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

Last updated: November 5, 2026

A good SAT score is one that puts you in or above the middle 50% range of the colleges you want. As a national benchmark, the College Board's 2026 report shows an average (mean) score of 1045 for the class of 2026. A 1220 put you in the top quarter of test takers, and a 1400 or higher put you in about the top 9%. At the most selective colleges, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between about 1440 and 1570. Below you will find the College Board's own numbers, what each score range means, and the score targets at 12 top colleges, taken from their own reports.

A strong score shows you can do the work. A research project shows what you do when no one sets the test. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

The average SAT score in 2026

The College Board's 2026 SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report covers the 1,954,833 students in the class of 2026 who took the SAT at least once in high school. If a student took the test more than once, the report counts only the most recent score.

Average total score: 1045
Average Reading and Writing score: 528
Average Math score: 517
Median (50th percentile): 1030
25th percentile: 870
75th percentile: 1220

The College Board says scores rose for the second year in a row.

The average hides two very different groups:

Students who took the SAT only on a school day: 968,119 students, average 909. Many states give the SAT to every junior during the school day, so this group includes students who never planned to apply to a selective college.
Students who took the SAT only on a weekend: 692,135 students, average 1179. These students chose to register and test on their own.

That is a 270-point gap. If you plan to apply to selective colleges, the weekend group is a closer comparison than the national average.

SAT score range: what each band means

The SAT total runs from 400 to 1600. It is the sum of two section scores, Reading and Writing and Math, and each section runs from 200 to 800.

How the class of 2026 spread across the score bands (our calculation from the College Board's counts):

1400 to 1600: 167,152 students, about 8.6%
1200 to 1390: 377,381 students, about 19.3%
1000 to 1190: 549,902 students, about 28.1%
800 to 990: 562,438 students, about 28.8%
600 to 790: 251,378 students, about 12.9%
400 to 590: 46,582 students, about 2.4%

About 27.9% of test takers scored 1200 or higher.

The College Board also sets College and Career Readiness Benchmarks: 480 in Reading and Writing and 530 in Math. A student who meets a benchmark has about a 75% chance of earning at least a C in a first-semester college course in that area. In the class of 2026, 42% met both benchmarks and 69% met at least one.

The highest SAT score

The highest SAT score is 1600: 800 in each section. In the class of 2026, 691 students scored 1600. That is about 0.04% of test takers, or about 1 in every 2,829. For every perfect score, about 242 students scored 1400 or higher.

You do not need a 1600 for any college. At the most selective schools below, the 25th percentile of enrolled students sits between 1440 and 1520. One in four of those students scored at or below that number.

To see what your own section scores add up to, and where they fall, use the SAT score calculator.

The top 9% of test takers all have strong scores. A finished research project, guided one-on-one by a PhD mentor, is something few of them can show. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

SAT score targets by college

Colleges report the middle 50% of SAT scores for their enrolled students in their Common Data Set (CDS), section C9. A quarter of students scored below the low number and a quarter above the high number. Below are the newest official ranges:

Stanford: 1520 to 1570 (fall 2025 CDS). See the Stanford acceptance rate.
MIT: 1520 to 1570 (fall 2025 CDS). See the MIT acceptance rate.
Duke: 1510 to 1570 (fall 2025 CDS). See the Duke acceptance rate.
Columbia: 1510 to 1560 (fall 2025 CDS)
Princeton: 1490 to 1560 (fall 2025 CDS)
Yale: 1480 to 1560 (fall 2025 CDS)
Cornell: 1490 to 1550 (fall 2025 CDS)
Brown: 1470 to 1550 (fall 2025 CDS)
Dartmouth: 1440 to 1550 (fall 2025 CDS)
Penn: 1440 to 1550 (Class of 2030 profile). See the UPenn acceptance rate.
NYU: 1480 to 1550 (fall 2025 CDS). See the NYU acceptance rate.
USC: 1470 to 1540 (fall 2026 profile). See the USC acceptance rate.

Harvard reports section ranges but no total range: 720 to 770 in Reading and Writing and 730 to 790 in Math (fall 2025 CDS). See the Harvard acceptance rate.

Two notes help you read these ranges:

They describe only students who sent scores. At test-optional schools, fewer students submit. In fall 2025, 27% of NYU's enrolled students submitted SAT scores. At MIT, which requires a test, 83% did.
The middle 50% is not a cutoff. None of these colleges sets a minimum score. Brown, for example, says "a score that may be below our average test ranges should not deter a student from applying."

A practical way to set your target:

Find the range for each college on your list.
Aim for the 50th percentile or higher at your top choices. At that level, your score supports your application instead of raising a question.
If you are below the 25th percentile at a test-optional school, compare your score with its range before you decide to send it.

For how these colleges compare on acceptance rates, see the Ivy League schools.

Which colleges require the SAT

For students who apply in 2026–27 for fall 2027 entry, each college's own admissions site says:

SAT or ACT required: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Penn, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell. Dartmouth also accepts other exams from students at schools outside the U.S.
Test-optional: Princeton and Columbia. Both say they will require the SAT or ACT for students who apply for fall 2028 entry.
Test-optional: Duke, NYU and USC. NYU says it stays test-optional through the 2027–28 cycle. USC says students who apply without scores "will not be disadvantaged."

If you are in 10th or 11th grade now, plan as if your top choices require a test.

At a test-optional college, the rest of your application carries more weight. A research project you own gives it real substance. Learn how the program works →

How much does your SAT score matter?

Your score is one factor. Colleges say so directly in their Common Data Sets (section C7). Duke rates test scores as "considered," below grades, rigor and character. USC also rates them as "considered." Even test-required schools review the whole application. Brown calls test scores "a single factor among the many we consider."

Once your score is in a college's range, more points add little. The admissions readers then look at what else you did: the classes you chose, how you used your time, and what you can show for it. That is where most applicants with similar scores differ.

A strong score and a strong story work together:

The score shows readiness. You can handle college-level work.
The story shows direction. You know what interests you and you followed it.

A research project is one way to build that story. You pick a question in a field you like, work with a mentor and finish with a paper you can describe in your essays. For more, see whether research helps college admissions. For the essay side, see the Common App essay prompts.

Your score gets your application read. Your work makes it memorable. Explore a field you love, one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Frequently asked questions

What is a good SAT score? A score at or above the 50th percentile of the colleges you want. Nationally, 1220 put you in the top quarter of the class of 2026 and 1400 put you in about the top 9%.

What is the average SAT score? 1045 for the class of 2026: 528 in Reading and Writing and 517 in Math. The median was 1030.

Is 1210 a good SAT score? Yes, nationally. It is 180 points above the median of 1030 and just below the 75th percentile of 1220. At the most selective colleges, it is below the middle 50% range.

How good is a 1500 SAT score? Very good. It is inside the 1400 to 1600 band that only about 8.6% of the class of 2026 reached. It also falls inside the middle 50% range at most of the colleges above.

Will a 1500 SAT get me into Harvard? No score guarantees admission. Harvard reports section ranges of 720 to 770 and 730 to 790 for its fall 2025 class. A 1500 is competitive on paper, but Harvard decides on the whole application. See how to get into Harvard.

What is the highest SAT score? 1600. In the class of 2026, 691 students scored 1600, about 0.04% of test takers.

What is the SAT score range? 400 to 1600 in total, from two sections that each run from 200 to 800.

How many students take the SAT? 1,954,833 students in the class of 2026 took the SAT at least once. About 65% of them took it at least once on a school day.

Sources

About learnSTEM

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