Is 1250 a Good SAT Score? (2026)

Where a 1250 lands at public universities, which schools now require scores, and whether a fall retake is worth it.

Yes, a 1250 is a good SAT score. It sits at the 86th percentile nationally and the 80th percentile among students who actually take the SAT, so you outscored about four out of five recent test takers. That is roughly 220 points above the class of 2025 average of 1029.

What makes 1250 interesting is where it lands on college lists. At many large public universities it is right in the middle of the range. At a handful of popular public universities it sits almost exactly at the 25th percentile, the line where a score stops helping and starts being neutral. This guide shows which schools are which, and whether a retake this fall is worth your time.

What Percentile Is a 1250 SAT Score?

Here is how a 1250 compares with nearby scores in the College Board's current percentile tables. The user percentile compares you with SAT takers from the last three graduating classes; the national percentile compares you with all US 11th and 12th graders.

A 1250 puts you in the top fifth of SAT takers. If you just received September scores, your 2026-27 report shows a slightly different figure called the All Tester Percentile, based on the past three cohorts of 12th-grade SAT takers (per the College Board's Fall 2026 Understanding Scores guide). It may not match this table exactly. For every score from 400 to 1600, see our SAT percentiles guide.

Colleges Where a 1250 Is Competitive

These middle-50% ranges come from each university's own Common Data Set (section C9) and describe enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores:

Read the table top to bottom and you can see the pattern. At Temple, Arizona, and Utah, a 1250 is above the median and works in your favor. At Cincinnati and Iowa State it is squarely typical. At Delaware, Miami, and Clemson it is on the low edge of the range, so it will not hurt you, but it will not do much lifting either.

Keep in mind that these ranges describe only students who sent the SAT, and at many schools that is a minority (for example, 9% of Cincinnati's entering class and 38% of Clemson's). Students who send scores to test-optional schools tend to be the higher scorers, which pushes the published ranges up. If you scored a bit lower, see our guide to a 1200 SAT score.

Reach Schools With a 1250 (and Two That Now Require Scores)

Two popular Southern public universities have ranges that start just above 1250, and both now require an ACT or SAT score from fall 2027 applicants:

• University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2025-26 middle 50%: 1280-1380). UT says all first-year applicants must self-report ACT or SAT scores by January 20, 2027.
• Auburn University (2025-26 middle 50%: 1280-1370). Auburn states that a student must have ACT or SAT scores on file for a complete application.

At both schools, a 1250 is 30 points below the 25th percentile, and you cannot simply leave it off. That makes them the clearest case for a retake: a gain of even 50 points moves you from below the range into it. The most selective universities, whose ranges start in the 1400s or higher, remain long reaches at 1250; our 1300 SAT score guide covers the next rung up.

Does a 1250 Qualify for Scholarships?

A 1250 clears some well-known thresholds and falls just short of others:

• Florida Bright Futures. For 2026-27 graduates, Florida Medallion Scholars requires a 1190 SAT and Florida Academic Scholars requires a 1330, along with GPA and service-hour requirements (Florida Department of Education). A 1250 clears Medallion with room to spare and sits 80 points below Academic Scholars. If you graduate in 2027-28, the bars rise to 1200 and 1350. Details are in our Bright Futures SAT guide.
• University merit awards. Many public universities publish automatic scholarships tied to SAT and GPA. Because a 1250 often sits near the middle of a school's range, it can land in a lower or middle award tier, and the next tier is sometimes 50 to 100 points away. Check the exact cutoffs on each school's scholarship page.
• Test-optional schools that still use scores for money. Even where admission is test-optional, some scholarship programs look at scores. If a school's page says scores are considered for merit aid, a 1250 is usually worth sending.

Should You Retake the SAT With a 1250?

It depends on the schools and the money on your list:

• Your schools look like Temple, Arizona, Utah, or Cincinnati: you are already at or above the median. A retake is optional.
• Your schools look like Delaware, Miami, or Clemson: a retake is worth considering. Moving from the 25th percentile toward the median makes your score an asset instead of a neutral.
• You are applying to Tennessee or Auburn, or you are 80 points from Bright Futures Academic Scholars: a retake is the best use of your next few weeks.

If your 1250 came from the September 12 test, scores came out September 25. Registration for October 3 closed on September 22, and one week is too short to prepare anyway. The realistic options are November 7 (register by October 23, late by October 27; scores November 20) and December 5 (register by November 20, late by November 24; scores December 18), per the College Board's test calendar. If you are applying early, check whether each school accepts November or December scores for that round.

The College Board says most students score higher the second time, and you can take the SAT as many times as you like. Many colleges also superscore the SAT, so improving one section can be enough.

How to Go From 1250 to 1350

A 1250 usually means strong fundamentals with a few recurring leaks. A 100-point gain is about 50 points per section, which is realistic in six to ten weeks of steady work.

1. Find your leaks with the score report. The Knowledge and Skills section rates you across eight content domains. At 1250, a few domains often account for most missed questions.
2. Win the second module. The digital SAT adapts by module: how you do in the first module of each section decides whether the second is harder or easier. Careless misses early on cap your score, so slow down on the first module's easier questions.
3. Drill the harder Math. Nonlinear functions, systems, and multi-step word problems tend to separate a 620 Math from a 670. Work them until the setup feels automatic.
4. Tighten Reading and Writing. Transitions, rhetorical synthesis, and punctuation rules are learnable and show up every test.
5. Take a full-length practice test in Bluebook about a week before test day, then review every miss. College Board's official practice with Khan Academy is also free.

For short daily sets you can do on your phone, Larry Learns has SAT practice quizzes with explanations; the free plan covers 3 quizzes and 3 AI explanations a day.

1250 SAT: Where It Fits

• You scored higher than about 80% of recent SAT takers and 86% of all US 11th and 12th graders.
• A 1250 concords to a 26 on the ACT under the official ACT/SAT concordance (see our ACT to SAT conversion chart).
• You are at or above the median at many large public universities and on the low edge at a few selective public universities.
• You clear Bright Futures Medallion but not Academic Scholars.

A 1250 is a score you can send with confidence to most of the schools where it fits. Whether to chase 1300 or 1350 comes down to a few specific schools and scholarships, not to the score being weak.

Frequently Asked Questions About a 1250 SAT Score

Is 1250 a good SAT score?

Yes. A 1250 is at the 86th percentile nationally and the 80th among SAT takers, about 220 points above the class of 2025 average of 1029. It is competitive at many public universities and near the 25th percentile at some selective public universities.

What colleges can I get into with a 1250 SAT?

A 1250 is within the middle 50% at schools like Temple, Arizona, Utah, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Delaware, Miami University, and Clemson. At Tennessee and Auburn, whose ranges start at 1280, it is slightly below the typical submitter.

What ACT score is a 1250 SAT equal to?

The official ACT/SAT concordance matches a 1250 to an ACT composite of 26. SAT totals from 1230 to 1250 all concord to a 26.

Is 1250 good enough for Bright Futures?

For Medallion Scholars, yes: 2026-27 graduates need a 1190. For Academic Scholars, no: that tier requires a 1330, so a 1250 is 80 points short. Both tiers also have GPA and service-hour requirements, and for 2027-28 graduates the SAT bars rise to 1200 and 1350.

Should I retake the SAT with a 1250?

Retake if your schools' 25th percentiles are at or above 1250, if a school like Tennessee or Auburn requires scores, or if a scholarship tier is within reach. Otherwise a 1250 is already a solid score to send.

How much better is a 1300 than a 1250?

A 1300 is at the 85th user percentile versus the 80th for a 1250. The bigger difference is at schools like Tennessee, Auburn, and Clemson, where 50 points moves you from the edge of the range to comfortably inside it.

Ready to push past 1250? Take a free SAT practice quiz to find your leaks, or create a free account to track your progress toward test day.