Is 1500 a good SAT score?
A 1500 on the SAT is a good score! It’s a great score for many schools, it’s within range for highly selective colleges and universities. There are a handful of schools where it might be an okay score but not a good score — more on that below.
In this post, we’ll explore:
SAT scores + a balanced college list
Colleges for a 1500 SAT score
Is a 1500 SAT good enough for scholarships and special programs?
Athletic scholarships
Academic honors programs
Special majors and other academic programs
Academic scholarships
What’s a good score on the SAT?
As a test prep specialist with over a decade spent working with students to help them prep for the SAT, probably the #1 question that students ask me is what score they need to get on the SAT.
The thing is that there isn’t a single number that I can give to define a “good” score on the SAT.
The average score on the SAT is 533 for the Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section, 528 for the Math section, and 1060 for the complete SAT. A perfect score on the SAT is 1600.
That means that a score of 1500 on the SAT is well above the average, close to a perfect score.
To be more precise, a 1500 SAT score is in the 98rd percentile for students who took the test in 2022 (source: College Board). That means that a student with a 1500 SAT scored higher than 98% of the other students who took the test.
(Percentile means what percentage of students scored at or below that number. For example, if you scored in the 60th percentile, you did better than 60% of the other students who took the SAT.)
Because the students who actually take the SAT tend to be a little more prepared, the College Board also gives us an estimate of how that score would compare for all of the students in the US.
Compared to all students in the US, a 1500 SAT score is in the 99th percentile (source: College Board). That puts students who scored a 1500 in the top 1% of students nationally!
By these metrics, 1500 is a fantastic SAT score.
To put this in context:
You can see in this graph of SAT scores at a national level that test scores that test scores make approximately what we often call a “bell-shaped curve”: most students have scores in the middle, while few students have very low scores or very high scores.
Looking at the arrow, we see that a SAT score of 1500 is well to the right of the main “hump” of the curve, in the “long tail” on the righthand part of the graph. It’s clearly stronger than the majority of scores, and it indicates that a student has a strong knowledge of the material covered by the SAT (high school math, basic logic, English grammar, and reading comprehension).
In the world of US college admissions, it’s the impressive students in that “long tail” who are going to be competitive for top-tier colleges and universities.
So how can you know where exactly you’d be a competitive applicant with a 1500 SAT score? Is a 1500 SAT strong enough to make you a competitive applicant at the Ivy League or other highly selective colleges and universities?
Is 1500 a good SAT score?
The main reason that students take the SAT is to get into college, so ultimately the definition of a “good SAT score” will depend on the type of college you want to attend.
SAT scores + a balanced college list
When you apply to college, it’s important to have a balanced college list. This means that you have a mix of schools:
Safety schools: you can almost certainly get admitted
Target schools: your application profile is similar to the average student at this school — so it’s not a sure bet, but it’s fairly likely that you’d be admitted
Reach schools: your application profile probably isn’t strong enough to be admitted, but you should still go for it — you might get lucky!
A balanced college list should have at least two schools from each category.
We can look at data from admitted students in recent years to know what kind of SAT score is good enough for a particular college. At “safety schools,” your SAT score should make you one of the top applicants. At “target schools,” your SAT score should be about average.
Many colleges and universities publish data for the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile SAT scores of their freshman class. This data tells us the range of SAT scores of half of their student body. We sometimes refer to it as the “middle 50,” because 50% of students at that school have scores within that range.
Safety schools: your test scores and GPA should be above the 75th percentile, and the school should have an admittance rate greater than 30%
Target schools: your test scores and GPA should be within the middle 50% of students, ideally closer to the top of the range
Reach schools: your test scores and GPA can be lower than the 25th percentile, but this will make you unlikely to be admitted unless you have amazing extracurriculars or college essays!
Of course, having an SAT score that falls within the middle 50% of the students at that school doesn’t guarantee admission.
Your GPA, the difficulty of the classes you took in high school (academic rigor), your college essays, your extracurricular achievements and awards, and your letters of recommendation are also very important to your college applications.
Test scores are just one component of a successful college application — but having strong scores will help your application!
(There are a small handful of colleges and universities that are not using test scores in 2023, and test scores will not help at these schools. Check if your schools are one of the rare few not using test scores.)
When I work with students one-on-one for test prep or college essay coaching, I often help them make sure that their college lists are balanced for the strength of their application. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at info@ivybloomacademics.com.
Colleges for a 1500 SAT score
Using the data, here are some colleges and universities where a 1500 would be a competitive SAT score:
School Middle 50% SAT score range
Wesleyan University 1300 – 1510
University of Wisconsin Madison 1320 – 1500
University of Illinois 1320 – 1510
University of Virginia 1320 – 1510
University of Maryland 1330 – 1510
Kenyon College 1340 – 1500
Macalester College 1340 – 1510
University of Michigan 1340 – 1520
College of William & Mary 1360 – 1520
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1360 – 1520
Boston University 1360 – 1520
Tulane University 1360 – 1510
University of Rochester 1370 – 1520
Grinnell College 1370 – 1530
Brandeis University 1370 – 1530
Amherst College 1370 – 1550
Scripps College 1380 – 1520
Middlebury College 1380 – 1530
School Middle 50% SAT score range
Wellesley College 1400 – 1540
Washington & Lee University 1410 – 1530
University of Southern California 1410 – 1540
Carleton College 1410 – 1550
University of Notre Dame 1410 – 1550
Georgetown University 1410 – 1550
Boston College 1420 – 1530
Claremont McKenna College 1420 – 1530
Emory University 1420 – 1540
Haverford College 1420 – 1540
Vassar College 1420 – 1540
Northeastern University 1430 – 1550
Swarthmore College 1430 – 1560
Tufts University 1440 – 1550
Dartmouth College 1440 – 1560
Cornell University 1450 – 1560
New York University 1450 – 1570
Brown University 1450 – 1570
Don’t see your dream school on this list? Get the SAT score data for 975 more colleges and universities and check what SAT score you need for the colleges on your list.
As you can see from this list, students with a 1500 SAT score can be competitive applicants at any of the amazing flagship public universities across the US, including top schools like the University of Virginia, the University of Michigan, and the University of Maryland.
In fact, the average SAT score for the 50 best public universities in the US is between 1198 and 1397. (For individual test sections, the average is 595–685 Reading & Writing and 600–713 Math.)
This means that a 1500 is a great score if you want to attend a top-ranked public research university in the US.
A 1500 SAT is also a good score for many highly-selective liberal arts colleges across the US. For example, it’s about average for colleges like Amherst, Carleton, and Swarthmore.
If we look at the 30 top-ranked liberal arts colleges in the US, the average SAT score is between 1318 and 1495. (For individual test sections, the average is 658–735 Reading & Writing and 660–759 Math.)
That means that a 1500 on the SAT will make you a competitive applicant at the majority of the top liberal arts colleges.
There are a handful of the very best liberal arts college where a 1500 SAT is still lower than average, most notably Pomona, Williams, and Harvey Mudd.
(Mudd is a bit of a weird one categorically because they’re technically a liberal arts school — but unlike the other liberal arts colleges, they focus on engineering, math, and sciences.)
And now, the question that so many of my high-scoring students ask…
Is a 1500 a good SAT score for the Ivy League or other top-20 schools?
Remember, the Ivy League is technically an athletic league. It comprises eight of the oldest schools in New England and the mid-Atlantic, and all of the Ivies rank among the top 20 schools in the US.
There are a handful of top-tier schools that are ranked similar to the Ivies, like Stanford, UChicago, and MIT. That’s why we often refer to the “Ivies Plus” or the “top 20 (T20),” not just the Ivy League.
If you want to attend an Ivy League or top-20 school, a 1500 is an okay SAT score, but not a great score.
The average SAT score at the Ivy League schools is between 1446 and 1566, or 736–796 for Math and 710–770 for Reading and Writing.
The average SAT scores at the top 20 universities in the US are similar: between 1450 and 1564, or 740–797 for Math and 711–768 for Reading and Writing.
According to this data, a 1500 SAT is within range for the Ivies and other top-20 schools.
In fact, you may notice that I include three Ivy-League schools on the list above! With a 1500 SAT, students may be competitive applicants at the “easier” Ivies like Dartmouth (1440–1560), Cornell (1450–1560), or Brown (1450–1570).
However, a 1500 SAT is lower than average at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. It’s also lower than average at MIT, Caltech, UChicago, Rice, Stanford, Wash U, Carnegie Mellon, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern.
That means that if you’re aiming at one of these top-20 schools, you might consider raising your SAT score a bit more, up to a 1550+. MIT and CalTech in particular tend to prefer students who score a perfect 800 in Math.
Of course, a high SAT score doesn’t guarantee admission, especially not at highly-selective schools.
Strong test scores tend to help get your foot in the door at highly-selective schools like the Ivies — they’re an immediate signal to admissions officers that you’re a top student (at least in terms of the core skills that the SAT tests). Test scores and GPA tend to be used more for the first “weeding out” round of reading applications, ensuring that the admissions officers take a serious look at your college essays, extracurriculars, and other elements of your application.
The good news is that most students are able to raise their SAT scores with the right preparation and practice.
The students I work with one-on-one for SAT prep are able to improve their scores by about 250+ points on average. I’m a top 1% scorer and Princeton grad myself, and I’ve got a knack for handling tough test questions — back when I took the SAT I only missed two test questions on my first try with zero prep.
Over the years, I’ve helped many high-achieving students reach perfect or near-perfect scores on the SAT and ultimately get admissions offers from the Ivy League or other top-20 schools. If you’d like to work with me for SAT test prep, sign up here or reach out at info@ivybloomacademics.com.
Is a 1500 SAT good enough for scholarships and special programs?
Athletic scholarships
Are you a top athlete with scholarship offers for your sport?
Many students need to achieve certain minimum test scores in order to be eligible to receive athletic scholarships. I’ve helped a number of student-athletes who were offered scholarships from amazing schools like the University of Notre Dame or the University of North Carolina — but who needed to raise their SAT or ACT scores first.
These cutoffs vary by college and by sport. A 1500 SAT score is almost certainly high enough, but be sure to check the details of your scholarship offer.
Academic honors programs
Many schools, especially larger universities, have special honors programs that provide extra mentorship, exclusive internships, smaller class sizes, and other advantages.
The difficulty of getting into one of these honors programs varies hugely depending on the school. It’s quite likely that with a 1500 SAT score, students would be able to apply for admission to academic honors programs. Check with the specific requirements of the school or program.
Special majors and other academic programs
Some colleges and universities might have additional requirements in order to enter into a particular major or program, like pre-med, business, or engineering.
An SAT score of 1500 is likely high enough to meet these cutoffs. Check with your college guidance counselor and the admissions office at that school for more information.
Academic scholarships
Many academic merit scholarships are based on GPA and test scores. At less competitive or selective schools, a SAT score of 1500 may earn students academic scholarships, either from an external source or directly from the college or university.
For example, the Florida Bright Futures scholarships, which can award students 100% of tuition and fees, require a score of at least 1330 on the SAT.
At highly-selective colleges and universities, a 1500 SAT is less likely to earn academic scholarships based on test scores alone, but may help a student to qualify for a more holistic academic merit scholarship.
Most college guidance counselors can help students to find appropriate scholarships that they may be eligible for; I’ve also helped students and families with the process of finding scholarships and special grants.
College can be incredibly expensive, but you’d be surprised how many good opportunities exist — many of my students have been able to earn full-tuition scholarships for college and get their degree loan-free!
Raise your SAT score from 1500 to 1550+ and be competitive everywhere
With the right test prep, most students are able to raise their SAT scores.
The students I work with one-on-one for tailored SAT prep are typically able to raise their scores by about 250+ points. It can be tougher to make large gains in the higher score ranges, but it’s definitely possible, and even small improvements can have an impact on your competitiveness for college admissions and scholarships.
If you’re currently scoring around 1500 on the SAT and want to apply to a top-20 school, it might be worth trying to raise your score even a little bit. I typically tell students that 1550 is the ideal score to apply anywhere in the US, including schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton.
Students aiming at MIT, CalTech, or Harvey Mudd in particular may want to raise their SAT Math score to a perfect 800 to be competitive applicants. (If you’re currently scoring around 700, an 800 may be possible to achieve.)
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If you’d like to join my current student roster for one-on-one expert test prep, you can sign up here or reach out at info@ivybloomacademics.com.
Happy studying!