What is the minimum ACT score required by colleges in general?

A bit stressed over here! Just got my ACT scores back and it's not as high as I hoped for. So, I was wondering, what's the general minimum score that most colleges require?

While there's no universal minimum ACT score required by all colleges, different types of institutions will have different expectations. For instance, most selective colleges would usually expect scores somewhere in the range of 27 to 36. Moderately selective colleges might find scores between 22 and 27 acceptable, while less selective schools could accept scores as low as 18 or even lower.

However, keep in mind that test scores are not the only factor colleges consider in admissions. Schools also look at your GPA, curriculum rigor, essays, extracurricular activities, and personal background, among other things.

In many ways, instead of focusing on a "minimum score," consider what score is competitive at your target colleges. To determine this, you can look at the average ACT scores of the admitted and enrolled students at these schools, often provided on the college's website or in their college profile on the CollegeVine website. This approach helps you get a more precise vision of the level of competitiveness at different institutions.

Notably, several colleges have gone test-optional due to the pandemic, meaning they won't require you to submit an ACT or SAT score (although you still can), focusing more on the other aspects of your application. Some of the notable test-optional colleges, for instance, include Columbia University, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Chicago.