Reading college data
When a college publishes a middle 50% range, it is giving you two numbers: the 25th and the 75th percentile of scores. This guide explains what those numbers describe, what they leave out, and how to use them to build a list.
Suppose a college reports an SAT range of 1200 to 1400. That means about a quarter of its enrolled students who submitted scores were at 1200 or below, about a quarter were at 1400 or above, and the middle half fell in between. The range is not a minimum, and it is not a promise that a student at 1200 will be admitted.
People often call the range the middle 50%, and the two ends the 25th and 75th percentile. In the College Scorecard data used on this site, it covers enrolled students who submitted scores, not everyone who applied.
The range comes from students who enrolled and sent a score. It leaves out applicants who were not admitted, admitted students who went elsewhere, and enrolled students who did not submit a score. That gap grows when many students do not submit. If the students who submit tend to be the high scorers, the published range will sit above the true spread of scores in the class. Read the guide to test-optional policies for why this happens.
A common way to use the range is to compare your score with it:
The acceptance rate matters too. At a college that admits a small share of applicants, even a score above the 75th percentile does not make admission likely, because many applicants have scores like yours. The college match tool applies a simple version of this rule to the colleges in our data.
A score range says nothing about grades, course rigor, essays, recommendations, activities, or the factors a college weighs for its own reasons, such as geography or an intended major. Two students with the same score can get different decisions. The range is one input and should sit next to the rest of your record.
Colleges differ in how they count scores when they report a range. Some use each student's highest section scores, others use a single sitting. The Scorecard figures follow the definitions the colleges report. For how superscores work, see superscoring explained.
Each college profile on this site shows its SAT and ACT ranges with the reporting period. You can compare them on the admissions page, or look at the highest SAT ranges and lowest SAT ranges lists. The ranges come from an earlier year, so confirm current ones on the college's own site.
No. A quarter of enrolled students who submitted scores were at or below it, so many students were admitted with lower scores.
Students with higher scores are more likely to submit them, so the published range describes that group and not the whole class.
No. Admission depends on the whole application and on how many applicants the college receives, especially at highly selective colleges.
Last reviewed 2026-10-14. This guide is general information, not advice for your situation. Test and admissions policies change, so check the official College Board, ACT or college page for the current rule.
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