When it comes to standardized testing, it is helpful to analyze your child’s scores relative to the schools he or she is interested in applying to. Here is a sampling of median SAT scores from 2016 at some of the most highly selective colleges and universities in the U.S. (scores are listed in a 25th – 75th percentile format).
Universities with a 25th percentile score > 1450:
California Institute of Technology (Caltech): 1530 – 1600
University of Chicago: 1500 – 1590
Harvard University: 1480 – 1600
Northwestern University: 1450 – 1570
Princeton University: 1470 – 1600
Universities with a 25th percentile score > 1400:
Carnegie Mellon University: 1410 – 1530
Tufts University: 1440 – 1550
University of Notre Dame: 1410 – 1550
Rice University: 1440 – 1570
Duke University: 1440 – 1590
Universities with a 25th percentile score > 1350:
Boston College: 1350 – 1510
Emory University: 1370 – 1510
Georgia Tech: 1370 – 1520
Cornell University: 1390 – 1550
Colorado School of Mines: 1390 – 1440
Universities with a 25th percentile score > 1300:
University of California – Berkeley: 1320 – 1540
Georgetown University: 1320 – 1520
New York University (NYU): 1320 – 1500
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI): 1310 – 1480
University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign: 1340 – 1500
When putting together a school list, SAT and ACT scores should be used to help organize a school list into “safety”, “match” and “reach” categories.
As author of Untangling the Ivy League, Marc literally wrote the book on gaining admission to highly selective colleges. He earned a BA from Cornell University – where he met AcceptU’s co-founder – and an MBA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, Marc chaired the admissions advisory board; he has also conducted alumni interviews for Cornell for more than fifteen years.
