Realize, of course, that SAT scores are just one part of the application. Perfect 800s don't guarantee admission if other parts of your application are weak. Admissions officers will also want to see a strong academic record, a winning essay, meaningful extracurricular activities and good letters of recommendation.
Also, if you are an out-of-state applicant, you may need to have scores significantly higher than those shown here. Most state-funded universities give preference to in-state applicants.
To see a full profile of each college, 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 universities (non-Ivy) | top liberal arts colleges | more top liberal arts | top public universities | top public liberal arts colleges | University of California campuses | Cal State campuses | SUNY campuses | more SAT charts
2007-08 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% | |
| College of William and Mary | 630 | 740 | 620 | 710 | 620 | 710 |
| Georgia Tech | 590 | 690 | 650 | 730 | 580 | 670 |
| UC Berkeley | 580 | 710 | 620 | 740 | 590 | 710 |
| UCLA | 570 | 680 | 610 | 720 | 580 | 690 |
| UC San Diego | 540 | 660 | 600 | 700 | 560 | 670 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign | 550 | 670 | 640 | 740 | - | - |
| University of Michigan | 590 | 690 | 630 | 730 | - | - |
| UNC Chapel Hill | 590 | 690 | 610 | 700 | 580 | 680 |
| University of Virginia | 590 | 700 | 610 | 720 | 600 | 700 |


