Hey all! I just got my ACT scores and ended up with a 24. Is that considered a good score for college admissions? I'm not aiming for Ivy League schools, but I'd still like to attend a decent college.
A 24 ACT score is considered an above-average score and can be competitive for many colleges and universities. It puts you in approximately the 74th percentile, which means you scored higher than about 74% of test-takers. While a 24 may not make you a strong candidate for highly selective schools like those in the Ivy League, it definitely opens up opportunities for many decent colleges.
To gauge whether a 24 ACT score is good enough for your target schools, research the middle 50% ACT score range for those schools. If your score falls within that range, you have a reasonable chance of being considered for admission. You can usually find this information directly on a school's website, or through third parties like CollegeVine.
Remember that admissions processes vary by school, so factors like GPA, extracurricular involvement, letters of recommendation, and essays also play significant roles in the decision-making process, but your ACT can give you a general sense of your competitiveness.
If you're looking to improve your ACT score, you can always retake the exam after some targeted studying and practice. A higher score could potentially open up more options, increase your chances at your top-choice schools, or make you more competitive for scholarships.
Ultimately, a 24 ACT score is considered good for many colleges, but take the time to research the average ACT scores for the specific schools you're interested in and weigh it against your other application components.
Finally, it is worth noting that many schools have gone test-optional, so submitting an ACT (or SAT) score is actually not required. However, you're smart to still be thinking about target scores, as there can be many instances where submitting one is a good idea. For detailed guidance on how to navigate test-optional policies, check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/does-test-optional-mean-test-optional
Best of luck with your college process!
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