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

[Anonymous]

using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 1590 kiddo goes to UMD for CS with merit. NMS. Probably did not even apply to these schools. .

Yeah, but MIT rejected him.

Ah, looked at the list. He applied to 4 of the colleges and got into 3. But not MIT.

That’s the point of this post.

At 1590, they are almost always accepted into at least one T20. Whether they choose to go is another story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

Interesting which schools changed the most with TO. We ranked schools by SAT pre-TO when our DS2020 applied.
MIT led(we did not look at caltech), no surprise .
After MIT it was Yale Princeton Stanford tied for the next spot then Harvard Penn Duke…then a drop to hopkins Brown NW …and Dartmouth and Cornell were still the lowest ivies but they were much closer, and Vanderbilt had scores up in ivy-level. interesting how admissions priorities changed the makeup of the class.

[Anonymous]

Why did OP randomly pick 1530? What’s the significance?

[Anonymous]

My kid submitted a 1550 to UVA and was rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

Interesting which schools changed the most with TO. We ranked schools by SAT pre-TO when our DS2020 applied.
MIT led(we did not look at caltech), no surprise .
After MIT it was Yale Princeton Stanford tied for the next spot then Harvard Penn Duke…then a drop to hopkins Brown NW …and Dartmouth and Cornell were still the lowest ivies but they were much closer, and Vanderbilt had scores up in ivy-level. interesting how admissions priorities changed the makeup of the class.

hopkins was probably top 5 pre test optional:

https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/08/22/class-of-2023-by-the-numbers/

no way it was behind duke and penn with a 1480 to 1550 enrolled SAT range

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

For larger class schools like uva where they enroll close to 4k students per year and Cornell at 3.8k, naturally these schools will have to take lower scores to fill seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

Interesting which schools changed the most with TO. We ranked schools by SAT pre-TO when our DS2020 applied.
MIT led(we did not look at caltech), no surprise .
After MIT it was Yale Princeton Stanford tied for the next spot then Harvard Penn Duke…then a drop to hopkins Brown NW …and Dartmouth and Cornell were still the lowest ivies but they were much closer, and Vanderbilt had scores up in ivy-level. interesting how admissions priorities changed the makeup of the class.

hopkins was probably top 5 pre test optional:

https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/08/22/class-of-2023-by-the-numbers/

no way it was behind duke and penn with a 1480 to 1550 enrolled SAT range

stanford back then had a lackluster 1420 to 1550 range.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eWY776poiulroE0RUd5kFYNg4gx28ZRZ/view

your rankings were off

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

using the # of high scorers(above 1530) as a % of total incoming freshman class,
The winners, Ranked by the highest % of 1530+ are:

MIT, 593/1106=53%
Caltech 140/263= 53%
Penn, 963/2421=40%
Hopkins 518/1418=36%
Harvard 580/1647=35%
Duke 535/1740 = 30.7%
Yale 475/1551=30.6%
Stanford 514/1693 = 30.3
Princeton 391/1411=27%
Northwestern 529/2100=25%
Brown 418/1768= 24%
Georgetown 369/1600=23%

All of the rest on the OP's list are under 20%, including Dartmouth at 17%, Cornell at 16%, UVA at 7%

Interesting which schools changed the most with TO. We ranked schools by SAT pre-TO when our DS2020 applied.
MIT led(we did not look at caltech), no surprise .
After MIT it was Yale Princeton Stanford tied for the next spot then Harvard Penn Duke…then a drop to hopkins Brown NW …and Dartmouth and Cornell were still the lowest ivies but they were much closer, and Vanderbilt had scores up in ivy-level. interesting how admissions priorities changed the makeup of the class.

Only big surprise is UPenn. I imagine its undergrad business college is responsible for these numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did OP randomly pick 1530? What’s the significance?

A lot of the college application podcasts and college admissions counselors seem to see 1530 as the point where you begin to be a serious contender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did OP randomly pick 1530? What’s the significance?

1530 is 99th percentile.

1500, for example, is 98th percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid submitted a 1550 to UVA and was rejected.

In state? 😢

[Anonymous]

This thread is unhinged.

How is someone "hoovering up" the "winners" when they take 25-30% of students with a certain score.

I'm sure the numbers would be much higher and more impressive if you drew the line at 1480.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did OP randomly pick 1530? What’s the significance?

1530 is 99th percentile.

1500, for example, is 98th percentile.

okay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is unhinged.

How is someone "hoovering up" the "winners" when they take 25-30% of students with a certain score.

I'm sure the numbers would be much higher and more impressive if you drew the line at 1480.

+1