Is 1230 a Good SAT Score? (2026)

Where a 1230 lands at public universities across the Plains, the South and New England, why 30 more points can change a scholarship, and how to decide between a retake and applying now.

Yes, a 1230 is a good SAT score. It sits at the 84th percentile nationally and the 78th percentile among students who actually take the SAT, so you outscored a little more than three in four recent test takers. It is 185 points above the class of 2026 average of 1045.

A 1230 is also a score that sits right next to several lines. It is at the median at the University of New Hampshire, above the median at Kansas, Nebraska and Texas Tech, and 30 points under the score where UAB's automatic scholarships step up. Below you will see where it is competitive, where it is a reach, and how to decide whether the November or December SAT is worth it.

What Percentile Is a 1230 SAT Score?

Here is how a 1230 compares with nearby scores in the College Board's current percentile tables:

The national percentile compares you with all US 11th and 12th graders, including students who never take the SAT. The user percentile compares you with students who took the SAT and graduated in the past three school years, which is the group admissions offices actually see. By that measure, about 22% of test takers scored higher than you.

Your section scores tell you more than the total. If your 1230 is a 620 in Reading and Writing plus a 610 in Math, both sections sit at the 77th user percentile, so neither one is dragging the other down. If it is lopsided, say 660 and 570, the user percentiles are 86th and 69th, and the lower section is where a retake earns its points. The full chart is in our SAT percentiles guide.

Colleges Where a 1230 Is Competitive

These ranges come from each university's own Common Data Set (section C9) and describe enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores. The year is in the second column, because not every school has posted the same edition.

Two things make this table read differently from the ones on higher-score pages:

• Very few students at these schools send the SAT. At Kansas State and Nebraska about four in five first-years sent the ACT instead, and at New Hampshire and James Madison most sent no score. Only 6.2% of Kansas's enrolled first-years submitted an SAT, 7% at Nebraska, Kansas State and LSU, 16% at James Madison and 19.37% at New Hampshire. Texas Tech is the exception at 34.80%. A small group can move a range a lot from one year to the next, so treat these as a guide, not a cutoff.
• Every school on the list is test-optional, with one condition at LSU. LSU says any first-year applicant whose weighted GPA is below 3.5 is "required to submit either an ACT or SAT score". A 1230 sits just below LSU's median, which is fine when you have to send it. Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State, Texas Tech, New Hampshire and James Madison all let you apply without a score.

Where a 1230 is at or above the median, send it. It is the kind of score that helps a test-optional application rather than hurting it. Our guide on whether to submit your SAT scores walks through the decision school by school.

At some schools a 1230 is above the whole middle 50%. The University of Arkansas reports 1020-1210 for fall 2025 (31.2% submitted), and Mississippi State reports 1000-1230, so a 1230 is right at its 75th percentile. Those are strong positions if either school is on your list.

Reach Schools With a 1230

Above this tier, a 1230 falls below the 25th percentile:

• Auburn University. Auburn's 2025-26 Common Data Set reports 1280-1370 for fall 2025 enrolled students who sent the SAT (19% of the class). A 1230 is 50 points under the low end, and Auburn requires an SAT or ACT score, so you cannot leave it off.
• University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB reports 1250-1420 (median 1340), but only 5% of the class, 117 students, sent an SAT. Its scholarship tables matter more to a 1230 than its range does, as the next section shows.
• Flagships with ranges starting near 1300, where a 1230 is a reach on the score alone. Our 1280 SAT guide covers that band.

A reach is not a no, and at a test-optional school you can leave a below-range score off the application. But if you plan to send a 1230 everywhere, build the list around schools where it is at or above the median.

Does a 1230 Qualify for Scholarships?

Yes, and the details are unusually specific at this score.

UAB's automatic merit awards. The University of Alabama at Birmingham publishes its 2027-2028 freshman scholarship tables for in-state and out-of-state students by test score and GPA. A 1230 falls in the 1160-1250 band. The next band starts at 1260:

For an out-of-state applicant with a 3.5 GPA, 30 more points is worth $8,000 a year at the listed amounts. Two rules matter before you plan around it: UAB says it does not consider superscores for admission or scholarships, so the 1260 has to come from one test date, and the last SAT it counts for automatic merit is December of senior year for Alabama residents and March for out-of-state students.

Georgia's Zell Miller Scholarship. If you are a Georgia student, a 1230 already clears the test requirement. The Georgia Student Finance Commission lists a minimum SAT of 1200 (or a 25 on the ACT), earned on a single national administration before high school graduation, plus a 3.7 HOPE GPA and at least four rigor credits. The single-sitting rule is the catch: a superscore made of two different dates does not count, so check that your 1230 came from one test. GSFC also notes that a student who misses Zell Miller at graduation cannot gain it later in college.

Florida students should compare their score with the Bright Futures lines in our Bright Futures SAT score guide. In other states, look for automatic award tables on each college's scholarship page: they are often keyed to exact score bands, like UAB's, and a band edge is the best reason there is to retake.

Should You Retake the SAT With a 1230?

At 1230, a retake should target a specific line, not a vague "higher":

• Applying to UAB with a 3.0 GPA or higher: retake. The 1260 band is 30 points away on a single test date, and it raises the award at every GPA level.
• Applying where 1230 is at or above the median (Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State, Texas Tech, New Hampshire): your score already helps. Time spent on essays and grades will probably do more.
• Applying where 1230 is just under the median (LSU, James Madison): a retake to 1270 or higher puts you above the median at both. Worth it if the school is a top choice.
• Georgia student who needs Zell Miller: you have the test score already, as long as it came from one sitting. Retake only for admissions or another scholarship.

On timing: if you took the October 3 SAT, your scores arrive on Friday, October 16. The next test dates are November 7 (register by October 23, late registration through October 27; scores November 20) and December 5 (register by November 20, late registration through November 24; scores December 18), per the College Board's test calendar. December 5 is also the last SAT UAB counts for in-state automatic scholarships.

One more decision comes before your scores do. Each registration includes four free score reports if you order them by 9 days after the test date, and additional reports cost $15 each, according to the College Board's fee page. For November 7 that window ends November 16 and for December 5 it ends December 14, both before scores come out. If your list is all test-optional schools where a lower score would hurt, it can be worth paying $15 later to send only after you see the result. Our guide to SAT superscoring explains how colleges combine your sittings.

How to Go From 1230 to 1300

Seventy points means roughly 35 per section if you split it evenly, which our estimate puts at a handful of questions per section.

1. Protect the first module. The digital SAT is adaptive: how you do on the first module of each section sets the difficulty of the second. Careless misses early cost more than they look, so slow down on the first 10 questions of each module.
2. In Math, own linear equations, systems and percentages. These show up across both modules and are learnable in a few focused sessions. Use the built-in Desmos calculator to check systems and graph equations instead of solving everything by hand.
3. In Reading and Writing, take the rule-based points first. Punctuation, verb agreement and transitions each have one correct answer once you know the rule. They are the fastest points at 1230.
4. Keep an error log for two weeks. Write down every miss with the reason: did not know it, misread it, or ran out of time. If the misread pile is the biggest, the fix is slower reading on the first pass, not more content review.
5. Take one full Bluebook practice test before your next test date under real timing, then review every miss.

For short daily practice between full tests, Larry Learns has quick SAT quizzes drawn from 25,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions. The free plan includes 3 quizzes a day, and the app tracks your progress and a score estimate on web, iPhone and Android.

1230 SAT: Where It Fits

• You scored higher than about 78% of recent SAT takers and 84% of all US 11th and 12th graders.
• A 1230 concords to a 26 on the ACT in the official ACT/SAT concordance.
• You are at the median at New Hampshire, above it at Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas Tech, and just under it at LSU and James Madison.
• You are 30 points under UAB's 1260 scholarship band and 30 points over Georgia's Zell Miller SAT minimum.

For the neighboring bands, see our guides to a 1200 and a 1250 SAT score.

Frequently Asked Questions About a 1230 SAT Score

Is 1230 a good SAT score?

Yes. A 1230 is at the 84th percentile nationally and the 78th among SAT takers, 185 points above the class of 2026 average of 1045. It is at or above the median at several public universities, including New Hampshire, Kansas and Nebraska.

What ACT score is a 1230 SAT equal to?

The official ACT/SAT concordance matches a 1230 SAT to a 26 on the ACT. That is one point above the ACT 25 Georgia uses as the Zell Miller equivalent of a 1200 SAT.

Is 1230 good enough for the Zell Miller Scholarship?

On the test requirement, yes: Zell Miller asks for at least a 1200 SAT from a single national test date, so a 1230 from one sitting qualifies. You also need a 3.7 HOPE GPA and four rigor credits, and the score must be earned before you graduate.

Should I send a 1230 to a test-optional college?

Send it where it is at or above the school's median, such as Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State or Texas Tech. At a test-optional school where 1230 is below the 25th percentile, it usually helps more to apply without it. Auburn requires a score, so there a retake is the lever.

How many points do I need to gain from a 1230?

It depends on the line you are aiming for. Thirty points (to 1260) moves you into UAB's next scholarship band, and 40 points (to 1270) puts you above the median at both LSU and James Madison. Seventy points (to 1300) moves you from the 78th to the 85th user percentile.

Ready to push past 1230? Take a free SAT practice quiz to see which section has the easiest points, or create a free account to track your score estimate before the November or December test.