Is 17 a Good ACT Score? (2026)

A 17 is a slightly below-average ACT score: 47% of recent test takers scored 17 or lower, and the national average composite is 19.4. It is in range at some open-access public universities and clears a few state aid minimums, but it sits below the typical enrolled student at many four-year schools.

So is 17 a good ACT score? Honestly, it's a little under the middle. On ACT's current national ranks a 17 lands at the 47th percentile, about two and a half points below the 19.4 average for the class of 2025, and it lines up with about a 930 on the SAT. That doesn't make it a dead end. A 17 is inside the middle 50% at several regional public universities, and it sits on the steepest part of the scale, where two more points move you past roughly one in ten test takers.

What Percentile Is a 17 ACT Score?

ACT's 2026-2027 National Ranks place a 17 composite at the 47th percentile. That means 47% of recent high school graduates who took the ACT scored 17 or lower. These are the ranks printed as "US Rank" on score reports during ACT's 2026-2027 reporting year (September 2026 through August 2027), and they're based on ACT-tested graduates of 2024, 2025, and 2026. The SAT column comes from the official ACT/College Board concordance.

Two things stand out. First, a 17 is one point shy of the middle: an 18 is the first score that passes half of test takers (52nd percentile). Second, this stretch of the scale is steep. Going from 17 to 19 moves you 11 percentile points, from the 47th to the 58th, and a 20 puts you at the 63rd. Near the top of the scale, two points barely move your rank at all.

The national average composite for the class of 2025 was 19.4, according to ACT's class of 2025 national report. ACT had not published class of 2026 results when we checked on October 1, 2026, so 19.4 is still the latest official figure. For every score from 1 to 36, see our ACT percentiles chart and our breakdown of the average ACT score.

What a 17 Means on the Enhanced ACT

On the enhanced ACT, your composite is the average of three sections: English, Math, and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number. Science is optional. If you take it, you get a separate Science score and a STEM score, but neither changes your composite (ACT, Understanding Your Scores).

So a 17 means your three section scores add up to 50, 51, or 52. That could be an even 17-17-17, or something lopsided like 21 English, 15 Math, 16 Reading. The split matters more than the composite when you plan your next move, because ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks are set section by section:

A benchmark is the score that gives you about a 50% chance of earning a B or better, and roughly a 75-80% chance of a C or better, in that first-year course. Meeting all three composite-section benchmarks at their minimums takes 18 + 22 + 22 = 62 points, and a 17 composite tops out at 52. So with a 17 you are below at least one benchmark, and often two. That is far more common than it sounds: in the class of 2025, only 50% of ACT-tested graduates met the English benchmark, 39% met Reading, and 29% met Math.

Your section ranks tell a similar story. A 17 in English is the 50th percentile, a 17 in Math is the 53rd, and a 17 in Reading is the 42nd, so the same number means something a little different in each section.

Colleges Where a 17 ACT Is in Range

A 17 fits best at open-access and regional public universities, especially in states where most students take the ACT. Each range below comes from the school's own 2025-2026 Common Data Set (section C9) and describes first-year students who enrolled in fall 2025 and submitted ACT scores:

Read these ranges with some care. They describe only the students who sent scores. At Cameron that was 73% of new first-year students and at Rogers State 79%, so those ranges cover most of the class. At Kentucky State only 18% submitted an ACT (75 students), so its range says little about the students who applied without one.

At many larger state universities, including many flagships, a 17 falls below the 25th percentile of enrolled students who submitted scores. If one of those is on your list, a strong GPA plus a retake will do more for you than the 17 on its own, and a test-optional application may be the better route where it is offered. Our guides to a 19 ACT and a 20 ACT show how the college list widens with each extra point.

Scholarships and a 17 ACT

A 17 won't trigger automatic merit awards at most universities, but it does clear a few state program minimums. These are the ones we verified on each state agency's own page:

• Louisiana TOPS Tech Award: requires a minimum ACT of 17 (or a Silver level score on ACT WorkKeys) plus a 2.50 TOPS core GPA. It pays toward up to two years of skill or occupational training, and TOPS does not accept an ACT superscore (LOSFA). A 17 is exactly the minimum.
• Kentucky KEES bonus award: an ACT composite of 15 or higher earns a bonus on top of the GPA-based award, as long as you earn at least a 2.75 GPA in a year of high school. A 17 is worth $107 for each year of college, and the amount rises with every point up to 28 (KHEAA).
• Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG): entering freshmen need a minimum 15 on the ACT and a 2.5 high school GPA. The grant is up to $500 a year for freshmen and sophomores, and ACT superscores are accepted (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid).

A 17 falls short of some better-known lines. Arkansas's Academic Challenge Scholarship lists an ACT of 19 as the qualifying score for students with a high school GPA below 3.00 (Arkansas Division of Higher Education). Louisiana's TOPS Opportunity Award needs at least a 20 (LOSFA). Tennessee's HOPE Scholarship takes a 21 ACT or a 3.0 GPA, so a student with a 17 can still qualify through grades (College for TN). Each program has other conditions, and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you count on an award.

Should You Retake the ACT With a 17?

For most students, yes. A 17 is on the part of the curve where small gains travel far, and ACT reports that students who take the test more than once raise their superscore by an average of 2.4 points (ACT, 2025 graduating class data). A retake is especially worth it if:

• A school on your list has a 25th percentile of 18 or higher.
• You're within reach of a scholarship line, like the Arkansas Academic Challenge score of 19 or the TOPS Opportunity minimum of 20.
• One section is well below the others. Raising your weakest section is usually the quickest way to lift the average.

Some colleges superscore, combining your best section scores across test dates. Our ACT superscore guide explains how that works. Keep in mind that Louisiana TOPS and Tennessee HOPE do not accept ACT superscores, so those need a single-test composite.

Upcoming ACT Test Dates for a Retake

If you took the September 19 ACT, ACT lists October 6 as the score release date. The late registration deadline for the October 17 test (September 29) has already passed. ACT lets you request standby testing for that date until October 12, but seats are not guaranteed, so the next dependable options are December and February (ACT test dates):

December gives you about ten weeks to prepare, which is enough for a focused two-to-three point push. Before you register, check each college's score deadline. December scores arrive after the common November 1 and November 15 early application deadlines, so they mostly help with regular decision applications and later scholarship deadlines.

How to Turn a 17 Into a 19 or 20

Moving from 17 to 19 means adding about four to six points across your three section scores. That usually comes from fixing repeat mistakes, not from learning a mountain of new material:

1. Start from your section scores. Find the section furthest below its benchmark and spend most of your time there.
2. Learn the rules that repeat. Commas, apostrophes, and sentence boundaries on ACT English, and percentages, ratios, and linear equations on ACT Math, show up on every test, so each rule you lock in keeps paying off.
3. Answer every question. There's no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a bubble blank. If time is running out, guess on what's left.
4. Practice on the clock. English gives you 35 minutes for 50 questions and Math gives you 50 minutes for 45, so pacing is a skill of its own.
5. Review every miss. Write down why you missed it. After a few practice sets, your three or four recurring error types will be obvious.

For the bigger picture on target scores by college type, see our good ACT score guide. And if you're wondering how low the scale really goes, our lowest ACT score guide covers the floor.

Frequently Asked Questions About a 17 ACT Score

Is 17 a good ACT score?

A 17 is slightly below average. It's at the 47th percentile on ACT's 2026-2027 national ranks and about two and a half points under the 19.4 national average for the class of 2025. It's in range at some open-access regional universities and below range at many flagships.

What percentile is a 17 on the ACT?

A 17 composite is the 47th percentile, meaning 47% of recent ACT-tested graduates scored 17 or lower. That rank appears on score reports from September 2026 through August 2027.

What SAT score is equal to a 17 ACT?

On the official ACT/College Board concordance, a 17 ACT corresponds to a 930 SAT, within a range of 920 to 950. Our ACT to SAT conversion chart covers every score.

Can I get into college with a 17 ACT?

Yes. A 17 is inside the middle 50% of enrolled students who submitted scores at Cameron University (15–20), Kentucky State University (15–24), and Rogers State University (17–22), based on their 2025-2026 Common Data Sets. Many colleges are also test-optional, and your GPA will carry a lot of weight either way.

Does the Science section count toward a 17 composite?

No. On the enhanced ACT, the composite is the rounded average of English, Math, and Reading. Science is optional and reported separately, along with a STEM score.

Is a 17 ACT good enough for scholarships?

For a few state programs. A 17 meets the ACT minimum for Louisiana's TOPS Tech Award and Mississippi's MTAG, and it earns a $107 yearly KEES bonus in Kentucky. It is short of the 19 on Arkansas's Academic Challenge test route, the 20 for TOPS Opportunity, and the 21 that Tennessee HOPE accepts in place of a 3.0 GPA.

Want to see which section is costing you the most points? Take a free ACT practice quiz on Larry Learns. The free plan includes 3 quizzes a day across English, Math, Reading, and optional Science, drawn from a bank of 25,000+ practice questions. Create a free account and keep practicing toward a 19.