What Is a Good ACT Score? (2025)
- A good ACT score is a composite score of 23 or higher, which would put you in the top 25% of test takers.
- The national average composite score for the graduating high school class of 2024 was 19.4.
- A “perfect” score on the ACT is the maximum composite score of 36.
- What is considered a “good” ACT score will ultimately depend on the individual college or university you are applying to. Different schools will have different ACT score ranges.
- Schools are re-evaluating their standardized testing policies, and there is an emerging trend of colleges and universities reinstating testing requirements for admissions.
- A top ACT score will make you a more competitive candidate, but it is not the only factor schools look at for admissions.
When setting your ACT score goal for the upcoming admissions season, it’s a good idea to look at the score averages for the schools you’re applying to. Read on for more information about how the ACT is scored, including ACT scores for top universities, ACT score percentiles, and more.
Note: As of April 2025, students taking the ACT in the U.S. who choose to test online will receive an updated version of the ACT. Two noteworthy changes are that the test is shorter, and the science section is now optional. In September 2025, these changes will apply to the paper-and-pencil ACT as well. Then, in Spring 2026, schools and districts will have these options available. Read our guide to the 2025 ACT updates to learn more.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- ACT Scores for Ivy League Schools
- ACT Scores for Top Universities in the U.S.
- ACT Scores for Top Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S.
- How does ACT scoring work?
- ACT Score Ranges & Percentiles
- Does my ACT score determine which college will accept me?
- How To Improve Your ACT Score
- ACT Pop Quiz
- SAT/ACT Score Conversion Calculator
ACT Scores for Ivy League Schools
The eight private universities that comprise the Ivy League are some of the most competitive universities in the U.S. Earning a top ACT score can be an important factor in gaining acceptance into an Ivy League School. A competitive score for any of the Ivy League schools is an ACT score of about 34 (out of 36). In the table below, we showcase the ACT score ranges of the middle 50% of students who gained acceptance into Ivy League Schools.
| Ivy League School | ACT Score Range* | Acceptance Rate |
| Brown University | 34-36 | 5.4% |
| Columbia University | 34-36 | 3.9% |
| Cornell University | 33-35 | 8% |
| Dartmouth College | 32-35 | 5.4% |
| Harvard University | 34-36 | 3% |
| Princeton University | 34-35 | 4% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 34-35 | 6% |
| Yale University | 33-35 | 5% |
*middle 50% of students accepted
ACT Scores for Top Universities in the U.S.
In addition to the Ivy League ACT scores listed above, you may be wondering about ACT scores needed for other top universities in the U.S. Read on for information about ACT scores needed for these top universities.
ACT Score Needed for Duke University
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Duke University have an ACT score between 34–35. Duke is located in Durham, NC and gives its students flexibility to design their own degree program and encourages undergraduate students to pursue their own research interests. The school’s acceptance rate for the class of 2028 was 5.4%.
ACT Score Needed for Johns Hopkins University
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Johns Hopkins University have an ACT score between 34–36. Located in downtown Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private research-based university with under 6,000 undergraduate students and a 6% acceptance rate.
ACT Score Needed for MIT
The middle 50% of students who gained acceptance into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the class of 2028 have an ACT score between 35–36. MIT, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a science and technology-based university that was founded in 1861 for the purpose of advancing the Industrial Revolution. There are under 5,000 MIT undergraduates, and there’s no ACT score cutoff for admissions.
ACT Score Needed for Stanford University
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Stanford University have an ACT score between 34–35. Located in California’s Silicon Valley, it’s no wonder that Stanford is one of the country’s leading research universities. Stanford has approximately 7,600 undergraduate students and a 3.6% acceptance rate for the Class of 2028.
ACT Score Needed for the University of Chicago
Students who gain acceptance into the University of Chicago have an ACT score between 23–36. Located in downtown Chicago, the University of Chicago is a research-based institution that aims to teach students how, not what, to think. The University of Chicago has a 5% acceptance rate and under 8,000 undergraduate students.
ACT Scores for Top Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S.
Even though they might not have quite the name recognition of schools like Harvard or Stanford, the best liberal arts colleges are just as competitive as the Ivy League and other top universities. Read on for the ACT scores of admitted students to some of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. Keep in mind that these schools view applicants holistically; they’re interested in more than just your ACT score, and the vast majority of liberal arts colleges don’t have a minimum ACT score cutoff.
ACT Score Needed for Amherst College
Students who gain acceptance into Amherst College have an average ACT score of 34. Amherst has a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 88% of classes have fewer than 30 students, allowing for discussion-based learning and close relationships with professors and other students. It’s located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and offers 42 majors spanning the arts, natural sciences, social studies, and humanities. Accepted students in the Class of 2028 got an average ACT English score of 35, an average math score of 33, and an average composite score of 34.
ACT Score Needed for Pomona College
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Pomona College have an ACT score between 33 and 35. Pomona is located in Claremont, CA, not far from Los Angeles. It’s one of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate schools within several blocks of each other that share a library and other resources. Pomona students can take courses at the other colleges in the consortium. There’s a big emphasis on undergraduate research at Pomona—even in students’ freshman year—and small class sizes (averaging about 13 students per class) encourage seminar-based learning over lectures.
ACT Score Needed for Swarthmore College
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Swarthmore College have an ACT score between 33 and 34. Swarthmore is unique among liberal arts colleges in a couple of ways. First, it offers an engineering degree, which is a departure from the norm in a liberal arts education. Second, students’ first semester is essentially pass/fail. The classes you take go on your transcript, but your grades in the classes don’t. That allows students to sample a variety of classes without the fear that an unfamiliar subject will lower their GPA. Swarthmore is also one of the top producers of Fulbright scholars and students. It’s located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia.
ACT Score Needed for Wellesley College
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Wellesley College have an ACT score between 33 and 35. Wellesley is a women’s college in Wellesley, MA. It has programs with other nearby universities, allowing students to take classes (and even get degrees in conjunction with) Babson College, MIT, Brandeis University, and Olin College of Engineering. Wellesley boasts 50+ departmental and interdepartmental majors, and 94% of Wellesley graduates are employed or accepted into graduate school within the first six months of graduation.
ACT Score Needed for Williams College
The middle 50% of students who gain acceptance into Williams College have an ACT score between 33 and 35. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williams College has a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 36 available majors offered through the college’s three academic branches: arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics. Graduate degrees are offered in art history and development economics only. Williams has an 8.5% acceptance rate.
Should I take the ACT more than once?
Many students take the ACT multiple times. This allows them to combine their best score from each ACT subject into an ACT Superscore. You can evaluate the competitiveness of your ACT score by comparing it to the average score used by the colleges you are applying to, instead of comparing yourself to the national average.
How does ACT scoring work?
The ACT is scored on a 1 to 36 scale in each section in 1-point increments. The four multiple-choice sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science) will all have raw scores provided separately. Because of the 2025 test changes, your ACT composite score will now be an average of your English, Reading, and Math scores on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 36 (highest).
The ACT’s relatively small scoring scale means that small improvements in your score can make a big difference in your percentile ranking (sometimes, a 1-point increase in your score can boost your percentile ranking by 5 points). Remember that on the ACT, you are NOT penalized for wrong answers. Understanding the scoring and knowing how to approach each section is an important part of doing your best on test day.
Optional ACT Science Section Scoring
Due to 2025 test updates, the science section has become optional on the digital ACT and will become optional on the paper-and-pencil version as of September 2025. Schools and districts will have these options available in Spring 2026. As a result, the reporting of your science score will change if you have taken the enhanced ACT. Students who choose to take the science section will receive a science score on their report, similar to the current (optional) writing score. Additionally, a STEM score will be reported, combining performance on the science and math sections.
ACT Writing Test (Essay) Scoring
The ACT features an optional 40-minute writing test, which consists of writing one essay based on the given prompt. While not required by schools, the ACT writing test is recommended to showcase your writing abilities. Your score on the writing test does not affect your composite score. Your Writing score will range from 2 (lowest) to 12 (highest). The Writing score is the average of your four domain scores for Writing (Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use & Conventions). Note that an image of your ACT essay will be available to the schools you send your scores to.
You will also receive an ELA score, which combines your performance on the English, reading, and (if you took it) writing sections.
ACT Superscore
ACT test-takers now have the ability to take the ACT multiple times and then combine their best score from each ACT subject into an ACT Superscore. Your ACT Superscore can increase your odds of getting admitted to the college of your choice by better reflecting your abilities and skills. Wondering if your target school(s) Superscores the ACT? And if so, how to Superscore your ACT? Read more about the ACT Superscore system.
ACT Score Ranges & Percentiles
Below are the ACT score ranges and percentiles based on national score ranks.
Does my ACT score determine which college will accept me?
Remember, your ACT score does not stand alone. Whether or not you are admitted to a college program (and whether or not you receive scholarship money) depends on several factors. In addition to focusing on getting the best ACT score possible, you should also work on obtaining the best GPA possible, writing a spectacular personal statement, taking a challenging course load, and rounding out your application with extracurricular activities.
Test-Optional ACT Scores
Some schools have made ACT test scores optional as part of their application requirements. Skipping the ACT may sound like a good idea, but if you are looking to have your application stand out, a good ACT score is still one of the best ways to do that. Just because a school has decided to allow applicants to exclude ACT test scores does not mean other applicants are not continuing to submit ACT scores when applying. A recent Kaplan survey of college admissions officers found that among surveyed test-optional schools, 67 percent say if a student submits a competitive SAT or ACT score, it helps their application.
How To Improve Your ACT Score
Increasing your ACT score even a few points can help you get into your target school. Kaplan is the official ACT test prep provider and offers a wide range of ACT prep courses and resources to help you succeed on the exam, including:
- ACT Question of the Day: Get a free ACT practice question with detailed answer explanations delivered straight to your inbox every day.
- Free ACT Practice Test: Take a free half-length ACT practice test with official ACT questions to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie before test day.
- ACT Study Plans: Whether you have three months before the exam or just a few weeks, we have free ACT study plans that will help keep you organized.
- ACT Prep Courses: We have many options for ACT prep to suit your schedule. See our full list of ACT prep courses here.
- ACT Tutoring: Our expert ACT tutors will tailor your studies to your needs. Learn more about our ACT tutoring options.
ACT Pop Quiz
How would you do on the ACT? Take our short quiz and then review the answers.
ACT/SAT Score Conversion Calculator
Quickly convert your ACT score to an SAT score using our free calculator.
Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Melissa McLaughlin, Pre-College Content Developer and Heather Waite, Director of Content and Curriculum, Pre-College at Kaplan North America.
