What Are Good SAT Scores for Colleges? 101 Schools + Advice

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As you apply to college, it's important to understand how high of an SAT score you will need to aim for on test day. This raises the question: what are good SAT scores for colleges? And not just any colleges, but your colleges specifically?

In this article, we’ll examine the SAT scores needed for college and how these scores can vary due to differences in factors such as school prestige and competitiveness. We’ll then show you how to look for average SAT scores for colleges and how to set your own SAT goal score.

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First off, what are good SAT scores for colleges? In reality, there's no single answer to this question because good SAT scores for universities vary depending on where you’re applying. For some schools, an SAT score of 1400 will be significantly high, whereas for others (i.e., top-20 colleges) it’ll be fairly low.

As you might've guessed, ultra-competitive, top-ranked schools typically look for some of the highest SAT scores in applicants.

Below is a chart containing the top 25 US schools (as ranked by US News) and their ranges of SAT scores for incoming students. This data highlights the SAT score you'll need to get in order to give yourself the best shot at securing admission into a highly competitive school. For each school, we give you the average SAT score, 25th percentile score, and 75th percentile score of incoming students. 

A 25th percentile score means that 25% of students scored at or below this threshold, while a 75th percentile score means that 75% of students scored at or below this threshold. Thus, the 25th and 75th percentiles represent the middle 50% SAT scores of admitted applicants—the average SAT score range for a particular school. Good SAT scores for universities are usually those in the 75th percentile or higher (i.e., anything above the middle 50%).

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