Is a 24 a Good ACT Score? (2026)

A 24 puts you in the 80th percentile and squarely above the national average, making it a solid match for many large state flagships and a real foot in the door for automatic merit aid. Here's exactly which colleges a 24 fits, what scholarships it can unlock, and the smartest next steps if you want to push higher.

A 24 is a good ACT score. It sits in the 80th percentile, comfortably above the national average of 19.4, and it's good for students targeting solid state universities, in-state flagships, and automatic merit money at big public schools, even if it falls short of the most selective campuses.

What Percentile Is a 24 ACT Score?

A 24 ACT composite ranks in the 80th percentile nationally, which means it beats about 80% of all test-takers. That's a meaningful cushion over the national average composite of 19.4 (the same figure for both the class of 2024 and the class of 2025). On the SAT scale, a 24 concords to roughly 1180. Here's how a 24 stacks up against other common scores:

These percentiles come from the official ACT National Ranks, based on ACT-tested graduates of 2023, 2024, and 2025, and they apply to tests taken September 2025 through August 2026. If you want the full breakdown, see our guides to ACT percentiles and ACT to SAT conversion.

Colleges Where a 24 ACT Is Competitive

A 24 is most powerful at large public universities, where it frequently lands right at or near the median of the enrolled class. Below are five schools with verified middle-50% ACT ranges from their own 2024-25 Common Data Sets. Keep in mind that all of these schools are test-optional, so these ranges reflect only the students who chose to submit ACT scores:

A few details worth knowing: at Iowa, 24 is the exact 50th-percentile ACT for enrolled first-years (56.6% submitted ACT). At Kansas, 24 was the median with a 24.1 average (55.2% submitted). Alabama's middle 50% runs 22-30, so a 24 sits between the 25th percentile and the median of 26 and is genuinely competitive. Michigan State is SAT-dominant - only 8% of enrolled students submitted ACT scores, so its 24-30 range rests on a small pool, with 24 at the bottom edge. At Cincinnati, 24 is exactly the 25th percentile for the main Clifton campus (30.5% submitted ACT). For a deeper sense of what counts as competitive, see our breakdown of a good ACT score and the average ACT score.

Reach Schools to Aim For

If you want to stretch a notch above this band, a couple of the schools above already behave like reaches for a 24 - and there are more selective targets worth considering if your score climbs:

• Michigan State University (ACT 24-30): A 24 sits at the 25th percentile, so this functions like a low-reach or match-edge - admissible, but at the very bottom of the enrolled ACT band. Remember it's SAT-dominant, with only 8% submitting ACT.
• University of Cincinnati, main Clifton campus (ACT 24-29): A 24 is exactly the 25th percentile, putting it on the cusp. Competitive programs like engineering or DAAP will be more of a reach than the university overall.

If you raise your composite into the high 20s, the next tier of selective flagships opens up. See what scores like a 30 or a 32 unlock to set a target.

Does a 24 ACT Qualify for Scholarships?

Here's the honest picture: a 24 ACT, at the 80th percentile, is in the sweet spot for automatic merit aid at many large public universities, especially for out-of-state students. The clearest example is the University of Alabama, which publishes a fixed automatic-scholarship grid. Historically, a 24 combined with a qualifying GPA has landed in the value-scholarship tier (partial out-of-state tuition awards). The top awards - full out-of-state tuition or Presidential level - require roughly a 30+ ACT and a 3.5+ GPA. Always verify current thresholds on Alabama's scholarship page before quoting dollar amounts, because they're revised annually.

Other big publics, including Arizona State, the University of Arizona, and Kansas, post stackable automatic awards where a 24 typically clears the entry threshold for a few thousand dollars per year, with award size rising at 27, 30, and 33. The bottom line: at strong state-university-tier schools, a 24 frequently unlocks guaranteed partial merit money, but it rarely earns a full ride. Full tuition and full-ride awards at competitive flagships and selective schools generally start around 30-34 and are competitive (essay, interview, GPA) rather than automatic. At the most selective private universities, a 24 is below the admitted range and almost never drives merit aid, where help is need-based instead.

Should You Retake the ACT With a 24?

A retake is worth it if you have the time and a specific target. A 24 is genuinely good - top 20% - but moving from 24 to 27-28 crosses into the 90th percentile and unlocks larger automatic merit awards and stronger honors-college odds. The good news is that the 24-to-28 band is highly coachable, because a 24 composite is usually held down by one weak section rather than across-the-board weakness.

So the decision comes down to your profile. If a single low section is dragging your composite, a retake is high-leverage and very much worth it. But if you already sit at or above the median for every school on your list and you're not chasing specific merit thresholds, a retake is optional. Before you commit, it's worth confirming the ACT is your stronger test - our guides on how to choose between the SAT and ACT and whether the SAT or ACT is easier can help you decide.

How to Raise a 24 ACT Score

Going from a 24 to the high 20s is one of the most achievable jumps on the ACT. Focus on these three moves:

1. Find your drag section. A 24 composite usually hides an uneven profile - for example, a 27 in English and Reading but a 20 in Math and 22 in Science. Pull your four section scores and pour your study time into the lowest one or two. Raising a single 20 to a 26 can move the whole composite up 1-2 points faster than broad, even review.
2. Master pacing and the bubble strategy. At the 24 level, unfinished questions and time pressure cost more points than unknown content, especially on Math and the science/data section. Take full-length timed sections, and always fill in a guess for every question, since the ACT has no wrong-answer penalty.
3. Drill from real, recently released practice tests and log every miss. Sort errors into careless versus content-gap piles. The careless pile (misread questions, arithmetic slips) is the quickest composite gain, and the content-gap pile tells you exactly which 4-5 topics to review, such as trig and functions in Math or punctuation rules in grammar.

For a structured plan, see how to prep for the ACT, and when you're ready to practice, practice real ACT questions on Larry Learns.

A 24 ACT Score: Where It Fits

A 24 is a good, above-average ACT score that beats 80% of test-takers and concords to about a 1180 on the SAT. It's a strong fit for large public universities like Iowa and Kansas - where it lands right at the median - and a competitive number at flagships like Alabama. It's also a reliable trigger for partial automatic merit aid at many big publics. Where it falls short is the most selective campuses and full-ride scholarships, both of which generally start in the 30s. If you have time and a single weak section, a retake into the high 20s can meaningfully widen your options. For a sense of how this slots into the broader scale, our guide to what makes a good ACT score puts every tier in context.

Frequently Asked Questions About a 24 ACT Score

Is a 24 ACT score above average?

Yes. A 24 is well above the national average composite of 19.4 (the figure for both the class of 2024 and the class of 2025). At the 80th percentile, a 24 beats roughly 80% of all test-takers.

What SAT score is equivalent to a 24 ACT?

A 24 ACT concords to about a 1180 on the SAT, based on the official 2018 ACT-SAT concordance. The corresponding SAT range for a 24 is roughly 1160-1190.

What colleges can I get into with a 24 ACT?

A 24 is competitive at many large public universities. It's at the median for the University of Iowa (21-28) and the University of Kansas (20-28), inside the middle 50% at the University of Alabama (22-30), and at the 25th percentile for Michigan State (24-30) and the University of Cincinnati's main campus (24-29). All five are test-optional, so these ranges reflect only the students who submitted ACT scores.

Can a 24 ACT get me a scholarship?

Often, yes - for partial automatic merit aid. At schools like the University of Alabama, a 24 with a qualifying GPA has historically landed in a value-scholarship tier, and other big publics offer stackable awards a 24 typically clears. Full-ride and full-tuition awards, however, usually start around a 30-34 ACT and are competitive rather than automatic. Always confirm current thresholds on each school's scholarship page.

Should I retake the ACT if I scored a 24?

It depends on your goals. If one weak section is dragging your composite down, a retake is high-leverage, and moving to 27-28 crosses into the 90th percentile and unlocks larger merit awards. If you're already at or above the median for your target schools and aren't chasing merit thresholds, a retake is optional.