Last Updated: April 14, 2026
Key Takeaways
- A good SAT score is any score at or above the 75th percentile of your target college, not a single national number.
- By national benchmarks: 1100 is above average, 1200 is above the 75th percentile, 1300 is top 15 percent, and 1500 is top 2 percent.
- For the Ivy League and equivalent schools, the middle-50 runs roughly 1470 to 1580.
- For strong state flagships like Michigan, UT Austin, or UNC, the middle-50 typically runs 1360 to 1530.
- For most regional universities, anything above the national mean of 1029 is competitive, and a 1200 is strong.
The Honest Answer to "What Is a Good SAT Score?"
A good SAT score is the score that gets you into the schools you want to attend. There is no national cutoff that defines "good" in a universal sense. A 1350 is overkill for some state universities and underqualified for MIT.
Still, almost everyone benefits from a rough framework. Here is how to benchmark yourself:
- Find the middle 50 percent range for admitted students at each school on your list. It is published on every college's common data set.
- Set your target at or above the 75th percentile of your dream school. That is where the SAT stops being a weakness in your application.
- Set your floor at or above the 25th percentile of your reach schools. Below that, the SAT starts costing you admission probability.
Everything else in this guide flows from that logic. The rest fills in the specifics.
National SAT Score Benchmarks
Per College Board's class-of-2025 data, the national average is 1029, with a 521 Reading and Writing mean and a 508 Math mean. Source: College Board Newsroom. Here is how common scores stack up against actual SAT takers.
For the complete chart, see our SAT percentile chart.
Is 1100 a Good SAT Score?
Yes, with caveats. An 1100 is at the 63rd SAT user percentile, which means you scored higher than roughly 63 percent of recent test takers. That is solidly above average.
An 1100 opens doors at most regional state universities, many private liberal arts colleges, and a large share of non-flagship publics. It is not competitive at top-50 schools or strong flagships, where the 25th percentile is usually 1250 or higher.
If you are 9 to 12 months from applying with an 1100, the fastest path forward is structured Math practice. The middle of the scoring curve moves quickly, and 100 points is a realistic 8- to 12-week goal for most students at this score range. Our adaptive SAT practice platform surfaces your weakest domains and tracks your progress over time.
Is 1200 a Good SAT Score?
Yes. A 1200 sits at the 76th SAT user percentile, meaning you outscored about three in four recent test takers. That is a clearly good score and well above the national mean of 1029.
A 1200 is competitive at:
- Most regional public universities in every state
- Strong private colleges with acceptance rates of 40 percent or higher
- Honors programs at non-flagship public universities
- Many scholarship-tier programs at regional schools
A 1200 is below the 25th percentile at most top-30 universities. If those are on your list, the realistic goal is 1350 or higher. For context on what counts as truly standout, compare to our highest SAT score guide.
Is 1300 a Good SAT Score?
Very much yes. A 1300 is at the 87th SAT user percentile, top 15 percent. You beat about six out of seven test takers.
A 1300 is competitive at:
- Many state flagships (25th percentile is near 1300 at schools like Penn State, Ohio State, and UW-Madison, depending on the year)
- Most selective liberal arts colleges
- Strong second-tier private universities
- Significant merit scholarship conversations at schools ranked 50-100
A 1300 is still below the 25th percentile at Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT, and equivalent peers. For that tier, a 1500 is the informal floor.
Is 1400 a Good SAT Score?
Excellent. A 1400 is at the 93rd SAT user percentile. Only about 7 percent of recent test takers score higher.
A 1400 puts you in range for:
- Flagship state universities like UMich (middle-50 roughly 1360-1530) or UNC
- Selective private universities like NYU (middle-50 roughly 1480-1550) at the lower end
- Top-50 universities broadly, where 1400 is near or just below the 25th percentile
- Merit scholarship cutoffs at many strong schools
A 1400 is still short of the middle-50 range at the Ivy League and equivalent schools, where admitted students cluster in the 1500s.
Is 1500 a Good SAT Score?
Outstanding. A 1500 is at the 98th SAT user percentile. You beat 98 percent of recent test takers.
A 1500 lands you inside the middle-50 at essentially every Ivy League school and most of their peers. Harvard, MIT, and Stanford admit students with middle-50 ranges around 1500 to 1580. A 1500 is not a guarantee at those schools (acceptance rates in the 3-to-7 percent range mean the test score is only part of the story), but it is a score that does not cost you admission.
Good SAT Score by College Tier
Here are approximate middle-50 ranges for major tiers of schools, based on the most recently published admitted-student data. These are not admission guarantees; they are calibration benchmarks.
Note that UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles are test-blind. They do not consider SAT scores at all, even if you submit them. Some Ivies (Columbia is permanently test-optional) have shifting policies, so always check current year requirements.
Good SAT Score by Section
Total score is what colleges report, but section scores matter for course placement and STEM-heavy programs. A few rules of thumb:
- 700-plus EBRW is a strong signal for humanities-leaning applicants and writing-heavy majors.
- 700-plus Math is often treated as a near-floor for engineering programs at selective universities. MIT, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon admit few engineering students below 740 Math.
- Section-balanced scores (within 50-70 points across sections) are slightly preferred at liberal arts colleges, where balance is read as well-roundedness.
- Unbalanced scores are fine when your intended major matches the higher section. A 790 Math with a 650 EBRW is a strong profile for a computer science applicant.
Deep dives: Average SAT Math score and SAT Writing score.
Setting Your Personal Target Score
A four-step process that works for most students:
- List your schools. Five to eight is a realistic working list. Include two reaches, three matches, and two safeties.
- Pull each school's middle-50 SAT. Find it on the common data set or the college's admissions page. For test-optional schools, use the score ranges of admitted students who submitted scores.
- Set your target at the 75th percentile of your dream school. This is your stretch goal. At or above this, you neutralize the SAT as an admissions factor.
- Set your floor at the 25th percentile of your reach schools. Below this, the SAT starts hurting you at those schools.
Run the math with our SAT score calculator to model different section combinations against your target total.
Test-Optional Schools Changed What "Good" Means
Between 2020 and 2024, most selective U.S. colleges went test-optional. Since then, several have reinstated the SAT or ACT requirement (MIT, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale among them), while others remain optional or test-flexible.
Practical implications:
- At test-optional schools, only submit scores above the 50th percentile. Below that, your score is likely to hurt you more than help.
- At test-required schools, any applicant needs to submit. Your score's relative competitiveness is the 25th percentile of admitted students.
- Middle-50 ranges at test-optional schools are inflated because weaker scorers stop submitting. The reported ranges reflect only admitted students who chose to submit.
Frequently Asked Questions About a Good SAT Score
What is considered a good SAT score in 2026?
A good SAT score is context-dependent, but nationally anything above 1200 puts you in the top 25 percent of test takers and is competitive at most four-year universities. A 1400 is strong for selective schools and a 1500 is Ivy-range.
Is 1100 a good SAT score?
Yes. An 1100 is at the 63rd percentile, above the 1029 national mean. It is competitive at most regional state universities but below the 25th percentile at top-50 schools.
Is 1200 a good SAT score?
Yes. A 1200 is at the 76th percentile and outscores three out of four SAT takers. It is competitive at most state flagships and strong regional privates.
Is 1300 a good SAT score?
Yes, very good. A 1300 is at the 87th percentile (top 15 percent) and is in range at many state flagships and selective privates outside the top tier.
Is 1400 a good SAT score?
A 1400 is excellent, at the 93rd percentile. It is competitive for top-50 universities and approaching the bottom of the middle-50 range at some Ivy-adjacent schools.
Is 1500 a good SAT score?
Outstanding. A 1500 is at the 98th percentile and inside the middle-50 range at every Ivy League school and their peers.
What SAT score do I need for the Ivy League?
Middle-50 ranges at Ivy schools run roughly 1470 to 1580. To be inside the typical admitted-student pool, a 1500 is the informal floor, and 1530 or higher is safer. Note that a high SAT alone does not get you in.
What SAT score do I need for most state schools?
Most regional state universities have middle-50 ranges between 1000 and 1200. A 1100 or higher is typically competitive. Flagship state universities usually sit in the 1200 to 1500 range.
Should I retake the SAT if I got a 1300?
It depends on your target list. If your goal schools have middle-50 ranges above 1350, retaking is usually worth it. Below that, your time might be better spent strengthening other parts of your application. See our SAT maxxing guide for how to decide.
What is the minimum SAT score for a four-year college?
There is no national minimum. Many open-admissions four-year schools accept applicants with any score. Selective schools publish their own middle-50 ranges; the 25th percentile of your list gives you the working floor.
