Ivy League SAT Scores and ACT Scores by School (2026)

Eight schools, one table: the latest SAT and ACT middle 50 percent ranges from each Ivy's own Common Data Set, and which of them require a score for fall 2027 entry.

Ivy League SAT scores for enrolled first-years run from 1440 to 1560 across the schools that report a total score, and ACT scores from 32 to 35, based on each school's 2025-26 Common Data Set (students who entered in fall 2025 and submitted that test). Medians sit between 1520 and 1540 on the SAT and at 34 or 35 on the ACT. For students applying now for fall 2027, six of the eight require the SAT or ACT; Princeton and Columbia are test-optional this cycle and will require scores from the following one.

Below is the full table, what each school's testing page says, why the ranges are harder to compare than they look, and the last test dates that still count for Regular Decision.

Ivy League SAT and ACT Scores by School

All score ranges are the 25th to 75th percentile (median in parentheses) for first-time, first-year students enrolled in fall 2025 who submitted that test, from section C9 of each school's 2025-26 Common Data Set. The policy column is the school's current testing page, for students entering in fall 2027.

*Cornell's Common Data Set gives the number of submitters (1,639 SAT and 486 ACT) but leaves the percent blank; we divided by its 3,827 enrolled first-years. Harvard and Penn report section percentiles but no SAT total, and section percentiles cannot be added into a total percentile.

For a deeper look at any one school, including its early round and how it reviews applications, see our pages on Brown SAT and ACT scores, Columbia SAT and ACT scores, Cornell SAT and ACT scores, Dartmouth SAT and ACT scores, Harvard SAT and ACT scores, Penn SAT and ACT scores, Princeton SAT and ACT scores and Yale SAT and ACT scores. Where one of those pages and this table disagree, the numbers here are the newer read of each school's own report.

Which Ivies Require the SAT or ACT for Fall 2027

Here is what each school's own testing page says for students applying in the 2026-27 cycle:

• Brown: it "returned to a policy requiring standardized test scores" beginning with the 2024-25 admission cycle. Brown superscores both tests.
• Columbia: "We will remain test optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle," says its testing policy. Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will require the SAT or ACT starting in August 2027, for the 2027-28 cycle, with a waiver for students who face hardship.
• Cornell: "First-year applicants are required to submit SAT or ACT scores when applying to Cornell," per its testing policy. Scores are not required or expected from transfer applicants.
• Dartmouth: "Standardized testing is a required element" of the application, says its testing guidelines. Students at high schools outside the U.S. have other ways to meet it, such as AP or IB results.
• Harvard: "Harvard requires the SAT or ACT to meet its standardized testing requirement," per its application requirements. In exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible, AP, IB, A-Level or national exam results can stand in.
• Penn: "Penn applicants are required to submit scores for the SAT or ACT," says its testing page. Applicants facing hardship can submit a waiver instead.
• Princeton: for students "seeking to enroll in fall 2027, Princeton remains test optional," per its testing page. The requirement returns with the 2027-28 cycle, for fall 2028 entry.
• Yale: "All first-year and transfer applicants must include scores from the ACT or SAT," per its testing page. AP and IB scores are optional extras alongside the ACT or SAT.

One practical point for the two optional schools: the change to required testing lands on today's juniors. If you are in the class of 2028 and want Princeton or Columbia, plan on an SAT or ACT score.

Why the Ranges Are Harder to Compare Than They Look

The last column of the table matters as much as the ranges. Each range describes only the students who sent that test. At Columbia, 50 percent of the fall 2025 class submitted an SAT; at Harvard, 79 percent did. When fewer students submit, the ones who do tend to be the ones with high scores, so the range climbs.

Penn shows the effect most clearly. Its fall 2025 SAT submitters (52 percent of the class) scored 740 to 770 on Reading and Writing and 770 to 800 on Math. For the next class, Penn's Class of 2030 profile says testing was required for all students who did not submit a hardship waiver, and the enrolled middle 50 percent was 1440 to 1550 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. Adding the two section 25th percentiles from the year before gives 1510; that sum is not a true total percentile, but it shows how much higher the self-selected pool sat.

The lesson for reading this table: Dartmouth's 1440 floor is not a sign it is easier on scores than Columbia's 1510. Dartmouth required scores for the fall 2025 class, and 99 percent of that class submitted a test, per its Class of 2029 profile, while Columbia's SAT range covers half the class. Expect Princeton's and Columbia's ranges to widen once their requirements take effect.

Last Test Dates That Count for Regular Decision

If you are applying Regular Decision, the question now is which test still reaches your file. What each school's testing page says:

• Penn: the December 5, 2026 SAT or the December 12, 2026 ACT.
• Brown and Dartmouth: the last December test date.
• Princeton: the December date, if you choose to submit.
• Columbia: as late as February 2027, if you choose to submit.
• Yale: exams completed in January or February are generally available for Regular Decision.
• Harvard: scores from tests as late as February are possible, though Harvard recommends submitting as early as you can.
• Cornell: its testing page names no last test date.

The calendar narrows those choices. After December 5, the next SAT is March 6, 2027, per College Board, so for the SAT, December is the last realistic sitting at every Ivy. On the ACT, the December 12 test has a late registration deadline of November 29, and the next national date is February 27, 2027. For test-specific practice, start with our SAT and ACT overviews.

What Score Should You Aim For at an Ivy?

Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn and Princeton state on their admissions pages that there is no minimum score or cutoff. Our reading of the table, not any school's policy:

• 1540 or higher, or 35 or 36 on the ACT: at or above the median at every school that reports a total. Your score will rarely be the question.
• 1490 to 1530, or 33 to 34: inside the middle 50 percent at five or six of the six schools that report an SAT total (Columbia's starts at 1510). On the ACT, a 34 is inside the range at all eight, and a 33 at five (it sits under the 25th percentile at Columbia, Penn and Princeton). Send it.
• 1440 to 1480, or 32: inside the middle 50 percent at Dartmouth, at Brown from 1470 and at Yale at 1480, and below the 25th percentile at Columbia, Cornell and Princeton. A 32 is exactly Dartmouth's ACT 25th percentile and under it at the other seven.
• Below 1440, or 31 and under: below the 25th percentile at all six schools that report an SAT total, and at all eight on the ACT.

In the two lower bands, the six schools that require testing still get your best score, and Dartmouth, for one, reads it against the scores at your own high school. At Princeton and Columbia this cycle, a score well under their range is one you may choose not to send.

If you have one more sitting, the score calculator shows where your section scores land, and SAT vs ACT helps if you are still choosing a test.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ivy League SAT Scores

What SAT score do you need for the Ivy League?

There is no official minimum: Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn and Princeton all say so on their admissions pages. In fall 2025, the middle 50 percent of enrolled SAT submitters ran from 1440 to 1550 at Dartmouth up to 1510 to 1560 at Columbia, with medians of 1520 to 1540 at the six schools that report a total.

Which Ivy League schools are test-optional for 2026-27?

Princeton and Columbia. Both will require the SAT or ACT starting with the 2027-28 cycle, for students entering in fall 2028. Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn and Yale require scores now.

What ACT score do you need for an Ivy League school?

Enrolled fall 2025 ACT submitters scored between 32 and 35 at the widest (Dartmouth) and 34 to 35 at the narrowest (Columbia, Penn and Princeton). The median was 34 or 35 at every school.

Is a 1500 SAT good enough for the Ivy League?

A 1500 sits inside the middle 50 percent of enrolled fall 2025 submitters at Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale, and just under the 25th percentile at Columbia (1510), where only half the class sent an SAT. Harvard and Penn do not report an SAT total.

Why are some Ivy SAT ranges lower than others?

Mostly because of who submits. A school that required scores reports nearly the whole class, while a test-optional school reports only the students who chose to send a score, who tend to score higher.

Whatever your target, steady practice on your weakest section moves a score faster than another full-length test every weekend. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, a score estimate that tracks your progress, and 3 free quizzes a day. Try a free practice quiz, or create a free account to start a streak.