SAT Scores for Admission to Undergraduate Engineering Colleges

A Side-by-Side Comparison of SAT Score Data for Admission

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - ERAU - Daytona Beach
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - ERAU - Daytona Beach. Micah Maziar / Flickr

If you're a future engineer looking for an intimate undergraduate experience without the strong focus on graduate education that you'll find at places like Purdue and Stanford, the colleges compared here are all excellent choices. The table below shows what SAT scores you're likely to need for admission to one of the country's top 10 undergraduate engineering colleges? The side-by-side comparison table shows 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 highly regarded colleges for engineering. Click on a school's name to get more admissions data.

Undergraduate Engineering Colleges SAT Score Comparison (mid 50%)
(Learn what these numbers mean)

Reading 25% Reading 75% Math 25% Math 75% Writing 25% Writing 75%
Air Force Academy 600 690 620 720 - -
Annapolis 570 680 610 700 - -
Cal Poly Pomona 440 560 460 600 - -
Cal Poly 560 660 590 700 - -
Cooper Union - - - - - -
Embry-Riddle - - - - - -
Harvey Mudd 680 780 740 800 - -
MSOE 560 650 600 690 - -
Olin College 690 780 710 800 - -
Rose-Hulman 560 670 640 760 - -

see the ACT version of this table

It's important to recognize not just what these numbers mean, but also what they don't mean. Low SAT scores certainly hurt your chances of admission, but 25% of matriculated students had SAT scores below the lower numbers in the table. You'll also find that admissions standards vary significantly across these colleges. Cal Poly Pomona and Embry-Riddle, for example, are far less selective than Olin College and Harvey Mudd College.

You'll also notice that the SAT scores for all of these colleges are remarkably unbalanced--admitted students tend to perform much better in math than in reading.

Also, SAT scores are almost never the most important piece of a college application. First and foremost, you'll need to have a strong high school record, and for a college with an engineering focus, good grades in challenging math and science courses will be particularly important. AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, and Honors courses can all play an important role in the admissions process.

You'll also want to make sure your application is strong when it comes to non-numerical measures. A well-crafted admissions essaygood letters of recommendations, and meaningful extracurricular activities can all play a significant role in your application. All of these colleges are residential, and they want to admit students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways.

Also keep in mind that demonstrated interest can play an important role in admission decisions. Visiting campus, making sure your supplemental essays focus on the specifics of the school, and applying through early decision or early action all help show that you are serious about attending.

The engineering colleges listed above offer a bachelor's or master's as the highest degree. For an SAT comparison of PhD-granting institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Caltech, view this engineering SAT table.

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

Data from National Center for Educational Statistics

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Grove, Allen. "SAT Scores for Admission to Undergraduate Engineering Colleges." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/sat-scores-for-undergraduate-engineering-colleges-788666. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 25). SAT Scores for Admission to Undergraduate Engineering Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sat-scores-for-undergraduate-engineering-colleges-788666 Grove, Allen. "SAT Scores for Admission to Undergraduate Engineering Colleges." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/sat-scores-for-undergraduate-engineering-colleges-788666 (accessed March 19, 2024).