What’s an Acceptable SAT Score?

Students often ask, “What’s an acceptable SAT score?”  The answer is, “It varies greatly, depending on your aspirations, other accomplishments, and competition from your peers.”

 

The average SAT score for the class of 2021 was 1060, according to College Board, which administers the exam.  That was an increase of nine points from the previous year.  The challenge is that the average SAT score for schools most popular with local students is often hundreds of points higher.

 

Most colleges post their “middle 50” range of scores: between the 25^th and 75^th percentile for their last accepted class. According to the 2022 Best Colleges guide by U.S. News & World Report, the mid-range for Princeton University was 1450 to 1570.  University of Pennsylvania posted 1460 to 1570, Georgetown 1380-1550, NYU 1370 to 1540, Boston University 1310 to 1500, and Villanova 1320 to 1460.

 

Accepted students at the lower end of the range likely had other qualifications, such as being a legacy student (with an alumni parent), an athlete (being recruited by a coach), or a first-generation student to be seeking a college education.

High School AP Course Alternatives

If last year’s numbers are any indication, some three million students will be taking five million Advanced Placement (AP) exams this spring.  These three-hour exams, offered in May of each year, mark the culmination of college-level courses which are currently offered at 88% of public high schools in the United States.  The curriculum for each course is written by College Board – the same folks responsible for the SAT – and students who score 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) are offered college credits by many of the nation’s colleges and universities. 

Parents and students often ask, “Are AP courses really necessary?”  The answer is both yes and no –- depending on the student’s ambitions and college goals. When students apply to college, they are basically in competition with their peers.  Most colleges want a geographically well-rounded student body.  So, college admissions officers will compare all applicants from the same high school and favor those with the most impressive academic record based on SAT scores, GPA, and competitive course load.  While there is no college in the country that outwardly states a requirement for AP courses, students are well aware that these higher-level courses, which indicate an ability to successfully complete college-level work, are viewed most favorably by college admission staff.

2023 “Best Colleges” Rankings Revealed

The 2023 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” – often viewed as the Bible to the college industry – has now been released.  New Jersey’s Princeton University is still in first place (for the 12^th consecutive year) as the “Best National University.”  It’s followed by M.I.T. (2^nd), Harvard, Stanford, and Yale (tied for 3^rd), University of Chicago (6^th), Johns Hopkins and University of Pennsylvania (tied for 7^th), California Institute of Technology (9^th), and Duke and Northwestern (tied for 10^th).

While a college’s overall ranking may be of interest, the best use of rankings, for most students, is to identify the specific criteria that are important to them.  In the U.S. News rankings, for example, each school is rated on its average freshmen retention rate.  This is the percent of freshmen that return to the college for their sophomore year, indicating a level of happiness or satisfaction with their college.  The top 25 national universities typically report first-year student retention rates of 97% to 99%.

 

Another category lists the percent of classes with fewer than 20 students, and another lists the percent of classes with 50 or more students.  A popular New Jersey college with small classes is The College of New Jersey which seldom, if ever, hosts a class in excess of 50 students with most classes seating fewer than 25 students.

Applying “Test Optional” in 2022

What do the eight Ivy League schools have in common with M.I.T., Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, and University of Southern California? Yes, they are all extremely competitive institutions. They are also “test optional,” meaning students are not required to submit SAT (or ACT) scores with their applications.  But before students toss their SAT prep book, there are a few points that need to be considered. 

The term “test optional” does not mean that a college will not look at SAT or ACT scores.  It just means that test scores are not required.  It’s notable that some colleges reporting to be test optional actually ask students, on their application, why they are not submitting test scores.

 

Applicants who submit impressive SAT or ACT scores obviously stand out. Those who don’t, and hope to gain admission to an elite university, need to have stellar grades in an extremely rigorous curriculum (perhaps 10 to 15 AP courses) and a remarkable “passion project.” One of my former students, for example, developed a medical app that was featured at a White House Science Fair.  She was accepted to MIT and seven Ivy League Institutions.