What's the SAT score required for college admission?

Trying to plan out my future and college is a major part of it, but I'm super stressed about the SATs. I can't figure out exactly what score I need? Like, what's the real target SAT score for a decent college? Anyone have any advice?

Hey! Great that you're being proactive in preparing for college admissions. The 'right' SAT score actually depends heavily on where you're hoping to apply. Each college has its own range of SAT scores it generally accepts - typically, they'll provide information on their middle 50% range, which means the scores where the middle half of admitted students fall.

For instance, a highly selective university might have a middle 50% SAT score range from 1420 to 1570, implying that 25% of students scored below 1420, 50% between 1420 and 1570, and 25% scored higher than 1570. On the other hand, a less selective school might have a middle 50% range of 1050 to 1210.

Keep in mind, these are just possible examples. It's best to research the colleges you're interested in and find their reported middle 50% SAT score ranges, which will give you a better idea of where your score needs to be competitive.

Remember as well that schools like Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Purdue University, Brown University, Yale University, The University of Texas at Austin, and California Institute of Technology are requiring all applicants to submit an SAT or ACT score, as of the 2024-2025 application cycle. That's not the case for all institutions though: some, such as Columbia University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and the University of Chicago, are still test-optional.

Lastly, it's critical to remember that while SAT scores are important, they're not the only factor in college admissions. Academic grades, course rigor, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters play massive roles as well. Hope this helps and good luck!