SAT Scores for Admission to Public Universities

Do you have the SAT scores you need to get into a competitive public university? This article compares the SAT scores of accepted students for 22 highly ranked public universities. If your scores fall within or above the range in the chart below, you're on target for admission to one of these great public universities. Also check out the SAT comparison chart for the top 10 public universities.

SAT scores are just one part of the application. It's possible to have scores above the averages presented here and still get rejected if other parts of your application are weak. Similarly, some students with scores significantly below the ranges listed here gain admission because they demonstrate other strengths.

Also, if you are an out-of-state applicant, you may need to have SAT scores significantly higher than those shown here. Most state-funded universities give preference to in-state applicants.

To see a full profile of each public university including acceptance rates and financial aid information, click on the names in the chart below. You can also check out these other SAT charts (or ACT charts):

SAT Comparison Charts: the Ivy League | top private universities (non-Ivy) | top liberal arts colleges | more top liberal arts colleges | top public universities | top public liberal arts colleges | University of California campuses | Cal State campuses | SUNY campuses

2008-09 data from National Center for Educational Statistics

Top Public University SAT Scores (mid 50%)
(Learn what these numbers mean)

	SAT Scores
	Reading		Math		Writing
	25%	75%	25%	75%	25%	75%
Binghamton	570	660	610	690	-	-
Clemson	550	640	580	680	-	-
Connecticut	540	630	570	660	550	640
Delaware	540	630	560	660	550	640
Florida	570	680	590	700	-	-
Georgia	560	650	560	660	560	650
Indiana	510	620	530	640	500	620
James Madison	520	610	530	620	520	610
Maryland	570	680	600	700	-	-
Minnesota	530	670	580	700	520	650
Ohio State	540	650	590	680	-	-
Penn State	530	630	560	670	-	-
Pitt	570	670	580	670	-	-
Purdue	490	610	540	660	490	600
Rutgers	520	630	550	670	530	630
Texas	530	660	570	690	520	650
Texas A&M	520	630	560	670	500	610
UC Davis	490	630	540	660	500	630
UC Irvine	510	610	550	670	520	630
UCSB	530	640	640	660	530	640
Virginia Tech	540	630	570	670	530	630
Washington	520	640	550	680	-	-