ACT score lookup

Is a 17 ACT Score Good?

A 17 out of 36 is below average for test takers nationally — approximately the 23th percentile, meaning you scored at or above roughly 23% of students. It converts to an SAT score of about 930 on the official concordance.

What a 17 means for your college list

Measure	Value
Approximate national percentile	23th
Equivalent SAT score	930
Colleges where this is at or above the 75th percentile	0
Colleges where this falls inside the middle 50%	20
Colleges where this is below the 25th percentile	253

Those counts are drawn from the 273 four-year colleges in our dataset that report ACT ranges. A score above a college’s 75th percentile makes testing a strength in that applicant pool; inside the range it is neutral; below the 25th percentile the rest of the application has to do the work.

Colleges where a 17 is right in range

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Texas, mid-50% 15–21)
• The University of Texas at El Paso (Texas, mid-50% 17–22)
• Sam Houston State University (Texas, mid-50% 17–24)
• University of Hawaii at Manoa (Hawaii, mid-50% 17–25)
• Metropolitan State University of Denver (Colorado, mid-50% 17–26)
• North Carolina A & T State University (North Carolina, mid-50% 17–23)
• University of West Georgia (Georgia, mid-50% 17–22)
• Texas A & M International University (Texas, mid-50% 16–22)
• Southern University and A & M College (Louisiana, mid-50% 15–19)
• Grambling State University (Louisiana, mid-50% 15–19)
• University of West Alabama (Alabama, mid-50% 16–21)
• Alcorn State University (Mississippi, mid-50% 15–19)

Reach colleges with a 17

• Grand Canyon University (Arizona, mid-50% 20–22)
• Texas A&M University-College Station (Texas, mid-50% 25–31)
• University of Central Florida (Florida, mid-50% 25–29)
• Ohio State University (Ohio, mid-50% 28–32)
• Purdue University (Indiana, mid-50% 27–34)
• The University of Texas at Austin (Texas, mid-50% 27–33)
• University of Arizona (Arizona, mid-50% 21–29)
• Pennsylvania State University (Pennsylvania, mid-50% 27–32)

Frequently asked questions

Is 17 a good ACT score?

A 17 is below average, around the 23th percentile nationally. Whether it is good enough depends on your list: it sits at or above the 75th percentile at 0 of the 273 colleges we track and inside the middle 50% at 20 more.

What SAT score is equivalent to a 17 ACT?

Using the official ACT/College Board concordance, a 17 ACT is comparable to an SAT score of about 930.

What colleges can I get into with a 17 ACT?

A 17 is in range or above at 20 of the 273 four-year colleges in our dataset. Test scores are one factor among grades, coursework rigour, essays and extracurriculars.

Percentiles are approximate and shift with each testing cohort; college ranges come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and can lag the current cycle.

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