Is 18 a Good ACT Score? (2026)

An 18 is a middle-of-the-pack ACT score: 52% of recent test takers scored 18 or lower, which makes it the first score above the halfway mark. It is still about a point and a half under the 19.4 national average, and it sits at the low end of the range at many regional public universities.

So is 18 a good ACT score? It's an okay one. On ACT's current national ranks an 18 lands at the 52nd percentile, so you did better than about half of test takers, and it lines up with about a 970 on the SAT. It's in range at a number of accessible four-year schools, usually near the bottom of their score range, and it is one to three points short of several well-known state scholarship lines. That makes it a score worth building on.

What Percentile Is an 18 ACT Score?

ACT's 2026-2027 National Ranks put an 18 composite at the 52nd percentile, meaning 52% of recent ACT-tested graduates scored 18 or lower. These are the ranks shown as "US Rank" on score reports during ACT's 2026-2027 reporting year (September 2026 through August 2027), based on graduates of 2024, 2025, and 2026. SAT equivalents come from the official ACT/College Board concordance.

Here's the odd part: an 18 beats more than half of test takers, yet it's below the national average of 19.4 for the class of 2025 (ACT class of 2025 national report). The average and the middle aren't the same thing. The middle of the distribution sits right around 18, while a long tail of high scores pulls the average up. ACT had not published class of 2026 results when we checked on October 1, 2026, so 19.4 is the latest official figure.

The curve is steep here too. Moving from 18 to 20 lifts you 11 percentile points, from the 52nd to the 63rd, and a 21 puts you at the 68th. See the full table in our ACT percentiles chart, and more context in our guide to the average ACT score.

What an 18 Means on the Enhanced ACT

Your composite on the enhanced ACT is the average of English, Math, and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number. Science is optional and reported separately with a STEM score, and neither one changes your composite (ACT, Understanding Your Scores).

An 18 means your three section scores add up to 53, 54, or 55. That might be 18-18-18, or it might be 22 English, 16 Math, 17 Reading. Look at the split before you plan anything, because ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks are set per section:

ACT defines a benchmark as the score that gives you about a 50% chance of a B or better, and roughly a 75-80% chance of a C or better, in the matching first-year course. An 18 is exactly the English benchmark, so if your English score matches your composite, you've already met one. Meeting all three (18 + 22 + 22) takes 62 points, and an 18 composite tops out at 55, so at least one benchmark is still unmet, most often Math or Reading. You have plenty of company: in the class of 2025, 29% of ACT-tested graduates met the Math benchmark and 39% met Reading.

Section ranks differ too. An 18 in Math is the 60th percentile, an 18 in English is the 54th, and an 18 in Reading is the 47th.

Colleges Where an 18 ACT Is in Range

An 18 fits at a good number of regional public universities, usually at or just above the 25th percentile. 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:

These ranges only describe students who sent scores. That was about 87% of new first-year students at Northeastern State, 82% at Morehead State, 70% at Missouri Southern, and 43% at Jacksonville State.

Two of these schools spell out their test policies in the same document. Missouri Southern writes, "ACT is not required, we have been test optional since August 2020." Jacksonville State says it is test optional too, and adds a detail that makes 18 a meaningful number there: "Students who have less than a 3.0 cumulative GPA are conditionally admitted unless they have a 18+ ACT or equivalent SAT score." Policies can change from year to year, so confirm the current rule on each admissions page.

At many state flagships, an 18 falls below the 25th percentile of enrolled students who submitted scores. If a flagship is on your list, strong grades and a retake into the low 20s will help more than the 18 by itself. Our guides to a 19 ACT and a 21 ACT show what the next few points open up, and our 17 ACT guide covers the point below.

Scholarships and an 18 ACT

An 18 clears the minimum for a few state programs and sits just under several bigger ones. Here is what each state agency's own page says:

A few details matter. The KEES bonus also requires at least a 2.75 GPA in a year of high school, and it grows with each ACT point up to 28. TOPS Tech pays toward skill or occupational training, not a bachelor's degree program. Louisiana TOPS and Tennessee HOPE do not accept ACT superscores, while Mississippi's MTAG does. Every program has conditions beyond the test score, so confirm the current rules with the agency before you count on an award.

Should You Retake the ACT With an 18?

In most cases, yes. You're close to several lines that matter, and ACT reports that students who test more than once raise their superscore by an average of 2.4 points (ACT, 2025 graduating class data). A retake makes the most sense if:

• A college on your list has a 25th percentile of 19 or higher.
• You're one or two points from scholarship money, like the Arkansas Academic Challenge score of 19 or the TOPS Opportunity minimum of 20.
• Your Math or Reading score is several points under its benchmark of 22, since that's where the easiest gains usually are.

If your colleges are test-optional and your grades are strong, you can also apply without the score and keep the 18 in your pocket. Some colleges superscore, which our ACT superscore guide explains, so a retake can only help at those schools.

Upcoming ACT Test Dates for a Retake

ACT lists October 6 as the score release date for the September 19 test. Late registration for the October 17 test closed on September 29. You can request standby testing for October 17 until October 12, but seats are not guaranteed, so plan around December or February (ACT test dates):

December 12 is about ten weeks away, enough time for steady practice a few days a week. Its scores come out on December 22, after the common November 1 and November 15 early deadlines, so a December retake mostly helps regular decision applications and later scholarship deadlines. Check each school's score deadline before you register.

How to Move From an 18 to a 20 or 21

A 21 is the 68th percentile and meets Tennessee HOPE's test line. Getting from 18 to 21 takes roughly seven to nine more points across your three section scores, or two to three per section:

1. Pick your biggest gap. Compare each section score with its benchmark and start with the one furthest below.
2. Master the high-frequency rules. Punctuation and sentence structure on English, and algebra, percentages, and basic geometry on Math, come up on every test.
3. Fix your pacing. Reading gives you 40 minutes for 36 questions. Practice finishing each passage on a set time budget so the last one doesn't get rushed.
4. Never leave a blank. There's no penalty for a wrong answer, so always guess.
5. Keep an error log. Note why you missed each question and redo it a few days later. Patterns show up fast.

For target scores by type of college, see our good ACT score guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About an 18 ACT Score

Is 18 a good ACT score?

An 18 is a middle score. It's at the 52nd percentile on ACT's 2026-2027 national ranks, so it beats about half of test takers, but it's below the 19.4 national average for the class of 2025. It works at many accessible regional universities and is low for many flagships.

What percentile is an 18 on the ACT?

An 18 composite is the 52nd percentile, meaning 52% of recent ACT-tested graduates scored 18 or lower. That rank appears on score reports from September 2026 through August 2027.

What SAT score is equal to an 18 ACT?

On the official ACT/College Board concordance, an 18 ACT corresponds to a 970 SAT, within a range of 960 to 980. Our ACT to SAT conversion chart has every score.

Can I get into college with an 18 ACT?

Yes. An 18 is inside the middle 50% of enrolled students who submitted scores at Jacksonville State (17–24), Northeastern State in Oklahoma (17–23), Missouri Southern State (18–25), and Morehead State (18–24), based on their 2025-2026 Common Data Sets. Your GPA will matter a lot at each of them.

Does the Science section count toward an 18 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 an 18 ACT below average?

Slightly. The class of 2025 averaged 19.4, so an 18 is about a point and a half below the average even though it is above the midpoint of test takers. One more point (19) leaves you just under it, and two more (20) put you above it.

Ready to find the two or three points between you and a 20? Try a free ACT practice quiz on Larry Learns, with questions across English, Math, Reading, and optional Science drawn from a bank of 25,000+. The free plan includes 3 quizzes a day, and you can create a free account to keep practicing on web, iPhone, or Android.