This article ranks the top public universities and colleges in the United States by average (midhinge) SAT scores for recent enrollees.
The SAT college placement exam comprises three sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Each section of the SAT is worth a total of 800 points; therefore, a perfect score is 2400.
Ranking universities and colleges nationwide by average SAT scores is the best methodology for several reasons. First, top public universities and colleges invariably report SAT scores, but not necessarily ACT scores. Second, there is an especially strong inverse correlation between average SAT scores and institutional acceptance rates; that is, the public universities and colleges whose enrollees have the highest average SAT scores tend to be the most selective institutions. The r-statistic for average SAT scores and acceptance rates is -.41 (p-value of .01). Lastly, it is implicitly recognized that SAT scores are the gold standard when applying to elite public universities and colleges. By way of example, 97% of enrollees at the University of Virginia proffered SAT results while only 26% submitted ACT scores. Similarly, 98% of University of California-Berkeley enrollees submitted SAT scores while just 34% proffered ACT results. And, even in the Midwest where sitting for the ACT exam is considerably more prevalent, 40% of enrollees at the University of Michigan tendered SAT scores.
The following are the top public universities and colleges in the United States along with their locations, average SAT scores, acceptance rates, and enrollment rates. Specialty colleges and universities with limited courses of study, and institutions with “open admissions” policies, are not included in these rankings.
1.Top Public Universities and Colleges: College of William and Mary
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 2005
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment Rate: 34%
2. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Virginia
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1995
Acceptance Rate: 32%
Enrollment Rate: 48%
3. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of California-Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, California
Average SAT Score: 1985
Acceptance Rate: 21%
Enrollment Rate: 41%
4. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Average SAT Score: 1970
Acceptance Rate: 61%
Enrollment Rate: 42%
5. (tie) Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Average SAT Score: 1968
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment Rate: 41%
5. Top Public Universities and Colleges: SUNY at Geneseo
Location: Geneseo, New York
Average SAT Score: 1968
Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment Rate: 26%
6. Top Public Universities and Colleges: New College of Florida
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Average SAT Score: 1960
Acceptance Rate: 53%
Enrollment Rate: 29%
7. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1940
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment Rate: 53%
8. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Maryland-College Park
Location: College Park, Maryland
Average SAT Score: 1923
Acceptance Rate: 42%
Enrollment Rate: 35%
9. Top Public Universities and Colleges: United States Naval Academy
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Average SAT Score: 1918
Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment Rate: 85%
10. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Average SAT Score: 1915
Acceptance Rate: 23%
Enrollment Rate: 37%
11. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Location: Champaign, Illinois
Average SAT Score: 1913
Acceptance Rate: 65%
Enrollment Rate: 41%
12. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Average SAT Score: 1905
Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment Rate: 43%
13. Top Public Universities and Colleges: SUNY-Binghamton
Location: Binghamton, New York
Average SAT Score: 1888
Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment Rate: 24%
14. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Pittsburgh
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Average SAT Score: 1883
Acceptance Rate: 55%
Enrollment Rate: 30%
15. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Location: Rolla, Missouri
Average SAT Score: 1873
Acceptance Rate: 93%
Enrollment Rate: 46%
16. (tie) Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of California-San Diego
Location: La Jolla, California
Average SAT Score: 1870
Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment Rate: 23%
16. Top Public Universities and Colleges: The College of New Jersey
Location: Ewing, New Jersey
Average SAT Score: 1870
Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment Rate: 30%
16. Top Public Universities and Colleges: St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Location: St. Mary’s City, Maryland
Average SAT Score: 1870
Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment Rate: 32%
17. (tie) Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Florida
Location: Gainesville, FL
Average SAT Score: 1863
Acceptance Rate: 43%
Enrollment Rate: 57%
17. Top Public Universities and Colleges: United States Air Force Academy
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Average SAT Score: 1863
Acceptance Rate: 17%
Enrollment Rate: 81%
18. Top Public Universities and Colleges: United States Coast Guard Academy
Location: New London, Connecticut
Average SAT Score: 1858
Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment Rate: 72%
19. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Average SAT Score: 1840
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment Rate: 32%
20. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Georgia
Location: Athens, Georgia
Average SAT Score: 1835
Acceptance Rate: 56%
Enrollment Rate: 51%
21. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Clemson University
Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1830
Acceptance Rate: 58%
Enrollment Rate: 36%
22. Top Public Universities and Colleges: United States Military Academy
Location: West Point, New York
Average SAT Score: 1825
Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment Rate: 80%
23. (tie) Top Public Universities and Colleges: Ohio State University
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Average SAT Score: 1820
Acceptance Rate: 65%
Enrollment Rate: 49%
23. Top Public Universities and Colleges: College of Charleston
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1820
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Enrollment Rate: 31%
24. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Connecticut
Location: Storrs, Connecticut
Average SAT Score: 1815
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment Rate: 29%
25. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Truman State University
Location: Kirksville, Missouri
Average SAT Score: 1808
Acceptance Rate: 72%
Enrollment Rate: 40%
26. Top Public Universities and Colleges: University of Washington
Location: Seattle, Washington
Average SAT Score: 1805
Acceptance Rate: 58%
Enrollment Rate: 44%
27. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Christopher Newport University
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1798
Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment Rate: 27%
28. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1795
Acceptance Rate: 67%
Enrollment Rate: 36%
29. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Florida State University
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Average SAT Score: 1793
Acceptance Rate: 61%
Enrollment Rate: 42%
30. Top Public Universities and Colleges: Penn State University
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Average SAT Score: 1785
Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment Rate: 31%
NOTE: Some public colleges and universities do not report SAT Writing scores. In such cases, scores were statistically imputed from Critical Reading scores.
For updated rankings read Top Public Universities and Colleges (2010-2011).
Source(s):
“COLLEGE Navigator,” ies NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
