SAT distribution for top colleges--see how they hoover up the top scorers, leaving crumbs for the rest

[Anonymous]

My DC has a 35 (not a superscore, if that matters) on the ACT. Maybe they should add a few top 20 schools. I figured the acceptance rates are so low it would be a wasted application. Applied to several on the list in the 20-30 range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a reddit post (or some version of). Most of this data is available on the CDS.

What is the CDS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC has a 35 (not a superscore, if that matters) on the ACT. Maybe they should add a few top 20 schools. I figured the acceptance rates are so low it would be a wasted application. Applied to several on the list in the 20-30 range.

Assuming they have the GPA, rigor and EC's to go along it is worth applying. Don't fall in love or have high expectations but a T20 is possible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was a reddit post (or some version of). Most of this data is available on the CDS.

What is the CDS?

Common datasets.

Here's a very similar reddit post

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/1kygeez/at_least_48_of_1500_sat_applicants_go_to_a_t20/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The consensus is that at between 1% to 1.5% of all test takers, including super scorers, score above 1530. There were approximately 1.97 million test takers according to the college board. 19,700 to 29,500 SAT takers scored above 1530.

Data is based mostly on 2024-2025. SAT above 1530:
Harvard: 54% submitted an SAT (892 students). 65% scored above 1530. 580 students
Yale: 61% submitted an SAT (950 students). 50% scored above 1530. 475 students
Princeton: 56% submitted an SAT (783 students). 50% scored above 1530. 391 students
Columbia: Those applying to Columbia know why it isn't here
Brown: 61% submitted an SAT (1,046 students). 40% scored above a 1530. 418 students
Cornell: 44.9% submitted an SAT (1,583 students). 35% scored above a 1530. 554 students
Dartmouth: (2020 data) Dartmouth as you know started to hid its SAT scores post-covid. 57% submitted an SAT. 682 students. 30% score above a 1530. 204 students
UPenn: 50% submitted an SAT. 1,204 students. 80% scored above a 1530. 963 students.
MIT: 83% submitted an SAT. 918 students. 65% scored above 1530. 596 students
Stanford: 50% submitted an SAT. 857 students. 60% scored above a 1530. 514 students
Caltech: Pre-covid: 79% submitted an SAT. 186 students 75% scored above a 1530. 140 students.
Duke: 47% submitted an SAT. 824 students. 65% scored above a 1530. 535 students
Rice: 48% submitted an SAT score. 546 students. 60% scored above a 1530. 262 students.
Northwestern: 46% submitted an SAT score. 963 students. 55% scored above a 1530. 529 students.
Georgetown: 78% submitted an SAT score. 1232 students. 30% scored above a 1530. 369 students.
Notre Dame: 684 submitted an SAT score. 30% scored above a 1530. 205 students.
Vanderbilt: 27% submitted an SAT score. 447 students. 60% scored above a 1530. 268 students.
Emory: 43% submitted an SAT score. 623 students. 30% scored above a 1530. 186 students.
WashU: 29% submitted an SAT score. 538 students. 60% scored above a 1530. 322 students.
Johns Hopkins 50% submitted an SAT score. 691 students. 75% scored above a 1530. 518 students
NYU: 28% submitted an SAT score. 1598 students. 35% scored above a 1530. 559 students.
Georgia Tech: 77% submitted an SAT score. 2,966 students. 25% scored above a 1530. 741 students.
USC: 30% submitted an SAT score. 1044 students. 55% scored above a 1530. 574 students.
Illinois: 41% submitted an SAT score. 3,719 students. 15% scored above a 1530. 550 students.
UMichigan: 51% submitted an SAT score. 3,697 students. 25% scored above a 1530. 924 students.
Tufts: 38% submitted an SAT score. 687 students. 30% scored above a 1530. 206 students
Northeastern: 24% submitted an SAT score. 653 students. 20% scored above a 1530. 130 students
Boston University: 33% submitted an SAT score. 1,093 students. 25% scored above a 1530. 273 students
Boston College: 28% submitted an SAT score. 662 students. 20% scored above a 1530. 132 students.
Univ of Washington: 1,069 submitted an SAT score. 10% scored above 1530. 106 students
UVA: 45% submitted an SAT score. 1,805 students. 15% scored above a 1530. 270 students.
UNC: 28% submitted an SAT score. 1,320 students. 25% scored above a 1530. 330 students.
Williams College: 35% submitted an SAT score. 190 students. 55% scored above a 1530. 104 students.
Amherst College. 39% submitted an SAT score. 187 students. 55% scored above a 1530. 103 students

Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Claremont-McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps: Average about 50-75 students each who score above 1530. Purdue's SAT 75% is only 1470, but 9000 submitted an SAT. I estimate that at least 500 students there have an SAT above 1530. 200-250 total.

This figure doesn't include those SAT scorers above 1530 who enroll at UC Berkeley or UCLA. Pre-covid, combined they had about 2,500 SAT scorers above 1530.

Chances are very good that if you scored above 1530 on an SAT you are attending one of these colleges.

Ok

[Anonymous]

Wild choice not to bold the 924 1530+ students they estimate at Michigan.

[Anonymous]

why are you only focused on the very specific score of 1530 or above?

Most school AOs I talked to consider 1500+ top tier and the percent would be more interesting if you shared info on percentage of 1500+ not just limiting it to 1530+.

[Anonymous]

I think what this shows is how hard it is to apply to top20 schools from a high achieving area like the DMW. I know a dozen kids who had scores above 1530 who were shut out from top20 schools. in fact, the average 1530+/4.0 kid from around here is not getting in to any top20. Meanwhile this data shows that many kids elsewhere are. And this is supported by Reddit posts. lots of kids with SATs in the 1400s who are getting into top20s with scores in this range (because a score in the 1400s put them at the very top of their high school.)

[Anonymous]

Seletove schools select smart kids? So weird!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are you only focused on the very specific score of 1530 or above?

Most school AOs I talked to consider 1500+ top tier and the percent would be more interesting if you shared info on percentage of 1500+ not just limiting it to 1530+.

+1

[Anonymous]

1530 becomes 99th percentile. 1500 is 98th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are you only focused on the very specific score of 1530 or above?

Most school AOs I talked to consider 1500+ top tier and the percent would be more interesting if you shared info on percentage of 1500+ not just limiting it to 1530+.

1530 is the midpoint for T20. The choice makes sense.
But yeah, you can do the same for other points, for example, 75 percentile or 1570.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CB figures on number over 1530 or 15whatever does not include superscorers.

I thought the same thing. There are probably a lot more 1530+ scorers with superscoring, so while I'm sure many high scorers get into these top schools I am really not convinced it is the majority.

[Anonymous]

In a normal distribution, scores cluster around the mean, making small improvements in the lower and middle ranges relatively easier to achieve compared to the upper tail, where scores are sparser. This statistical property means that moving from a 1500 to a 1530 requires outperforming a much larger proportion of test-takers, as the density of high scores decreases exponentially.

[Anonymous]

I dont know if the "consensus" is 1 or 1.5% score that but you have to also factor in all the kids that get a 35 on the ACT