SAT Scores for Admission to Top Public Universities

If you're wondering if you have the SAT scores you'll need to get into one of the top public universities in the United States, here's a side-by-side comparison of scores for the middle 50% of enrolled students. If your scores fall within or above these ranges, you're on target for admission to one of these top universities.

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.

If the public university you're looking for isn't in the table below, check out this SAT comparison table for 22 more great public universities. And you can also find SAT information in any of the A to Z college profiles.

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:

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

Data from National Center for Educational Statistics

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