What Is a Good ACT Score? Averages, Ranges and Targets by College

Last updated: November 6, 2026

A good ACT score is one that puts you in or above the middle 50% range of the colleges you want. As a national benchmark, ACT's newest report shows an average Composite score of 19.2 for the 1,463,293 students in the class of 2026. A 24 or higher put you in about the top 23%, a 28 or higher in about the top 11%, and a 30 or higher in about the top 7%. At the most selective colleges, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between about 33 and 35. Below are ACT's own numbers, the 2025 format change, and score targets at 12 colleges from their own reports.

A 30 puts you in the top 7% of ACT takers. At the most selective colleges, that is where the competition starts. Send me strategies that go beyond the score →

The average ACT score in 2026

ACT released its 2026 Graduating Class Data on October 14, 2026. It covers every 2026 graduate who took the ACT in 10th, 11th or 12th grade, using each student's most recent test.

• Average Composite score: 19.2
• Average English score: 18.2
• Average Math score: 19.0
• Average Reading score: 19.8
• Median (50th percentile): 18
• 25th percentile: 14
• 75th percentile: 23

Many pages still quote 19.4, the average for the classes of 2024 and 2025. The class of 2026 is about 6.0% larger, with 83,163 more test takers. In 2026, 23 states offered the ACT on a school day, and 11 tested all of their students. So the national group includes many students who never planned to apply to a selective college. Compare yourself with the colleges on your list, not with the national average.

To see what your own section scores add up to, use the ACT score calculator.

How ACT scoring works after the 2025 changes

ACT started a new format on national online tests in April 2025 and used it on every test from September 2025:

• Shorter test. ACT cut the test from 195 minutes to 125 minutes, with 44 fewer questions.
• Science is optional. Science no longer counts in the Composite score.
• New Composite. The Composite is the average of English, math and reading, rounded to the nearest whole number (one-half rounds up).
• Four answer choices in math.

Each section and the Composite run from 1 to 36. Writing is scored from 2 to 12. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. If you take science, you also get a STEM score, the average of math and science. That is a useful extra signal if you plan to study a STEM field.

The class of 2026 data mixes both formats, because most tests before September 2025 still counted science.

ACT score range: what each band means

How the class of 2026 spread across the score bands (counts from ACT's report; percentages are our calculation):

Where common target scores fall (share of the class of 2026 at or above each score, our calculation from ACT's counts):

• 36: 0.3%
• 34 or higher: 1.9%
• 32 or higher: 4.2%
• 30 or higher: 7.1%
• 28 or higher: 10.8%
• 27 or higher: 13.2%
• 24 or higher: 23.0%
• 21 or higher: 37.0%

ACT also sets College Readiness Benchmarks: 18 in English, 22 in math, 22 in reading and 23 in science. A student at a benchmark has about a 50% chance of a B or higher in the matching first-year college course. In the class of 2026, 49% met the English benchmark, 30% met math and 39% met reading. 23% met all three, and 55% met at least one.

The highest ACT score

The highest ACT score is 36, on the Composite and on each section. In the class of 2026, 3,992 students had a 36 Composite. That is about 0.27% of test takers, or about 1 in every 367. For every perfect score, about 26 students scored 30 or higher.

You do not need a 36 for any college. At nine of the colleges below, the 25th percentile of enrolled students is 33 or 34.

More than 24,000 students in the class of 2026 scored a 34 or 35. A 35 alone will not make you one in 24,000. Show me what will →

ACT score targets by college

Colleges report the middle 50% of ACT scores for enrolled students in their Common Data Set (CDS), section C9. A quarter scored below the low number and a quarter above the high number. Newest official ranges, for students who enrolled in fall 2025 unless noted:

UCLA has no ACT range to report. Its admissions site says: "UCLA will not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes."

Three notes on these ranges:

• The ACT leads at many state flagships. At Ohio State, 42% of the class sent ACT scores and 25% sent SAT scores. At every other college above that reports both, more students sent the SAT.
• They describe only students who sent scores. At NYU, only 10% sent an ACT score.
• The middle 50% is not a cutoff. At Penn, 14% of ACT submitters in the Class of 2030 scored 31 or below.

See the University of Michigan acceptance rate for Michigan's full numbers, and our guide to liberal arts colleges for schools like Williams.

Which colleges require the ACT for fall 2027

For fall 2027 entry, each college's own admissions site says:

• SAT or ACT required: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Cornell and Penn. Penn accepts a hardship waiver. Ohio State requires a test for first-year applicants to its Columbus campus.
• Test-optional: Duke (for the 2026–27 cycle), NYU (through the 2027–28 cycle), USC, Michigan and Williams.
• Test-blind: UCLA.

Ohio State notes that it is "not necessary to submit the optional science section." If you are in 10th or 11th grade, plan as if your top choices require a test.

Test-optional does not mean the weight disappears. Something else in your file must carry it. Show me what can carry it →

How ACT and SAT scores compare

ACT and the College Board publish official concordance tables, last updated in 2018. ACT says they "compare scores but do not predict performance on the other test."

Colleges accept both tests equally, so focus on the one where you score higher. For the SAT side, see what is a good SAT score and the SAT score calculator. If you are a sophomore or junior, the PSAT/NMSQT is also your entry to National Merit; see the PSAT/NMSQT guide.

Should you retake the ACT?

Retesters gain. In the class of 2026, 448,462 students, about 30.6%, took the ACT more than once. Their average Composite rose from 20.7 to 21.8, a gain of 1.1 points, and their average Superscore was 23.1.

Your ACT Superscore is the average of your highest English, math and reading scores across all your test dates, and ACT creates it automatically. Ohio State, NYU and Williams all superscore, so a retest can raise one section without risk to the others.

A simple rule: retake if you are below the 50th percentile of your top choices and have time to prepare. At the 75th percentile, more points add little.

How much does your ACT score matter?

ACT says scores are "only one part of the admissions process," next to grades, course rigor, activities, essays and recommendations. Once your score is in a college's range, readers look at what else you did: the classes you chose, how you used your time and what you can show for it. The score shows you are ready. The rest shows where you are going.

A research project is one way to show it: a question in a field you love, a mentor, and a finished paper you can describe in your essays. See whether research helps college admissions.

Your ACT score gets your application read. Your own work gets it remembered. Send me guidance from PhD mentors at top-20 universities →

Frequently asked questions

What is a good ACT score?

A score at or above the 50th percentile of the colleges you want. Nationally, a 24 or higher put you in about the top 23% of the class of 2026, and a 28 or higher in about the top 11%.

How does ACT scoring work?

You get 1 to 36 in English, math and reading. Your Composite is the rounded average of those three. Science and writing are optional and do not change it.

What is the average ACT score?

19.2 for the class of 2026, down from 19.4 for the classes of 2024 and 2025.

Is a 27 considered a good ACT score?

Yes, nationally: about 13.2% of the class of 2026 scored 27 or higher. It matches about a 1280 SAT and is Ohio State's 25th percentile.

Is 32 ACT good for the Ivy League?

A 32 is in about the top 4.2% of test takers, but below the middle 50% at Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Penn (33 to 35). It is still in play: 30% of Penn's ACT submitters in the Class of 2030 scored 32 to 34. See the Harvard acceptance rate.

Should I retake the ACT if I got a 28?

A 28 beats about 89% of test takers. Retake if your colleges' middle 50% starts above 28 and you can prepare; retesters gained 1.1 points on average.

What's a good ACT and SAT score?

A 30 ACT matches about a 1370 SAT, and a 34 matches about a 1500. Send the test that sits higher in your colleges' ranges.

What is the highest ACT score?

1. In the class of 2026, 3,992 students scored 36, about 0.27% of test takers.

What is the ACT score range?

1 to 36 for the Composite and each section.

Sources

• ACT National Profile Report, Class of 2026 (PDF)
• ACT 2026 Graduating Class Data
• ACT news release, October 14, 2026
• ACT, Understanding Your Scores
• ACT, The ACT Test
• ACT Enhancements (PDF)
• ACT/SAT Concordance Tables
• MIT CDS 2025–26
• Stanford CDS
• Duke CDS 2025–26
• Harvard CDS 2025–26
• Yale CDS 2025–26
• Cornell CDS 2025–26
• Penn Incoming Class Profile
• NYU CDS 2025–26
• USC CDS 2025–26
• Michigan CDS 2025–26
• Williams CDS 2025–26
• Ohio State CDS 2025–26
• Testing policies, fall 2027 entry: MIT · Harvard · Stanford · Yale · Cornell · Penn · Ohio State · Duke · NYU · USC · Michigan · Williams · UCLA

About learnSTEM

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