We all know the college admissions game comes down to more than just numbers, but having a competitive GPA and SAT/ACT score is the best way to get your foot in the door.  So, we’ve put together a long list of the most competitive and most popular schools in each state and the average SAT and ACT scores for incoming freshmen at each school.  

If you’re a junior who has just received your PSAT scores, you can use this list to see what kind of schools you’d have a decent shot at if you performed similarly on your SAT.  If you’re not pleased with your options, don’t fret.  Every year, tons of our students improve hundreds of points beyond their junior year PSAT.  And, with our new 150 point or 200 point packages, you can feel confident that once you’re done with prep, your new score will elevate the kinds of colleges you are looking at. 

Top 25 Colleges You Can Get into with a 1100-1190 or 22-24 score

Top 25 Colleges You Can Get into with a 1200-1290 or 25-27 score 

Top 25 Colleges You Can Get into with a 1300-1390 or 28-30 score

Top 25 Colleges You Can Get into with a 1400-1490 or 31-33 score

Washington, DC

Georgetown

SAT: average 1467

George Washington

SAT: 1330-1460

ACT: 30-33

American 

SAT: 1260-1420

ACT: average 29 

Howard

Average SAT: 1210

Average ACT: 25 

Maryland 

Johns Hopkins

SAT: 1480-1550

ACT: 33-35

UMD

SAT: 1330-1470

ACT: 30-34

Loyola

SAT: 1160-1330

ACT: 26-31

St. Mary’s College

SAT: 1070

ACT: 23-29

Washington College

test optional 

Towson

Average SAT: 1140

Average ACT: 23

UMBC

Average SAT: 1275

Goucher

SAT: 1050-1260 

ACT: 23-29 

Mount St. Mary’s

Average SAT: 1059 

VA

UVA

SAT:  in-state: 1340-1500; out of state: 1430-1540 

ACT: in-state: 32-34; out of state: 33-35 

William and Mary

SAT: 1320-1510

ACT: 30-34

Richmond

SAT: 1370-1500

ACT: 31-34 

Virginia Tech

SAT: 1180-1390

ACT: 24-30

James Madison University

SAT: 1160-1320

ACT: 24-30 

George Mason

SAT: 1100-1290

ACT: 23-28

PA

Penn

SAT: 1460-1550 

ACT: 33-35 

Carnegie Mellon

Depends on which school you apply to, see here

Swarthmore

SAT: 1380-1550

ACT: 31-34

Haverford

Average SAT: 1510

Average ACT: 34

Lehigh

SAT: 1350-1480

ACT: 31-34

Bucknell

SAT: 1260-1430

ACT: 28-32

Bryn Mawr

SAT: 1290-1510

ACT: 29-33

Villanova

SAT: 1400-1500

ACT: 32-34 

Lafayette

SAT: 1320-1490 

ACT: 30-34

Dickinson

SAT: 1290-1430 

ACT: 29-32

Gettysburg

SAT: 1250-1400

ACT: 27-31

Pitt

Depends on which school you apply to, see here. 

Franklin & Marshall

SAT: 1300-1470 

ACT: 29-32 

Muhlenberg

SAT: average 1240

ACT average 27

Temple

Average SAT: 1237

Average ACT: 27

Drexel

SAT: 1170-1380

ACT: 25-30 

Allegheny

SAT: 1190-1370

ACT: 25-31 

Juniata

SAT: 1220

Average ACT: 27

Ursinus

SAT: average 1230

ACT: average 26

North Carolina

Duke

SAT 1500-1560

ACT 33-35 

Wake Forest

SAT 1260-1440

ACT 28-32

Davidson

SAT: 1310-1470 

ACT: 30-33

UNC

SAT for out of state: 1360-1500

ACT for out of state: 30-34

NC State

SAT: 1270-1410

ACT: 27-32

UNC Wilmington

SAT: 1190-1300 

ACT: 22-27 

Elon

Average SAT: 1241

Average ACT: 27

High Point

Average SAT: 1222

Average ACT: 26 

South Carolina

Clemson

SAT: 1230-1390 

ACT: 27-32

Furman

SAT: 1200-1350

ACT: 25-30

USC

SAT: 1400-1350

ACT: 25-30

Citadel

Average SAT score: 1074

College of Charleston

SAT: in state: 1080-1260; out of state: 1110-1270 

ACT: in state: 21-28; out of state: 23-29

Florida

UF

SAT: 1330-1460 

ACT: 29-33 

Miami

SAT: 1350-1480

ACT: 31-34

Tampa

Average SAT: 1190

Eckerd

SAT: 1080-1280

ACT: 23-28

Rollins College

SAT: 1150-1280

ACT: 25-30

Florida Institute of Tech

SAT: 1130-1320

ACT: 24-29

New College of Florida

SAT: 1230-1400

ACT: 25-31

Georgia

Emory

SAT: 1420-1550

ACT: 32-35 

UGA

SAT: 1300-1460

ACT: 30-34 

GA Tech

SAT: 1400-1520

ACT: 31-34

Spelman 

SAT: 1190-1290

Average ACT: 25

Morehouse

Average SAT: 1170 

Average ACT: 24 

New York

Columbia

SAT: 1480-1560

ACT: 33-35

Cornell

SAT: 1400-1560 

ACT: 32-35

Barnard

SAT: 1340-1520

ACT: 30-34 

NYU

SAT: 1350-1530

ACT: 30-34

Hamilton

SAT: 1240-1470

ACT: 29-34

Colgate

SAT:1410-1520

ACT: 31-34

Vassar

SAT: 1380-1500

ACT: 31-34

Cooper Union

SAT: 1190-1410

ACT: 26-32

Rensselaer Polytechnic

Average SAT: 1409

University of Rochester

Average SAT: 1400

Skidmore

Average SAT: 1330

Average ACT: 29

Syracuse

Average ACT: 1357 

Average ACT: 30 

St. Lawrence

Average SAT 1293

Fordham

SAT: 1320-1460

ACT: 30-33

Delaware

University of Delaware

SAT: 1190-1350

ACT: 24-29

Ohio

Kenyon

SAT: 1270-1460

ACT: 29-33

Case Western

SAT: 1360-1480

ACT: 30-34 

Ohio State

Average SAT: 1347 

Average ACT: 29

Denison

SAT: 1200-1410

ACT: 27-31 

Oberlin

SAT: 1340-1530 

ACT: 31-34

Miami University

SAT: 1220-1400

ACT: 26-31

Ohio U

SAT: 1080-1250

ACT: 21-26 

Xavier

SAT: 1110-1280

ACT: 22-27

Ohio Wesleyan

SAT: 1080-1320

ACT: 22-28

Vermont

Middlebury

SAT: 1390-1460

ACT: 32-33

U of Vermont

SAT: 1210-1410

ACT: 28-33

New Hampshire

Dartmouth

SAT: 1440-1560

ACT: 32-35

U of New Hampshire

SAT: 1090-1280

ACT: 23-28

Saint Anselm

SAT: 1120-1280

ACT: 26 

Thomas More College

SAT: 1010-1190

ACT: 20-24

Massachusetts

Harvard

SAT 1460-1580 

ACT: 33-35 

MIT

SAT: 1520-1580 

ACT: 34-36

Amherst

SAT: 1420-1560 

ACT: 30-34

Tufts

SAT: 1430-1550 

ACT: 32-35

Williams

SAT: 1410-1550 

ACT: 32-35

Wellesley

SAT: 1360-1530 

ACT: 30-33

Northeastern

SAT: 1470-1550

ACT: 33-35 

Boston College

SAT: 1420-1530

ACT: 33-35 

Boston U

SAT: 1420-1530 

ACT: 32-35 

Smith

SAT: 1340-1520

ACT: 31-34

Holy Cross

SAT: 1280-1420 

ACT: 28-32

Babson

SAT: 1330-1490

ACT: 29-34

Mount holyoke

SAT: 1280-1490 

ACT: Avg. 30

Worcester Polytechnic

SAT: 1240-1470 

ACT: 28-32

Brandeis

SAT: 1280-1500

ACT: 29-33

Bentley

SAT: 1240-1410

ACT: 28-32

UMass

SAT: 1220-1380

ACT: 26-31

Clark

SAT: 1250-1410

ACT: 28-33

Emerson

SAT: 1220-1380

ACT: 27-31

Wheaton

SAT: 1250-1400

ACT: 27-32

Rhode Island

Brown

SAT: 1420-1550

ACT: 32-25

Rhode Island School of Design

SAT: 1180-1440

ACT: 26-32

Providence

SAT: 1200-1350 

ACT: 27-31

Bryant

SAT: 1130-1300

ACT: 24-28

U of Rhode Island

SAT: 1110-1280 

ACT: 23-27

Tennessee

Vanderbilt

SAT: 1460-1560 

ACT: 33-35

Sewanee

SAT: 1240- 1350 

ACT: 28-31

Rhodes

SAT: 1260-1430

ACT: 27-32

Tennessee

SAT: 1150-1330

ACT: 25-31

Belmont

SAT: 1140-1310

ACT: 24-29

Michigan

U Mich

SAT: 1380-1540

ACT: 32-35

MSU

SAT: 1130-1310

ACT: 23-29

Hope College

SAT: 1110-1330

ACT: 23-29

Kalamazoo

SAT: 1170-1370 

ACT: 26-30

Wisconsin

U Wisconsin

SAT: 1280-1450

ACT: 27-31

Lawrence University

SAT: 1220-1450 

ACT: 25-32

Marquette

SAT: 1160-1320

ACT: 24-30 

Indiana

IU Bloomington

SAT: 1180-1380 

ACT: 25-32

Purdue

SAT: 1190-1390 

ACT: 25-32

Notre Dame

SAT: 1410-1540

ACT: 33-35

Depauw

SAT: 1120-1340

ACt: 24-29

Minnesota

University of Minnesota

SAT: 1270-1480 

ACT: 26-31

Carleton College

SAT: 1380-1530 

ACT: 31-34

Macalester College

SAT: 1310-1500

ACT: 29-33

Alabama

University of Alabama

SAT: 1050-1280 

ACT: 23-32

Auburn University

SAT: 1150-1310

ACT: 25-30

Louisiana

Tulane

SAT: 1410-1510

ACT: 31-33

Loyola University New Orleans

SAT: 1060-1240 

ACT: 22-28

Louisiana State University

SAT: 1100-1270

ACT: 23-28

Mississippi

Ole Miss

SAT: 1050-1270 

ACT: 21-29

Texas

Rice

SAT: 1470-1560

ACT: 33-35

University of Texas

SAT: 1170-1410 

ACT: 27-33

Texas A&M

SAT: 1140-1360 

ACT: 25-30

SMU

SAT: 1280-1460 

ACT: 29-33

TCU

SAT: 1150-1340 

ACT: 26-30

Baylor

SAT: 1210-1370 

ACT: 26-32

Arizona

ASU

SAT: 1120-1350 

ACT: 22-29 

U of Arizona

SAT: 1100-1340

ACT: 21-28

Colorado

University of Colorado Boulder

SAT: 1150-1360 

ACT: 25-31

Colorado College

SAT: 1430

ACT: 32

University of Denver

SAT: 1160-1350

ACT: 25-30

Colorado School of Mines

SAT: 1380

ACT: 31

Utah

University of Utah

SAT: 1130-1350

ACT: 22-29

Utah State University

SAT: 1050-1290

ACT: 21-28

BYU

SAT: 1320

ACT: 29

Washington

University of Washington

SAT: 1240-1440

ACT: 27-33

Whitman College

SAT: 1330-1510

ACT: 28-33

Gonzaga

SAT: 1260

ACT: 28

University of Puget Sound

SAT: 1160-1340

ACT: 25-30

Oregon

University of Oregon

SAT: 1090-1290

ACT: 22-28

Oregon State

SAT: 1070-1300

ACT: 22-28

Reed College

SAT: 1325-1520

ACT: 30-33

Lewis & Clark College

SAT: 1240-1410

ACT: 28-32

Montana

University of Montana

SAT: 1170 

ACT: 24

Montana State

SAT: couldn’t find

ACT: 21-28

Iowa

University of Iowa

SAT: 1130-1440

ACT: 22-29

Drake College

SAT: 1100-1350

ACT: 24-30

Grinnell College

SAT: 1320-1530

ACT: 30-33

California

Stanford

SAT: 1420-1570

ACT: 32-25

Berkeley

SAT: 1350-1540

ACT: 30-35

UCLA

SAT: 1180-1450

ACT: 25-33

USC

SAT: 1420-1540

ACT: 32-25

Pomona

SAT: 1400-1540

ACT: 31-34

Caltech

SAT: 1530-1570

ACT: 35-36

Harvey Mudd

SAT: 1490-1570

ACT: 33-35

Claremont McKenna

SAT: 1350-1500

ACT: 30-34

UCSD

SAT: 1320-1510

ACT: 28-34

UCSB

SAT: 1240-1520

ACT: 26-32

UC-Davis

SAT: 1260-1480

ACT: 28-34

UC-Irvine

SAT: 1195-1435

ACT: 27-33

Pitzer

SAT: 1340-1490

ACT: 30-33

Occidental

SAT:1270-1450

ACT: 28-32
Chapman

SAT: 1190-1360

ACT: 25-30

Pepperdine

SAT: 1300-1450

ACT: 28-32

LMU

SAT: 1250-1400

ACT: 27-31

Santa Clara

SAT: 1280-1440

ACT: 28-32

University of San Diego

SAT: 1200-1350

ACT: 26-31

University of the Redlands

SAT: 1080-1260

ACT: 23-28

Soka University of America

SAT: 1180-1410

ACT: 25-30

Kentucky

University of Kentucky

SAT: 1080-1300

ACT: 23-29

University of Louisville

SAT: 1070-1290

ACT: 22-29

Kansas

University of Kansas

SAT: 1120-1250

ACT: 23-38

Nebraska

University of Nebraska

SAT: 1130-1360

ACT: 22-29

Creighton

SAT: 1180-1380

ACT: 24-30