ACT Scores for Admission to SUNY

A Side-by-Side Comparison of College Admissions Data

Hunt Union at SUNY Oneonta
Hunt Union at SUNY Oneonta. Photo Courtesy of SUNY Oneonta

If you're wondering if you have the ACT scores you'll need to get into one of the four-year SUNY colleges and universities, 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 public universities in New York State.

SUNY ACT Score Comparison (mid 50%)
School Composite
25%
Composite
75%
English
25%
English
75%
Math
25%
Math
75%
Albany 22 27 - - - -
Alfred State 19 25 18 24 19 26
Binghamton 28 32 - - - -
Brockport 20 25 18 24 18 25
Buffalo 24 30 - - - -
Buffalo State - - - - - -
Cobleskill - - - - - -
Cortland 22 25 20 24 20 25
Env. Science/
Forestry
23 29 22 27 22 29
Farmingdale 20 24 - - - -
Fashion Institute - - - - - -
Fredonia 21 27 - - - -
Geneseo 24 28 - - - -
Maritime College 22 27 - - - -
Morrisville 16 20 - - - -
New Paltz 24 29 22 27 23 30
Old Westbury - - - - - -
Oneonta 21 26 20 25 19 25
Oswego 21 26 - - - -
Plattsburgh 21 25 19 25 20 24
Polytechnic 20 28 23 30 25 30
Potsdam - - - - - -
Purchase 21 28 22 32 19 26
Stony Brook 26 31 24 33 26 31

Keep in mind that the SAT tends to be much more popular than the ACT in New York State. Nevertheless, either exam is perfectly acceptable. You'll be at no disadvantage using the ACT, and you should use scores from the exam that you prefer.

If your ACT scores are below the lower number in the table above, all hope is not lost. 25% of applicants who attend the SUNY school also had numbers in the bottom 25th percentile. Being admitted will be more challenging with a sub-par score, but it is not impossible.

Also note that the admissions standards vary considerably from one campus to another. Binghamton University, for example, is highly selective and nearly all admitted students have both grades and standardized test scores that are well above average. Binghamton is one of the top colleges in New York State. Other campuses such as Morrisville and Cobleskill are far less selective.

Your Academic Record Matters More than the ACT

Realize that ACT scores are just one part of the application. The most important part of your SUNY application will be your academic record. Be sure you have adequate coursework in key academic areas such as a foreign language and math. It's also important to show that you have challenged yourself, so Advanced Placement (AP) classes, IB classes, Honors classes, and dual enrollment classes are all important for helping to demonstrate your college preparedness. 

Holistic Admissions

The SUNY admissions folks will also be looking at non-numeric measures, for the four-year colleges and universities in the SUNY network all have holistic admissions. A strong essay and meaningful extracurricular activities can play an important role in the admissions process. At some campuses, special talents in areas such as sports or music can also help make up for standardized test scores that are less than ideal.

Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics

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Grove, Allen. "ACT Scores for Admission to SUNY." ThoughtCo, Oct. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/act-scores-for-admission-to-suny-788780. Grove, Allen. (2020, October 29). ACT Scores for Admission to SUNY. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/act-scores-for-admission-to-suny-788780 Grove, Allen. "ACT Scores for Admission to SUNY." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/act-scores-for-admission-to-suny-788780 (accessed March 28, 2024).