SAT Score Comparison for Admission to Colorado Colleges

Learn what SAT scores are likely to get you into a range of Colorado's four-year colleges and universities. Admissions standards vary greatly, and some schools don't require standardized test scores at all. The side-by-side comparison chart below shows scores for the middle 50% of enrolled students.

To view a profile for each school, just click on its name in the table above. There, you'll find more admissions data, along with financial aid stats, and more helpful information about enrollment, popular majors, athletics, and more!

What These SAT Scores Mean

If your scores fall within or above these ranges, you're on target for admission to one of these Colorado colleges. Keep in mind that 25% of enrolled students have SAT scores below those listed. For example, at the University of Denver, 50% of all students who enroll had a math SAT scores between 580 and 680. This tells us that 25% of students had a score of 680 or higher, and another 25% had a score of 580 or lower.

Read More

ACT Score Comparison for Admission to Colorado Colleges

By Allen Grove

Note that while the SAT is slightly more popular than the ACT in Colorado, colleges will accept either exam. The ACT version of this article can help show you what scores you'll need to be competitive.

Holistic Admissions

Keep in mind that SAT scores are just one part of the application. The admissions officers at the most selective of these Colorado colleges and universities, especially the top Colorado colleges, will also want to see a strong academic record, a winning essay, meaningful extracurricular activities and good letters of recommendation. Strengths in some of these other areas can help make up for less-than-ideal SAT scores. Some students with higher scores (but a weaker application) are not admitted, while some with lower scores (but a stronger application) will get in.

Most important of all will be a strong academic record. Colleges will want to see that you have taken challenging, college preparatory classes. Success in Advanced Placement, IB, Honors, and dual enrollment classes will strengthen your application, for these classes are some of the best tools colleges have for predicting a students college readiness.

Open Admissions

Colorado Christian University does not have scores posted because the school has an open admissions policy. This does not mean that all students will get in, and students who do not meet certain minimum requirements will undergo further review and possibly be interviewed before an admissions decision is made.

Test-Optional Admissions

Several other schools on the list do not report SAT scores because they have test-optional admissions. A couple others have reported scores even though the SAT is not required. Colorado College, Johnson & Wales University, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Naropa University, and the University of Denver all have some form of test-optional admissions. Some or all students do not need to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application process.

If you have strong scores, it will still be to your advantage to report them to a test-optional college. Also, even though scores are not used in the admissions process, they may be required for other reasons such as course placement, NCAA reporting, or scholarship determination.

Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics