and a likely school, and note all three targets. A plan aimed only at a reach-for-everyone school is a plan with no feedback; a 30-point gap to your match school is a concrete, closeable goal. And remember that at broad-access schools, every extra 100 points can translate directly into automatic merit scholarship tiers worth thousands of dollars per year.

Want to know how far you are from your target right now? Check where your current score lands on the percentile table, or take the free diagnostic for a precise, concept-level answer.

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