A 27 ACT is an 88th-percentile score. See the colleges where a 27 is competitive, the scholarships it earns, and whether you should retake in 2026.
Larry Learns
A 27 ACT puts you in the 88th percentile — a strong score that's competitive at public flagships like Ohio State, Georgia, and Auburn, earns real merit money at the right schools, and works as a reach at top-30 universities. Here's where a 27 lands for colleges, scholarships, and your next steps.
A 27 is a Strong ACT score. It lands in the 88th percentile nationally, which means it beats about 88% of all test-takers and sits well above the national average composite of 19.4. A 27 is a genuinely good score for students targeting competitive public flagships and large state universities, and it opens the door to real merit money at the right schools. It is not, however, in the range you would want for the most selective private universities. Here is exactly where a 27 stands for college admissions, scholarships, and your next steps.
What Percentile Is a 27 ACT Score?
A 27 ACT composite places you in the 88th percentile of test-takers, according to ACT's official national norms. In plain terms, you scored higher than roughly 88% of everyone who took the ACT. That is a strong, above-average result, well clear of the national average composite of 19.4 for the class of 2025. On the SAT scale, a 27 concords to about a 1280 using the official 2018 ACT/College Board concordance.
A 27 is competitive at a wide band of strong public flagships. One important caveat first: every school below is test-optional or considers scores only if submitted, so the published ranges reflect only the subset of enrolled students who actually submitted ACT scores. That share varies enormously — from about 5% at Penn State to 81% at Tennessee — and it skews the ranges upward. All ranges are the middle-50% (25th-75th percentile) ACT composite from each school's official 2024-2025 Common Data Set.
Above the 25th (26), below the median (29). Competitive and qualifies for some merit tiers.
Michigan State University
24-30
Right at the median (50th percentile is 27). A strong, above-average submission and a likely admit.
The pattern is clear: at most of these flagships a 27 sits above the 25th percentile and below the median, which makes it a competitive but not commanding submission. At Michigan State it is the median, and at Penn State it is exactly the bottom of the range. For a broader sense of where you stand, our guide to a good ACT score and the is a good ACT score overview put the 27 band in context.
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Reach Schools to Aim For With a 27
If you want to stretch, the next tier up sits a notch above the 27 band. At schools like the University of Florida and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (both 29-33 ACT), a 27 lands just below the 25th percentile — realistic reaches where a strong GPA and essays carry extra weight. More selective options like Georgia Tech (30-34) and the University of Michigan (31-34) are true reaches at a 27.
Above that, the most selective public and private universities — schools like the University of Michigan, UNC-Chapel Hill, and other top-30 institutions — typically post ACT middle-50% ranges around 32-35. A 27 falls well below that band, so these are true reach schools where a 27 would need to be offset by an exceptional GPA, standout essays, and strong context. At that selectivity level, submitting a 27 test-optional is usually not advisable. If those schools are on your list, see UNC-Chapel Hill and University of Michigan for their full profiles, and our is 32 a good ACT score guide for what the next tier up looks like.
Does a 27 ACT Qualify for Scholarships?
Yes — a 27 (88th percentile) is a money-earning score at the right schools, though it sits a notch below the top auto-award tiers. Here is the honest breakdown for this exact band:
Merit-generous publics (where a 27 shines): Large public universities, especially across the South and Midwest, frequently post automatic merit grids that stack GPA with test score. Schools like Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas have historically published awards where a 27 paired with a solid GPA earns anywhere from several thousand dollars to roughly half-tuition. The catch: the full-ride bands usually start higher, around 30-33+, so a 27 commonly lands in a mid tier rather than the top one. Always confirm live amounts and thresholds on each school's current scholarship page, since they change yearly.
Strong flagships (competitive, not automatic): At the schools in this article's cluster — Ohio State, Georgia, Penn State, Auburn, Tennessee, Minnesota, Michigan State — a 27 makes you eligible to be considered for competitive (non-automatic) merit, but it rarely guarantees a named full-ride.
Most selective schools (minimal merit): At elite institutions, merit aid is minimal to nonexistent, and a 27 alone will not drive an award.
Bottom line: a 27 is a money-earning score at the right (less-selective, merit-generous) publics, a competitive-but-not-guaranteed score at strong flagships, and not a merit driver at the most selective schools.
Should You Retake the ACT With a 27?
A retake is worth considering but not mandatory. A 27 is already a strong score that clears admissions and many merit thresholds at competitive flagships, so retaking makes sense only if you have a specific target that rewards a higher number. Reasons it could pay off:
Moving into the meat of a range. Pushing to a 28-30 would lift you from the 25th percentile into the heart of the range at schools like Penn State or Georgia.
Reaching auto-merit tiers. If you are targeting scholarship-generous publics, getting to the 30+ auto-merit and full-ride bands can translate directly into dollars.
Untapped room. If your practice tests show 1-3 points of headroom — especially if one weak section dragged down your composite — a retake can pay off in both competitiveness and aid.
If you are already at or above the median at every school on your list, your time is better spent on GPA, essays, and applications. Not sure when to sit again? Check the latest ACT test dates.
How to Raise a 27 ACT Score
If you do retake, here is where the points actually come from at this level:
Target your weakest section, not all four equally. The composite is an average, so raising your lowest section — commonly Science or Math for students in this band — lifts the composite fastest. Pinpoint it from your most recent score report and concentrate prep there.
Master pacing and the answer-all rule. At the 27 level, many missed points are unfinished questions, not unknown content. There is no wrong-answer penalty, so practice timed sections until you finish (or strategically guess) every question — especially in Science and the back third of Reading and Math.
Drill from real, recently released ACT tests and review every miss. Use official ACT practice material, take full timed sections, then log why each error happened (content gap vs. careless vs. timing). Converting even one or two careless misses per section is often the difference between a 27 and a 29-30.
A 27 is a Strong score that beats about 88% of test-takers and concords to roughly a 1280 on the SAT. It is solidly competitive at a wide band of public flagships — above the 25th percentile at most of them and at the median at Michigan State — and it earns real, sometimes automatic, merit money at the right merit-generous publics. It is below the middle-50% at the most selective universities, where it functions as a reach. If a retake can realistically add 1-3 points, it can move you into stronger admissions and scholarship territory; if you are already at the median everywhere on your list, your application is where the marginal effort pays off. Compare the neighbors with our is 26 a good ACT score and is 28 a good ACT score guides.
Frequently Asked Questions About a 27 ACT Score
Is a 27 ACT score good?
Yes. A 27 is a Strong score in the 88th percentile, meaning it beats about 88% of all test-takers and sits well above the national average composite of 19.4. It is competitive at most public flagships and below the middle-50% only at the most selective universities.
What percentile is a 27 ACT score?
A 27 is the 88th percentile according to ACT's official national norms. That means you scored higher than roughly 88% of students who took the ACT.
What SAT score is equivalent to a 27 ACT?
Using the official 2018 ACT/College Board concordance, a 27 ACT corresponds to about a 1280 on the SAT. You can see more crossover points in our ACT to SAT conversion guide.
Can a 27 ACT get scholarships?
Yes — a 27 commonly earns automatic mid-tier merit (several thousand dollars up to roughly half-tuition) at merit-generous publics in the South and Midwest, though the full-ride tiers usually start around 30-33+. At strong flagships it makes you eligible for competitive, non-automatic merit, and at elite schools it is not a merit driver. Always confirm current thresholds on each school's scholarship page.
Should I retake the ACT if I scored a 27?
Only if you have a specific target that rewards a higher number — such as moving into the meat of a flagship's range or reaching a 30+ auto-merit tier — and your practice tests show 1-3 points of untapped room. If you are already at or above the median at every school on your list, focus on GPA, essays, and applications instead.
