SAT Scores for Top Colleges

Does anyone have a general idea of the kind of SAT scores top colleges are looking for? I know it varies, I'm just trying to gauge how high I should aim... Nervous junior here!

Hey there! Understanding how competitive an SAT score is for top colleges is indeed very important for gauging where to aim. It's great to aim high, but it's also helpful to know the general ranges for more context.

Generally, students looking at very selective colleges should aim for a score above 1450. Going a bit more specific, the middle 50% of SAT scores (meaning 50% of accepted students scored within this range) can vary depending on the school:

- For Ivy League universities, the middle 50% often runs from about 1450 to 1600.

- For highly selective non-Ivy institutions like Stanford or MIT, similar ranges are seen, often between 1460 and 1580.

- Schools like Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Purdue University, Brown University, Yale University, The University of Texas at Austin, and California Institute of Technology are now requiring all applicants to submit an SAT or ACT score as of the 2024-2025 application cycle.

Remember, though, that these are rough figures and they fluctuate a bit from year to year. You'll want to check the specific numbers for each college you're interested in, which can often be found on the school's admissions page.

And of course, test scores are only one piece of the admissions puzzle, albeit an important one. Your course rigor, GPA, and extracurriculars all come into play in the admissions process too. So as you aim high on the SAT, ensure you're also working to make the rest of your application as strong as possible.

Keep pushing, you got this!