All about Average SAT Score

SAT has remained the gold standard criterion for admission to acclaimed universities for decades. It is the qualifying test students take to get admitted to the top-tier college of their choice and make the first step in building successful careers. Usually, somewhere between junior and senior year of high school is when most students start preparing for the SAT. Candidates seeking admission to any university are required to take the Scholastic Assessment Test for admissions and merit scholarships. The test evaluates students on critical thinking, reading and writing skills, and mathematical ability and is the yardstick by which college success is measured in universities.  

SAT is a career-defining exam when it comes to getting into an Ivy League College. The examination needs strong strategies, timing and right planning to excel and get resourceful scores. The students find SAT to be quite lengthy in duration but at the same time, with a planned idea and approach, along with right guidance from tutors and resources, achieving the SAT high score dream is easily attainable.  

In order to secure better scores, the student needs to have a thorough understanding of how the evaluation is done and the methods followed by examination authorities to ensure resourceful results. Having a good understanding of SAT scores and the evaluation procedure is truly an informative aspect that would decide good results. 

It would be interesting to note that there are various ways in the way SAT scores are evaluated and that can get confusing for the test taker. Hence, a strong understanding of the scores is highly useful. Some of the ways in which the scores are analyzed are: 

  • National Averages.
  • Averages by Ethnicity.
  • Averages By Gender.

Family income, and the type of high school in which the student pursued education. 

How is Average SAT Score defined? 

The average SAT score as per the College Annual Report in the year 2020 is 1021 which is classified as: 

  • Evidence-Based Reading- 528 
  • Math- 523 

Summing up these two individual scores- the Average SAT score is finalized. 

The students need to plan their preparation and approach based on these targets- individually for the individual subjects as well as the total score. 

National Average SAT Score- What is it all about? 

The National Average SAT score is different from the usual by a little variation. Here are the details of the same. 

Evidence-Based Writing and Reading – 528 

Math- 523 

Total score: 1051 

State-Wise SAT Average Scores: 

It is also to be noted that each state evaluates SAT average scores individually and based on the place where the aspirants take up the test, the average score has to be followed. Here are the details of the Average SAT scores as evaluated by individual states in the US. 

Here is the chart of average SAT scores by state in the US as reported by the College Board. 

Name of the State in the US Participation Rate for the SAT examination SAT Scores Evidence-Based Reading and Writing  SAT Scores- Math SAT Scores- The Total Average 
Alabama 0.07 576 551 1127 
Alaska 0.37 555 543 1098 
Arizona 0.29 571 568 1139 
Arkansas 0.04 590 567 1157 
California 0.67 527 522 1049 
Colorado 511 501 1012 
Connecticut 527 512 1039 
Delaware 497 481 978 
District of Columbia 498 482 979 
Florida 512 479 992 
Georgia 0.68 537 516 1053 
Hawaii 0.51 549 546 1095 
Idaho 500 484 984 
Illinois 0.98 504 503 1007 
Indiana 0.64 540 534 1074 
Iowa 0.03 611 609 1220 
Kansas 0.04 617 620 1237 
Kentucky 0.04 609 598 1207 
Louisiana 0.05 597 573 1170 
Maine 0.98 504 491 995 
Maryland 0.88 522 507 1029 
Massachusetts 0.8 560 559 1119 
Michigan 503 495 998 
Minnesota 0.04 624 633 1257 
Mississippi 0.03 610 593 1203 
Missouri 0.04 610 603 1212 
Montana 0.1 598 587 1185 
Nebraska 0.03 615 614 1229 
Nevada 0.17 579 571 1150 
New Hampshire 0.93 531 524 1055 
New Jersey 0.82 541 540 1081 
New Mexico 0.19 533 522 1055 
New York 0.79 528 530 1058 
North Carolina 0.48 553 544 1096 
North Dakota 0.02 615 617 1231 
Ohio 0.21 536 534 1070 
Oklahoma 0.2 490 481 971 
Oregon 0.51 557 547 1104 
Pennsylvania 0.67 543 534 1078 
Puerto Rico N/A 511 481 993 
Rhode Island 501 489 990 
South Carolina 0.68 524 503 1026 
South Dakota 0.03 609 610 1218 
Tennessee 0.07 601 585 1186 
Texas 0.73 510 500 1010 
Utah 0.03 601 603 1204 
Vermont 0.63 559 545 1103 
Virgin Islands N/A 474 437 912 
Virginia 0.65 567 549 1116 
Washington 0.69 539 534 1073 
West Virginia 0.98 480 456 936 
Wisconsin 0.03 615 628 1243 
Wyoming 0.02 614 606 1220 

The SAT aspirants might have the thought about which particular state in the US has the average score- to plan taking the test accordingly. 

With a participation of just 4%,  Minnesota tops in the list of highest SAT scores (1257). Interestingly, this is 205 points higher than the average national SAT score.  The second place is occupied by Wisconsin (1243) and third place is occupied by Kansas (1237).  

Highest Participation Rates: US States 

The SAT aspirants will have to know more about the US states with the highest participation rates as present- that means these states are committed to provide quality education and ensure better scores. 

Here is the list of SAT test participation rates that read 100 percent and shows that they are quite pro in terms of conducting the examination. 

  • Connecticut 
  • Delaware 
  • Colorado 
  • Florida 
  • District of Columbia 
  • Michigan 
  • Idaho 

What about the state which has the Lowest SAT average score? 

 The participation rate of West Virginia is 98%  and has recorded the lowest SAT average score (936).  In second place, Oklahoma stands with an average score of 971.  

The List of top 25 Colleges with Highest Average SAT Score- Ranked 

Rank University/College SAT Test Score 25th Percentile SAT Test Score 75th Percentile SAT Score- The Total Average 
Princeton 1460 1570 1510 
Harvard 1460 1570 1510 
Columbia 1450 1570 1510 
MIT 1510 1570 1540 
Yale 1460 1570 1515 
Stanford 1440 1570 1500 
University of Chicago 1500 1570 1530 
Penn State 1450 1560 1500 
Caltech 1530 1560 1540 
10 Johns Hopkins 1470 1570 1520 
11 Northwestern 1440 1550 1490 
12 Duke 1480 1570 1520 
13 Dartmouth 1440 1560 1500 
14 Brown 1440 1570 1500 
15 Vanderbilt 1460 1560 1510 
16 Rice 1470 1570 1520 
17 WUSTL 1480 1560 1520 
18 Cornell 1400 1560 1480 
19 Notre Dame 1400 1550 1470 
20 UCLA 1280 1530 1400 
21 Emory 1360 1530 1440 
22 UC Berkeley 1310 1530 1420 
23 Georgetown 1380 1550 1460 
24 University of Michigan 1340 1530 1430 
25 USC 1360 1530 1440 

The top 75 college list of Highest Average SAT Scores 

We bring the list of 75 amazing colleges that are highly prestigious based on the average SAT test scores. These colleges are highly regarded and considered to be dream colleges for many SAT aspirants.  

Here is a chart of 75 of the most popular and well respected colleges, schools, and universities in the US along with their average SAT test scores. 

College / University 25th Percentile SAT Score 75th Percentile SAT Score Total Average SAT Score 
American University 1220 1380 1300 
Amherst College 1420 1530 1480 
Baylor University 1210 1370 1293 
Binghamton University (SUNY Binghamton) 1310 1440 1375 
Boston College 1370 1490 1420 
Boston University 1340 1500 1420 
Bowdoin College 1300 1510 1405 
Brigham Young University (BYU) 1220 1410 1315 
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) 1240 1430 1335 
Carnegie Mellon 1460 1560 1510 
Chapman University 1190 1370 1280 
Claremont McKenna College 1420 1560 1490 
College of William and Mary 1230 1510 1415 
Drexel University 1200 1380 1290 
George Washington University (GWU) 1280 1460 1370 
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) 1390 1540 1465 
Harvey Mudd College 1490 1560 1530 
Indiana University Bloomington 1280 1460 1370 
Lehigh University 1300 1430 1365 
Loyola Marymount University 1210 1390 1296 
Miami University 1210 1390 1310 
Michigan State University (MSU) 1120 1310 1210 
Middlebury College 1360 1530 1445 
New York University (NYU) 1370 1510 1440 
Northeastern University 1390 1540 1465 
Ohio State University (OSU) 1300 1420 1355 
Pace University 1060 1220 1140 
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) 1160 1370 1265 
Pepperdine University 1220 1420 1320 
Pitzer College 1340 1490 1410 
Pomona College 1410 1530 1465 
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 1330 1500 1409 
Rutgers University 1190 1410 1300 
Scripps College 1300 1480 1390 
Stony Brook University—SUNY 1250 1420 1335 
Syracuse University 1180 1370 1275 
Temple University 1140 1310 1238 
Texas A&M University 1180 1390 1275 
Texas Christian University (TCU) 1150 1340 1250 
Trinity College 1300 1460 1380 
Tufts University 1390 1540 1465 
Tulane University 1350 1490 1420 
UC Davis 1150 1410 1280 
UC Irvine 1180 1440 1310 
UC Riverside 1130 1330 1225 
UC San Diego (UCSD) 1250 1470 1360 
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) 1230 1480 1355 
UC Santa Cruz 1170 1400 1285 
United States Military Academy (West Point) 1185 1400 1300 
United States Naval Academy 1250 1450 1410 
University of Alabama 1060 1280 1184 
University of Arizona 1120 1350 1235 
University of Cincinnati 1160 1370 1265 
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) 1160 1350 1253 
University of Connecticut (UConn) 1210 1420 1315 
University of Florida 1280 1440 1360 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) 1340 1500 1420 
University of Iowa 1140 1330 1235 
University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) 1210 1370 1290 
University of Miami 1280 1420 1355 
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 1270 1440 1351 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) 1300 1470 1395 
University of Pittsburgh 1260 1440 1350 
University of Rochester 1340 1500 1420 
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) 1240 1470 1355 
University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) 1250 1450 1350 
University of Vermont 1200 1360 1270 
University of Virginia (UVA) 1340 1500 1430 
University of Washington 1220 1460 1340 
University of Wisconsin—Madison 1300 1480 1390 
Vassar College 1370 1510 1440 
Villanova University 1330 1460 1395 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) 1180 1390 1285 
Wake Forest University 1310 1470 1390 
Wellesley College 1360 1530 1437 
Williams College 1410 1550 1479 
Turito – Concept Master Video.

SAT Average Score List Based on Gender 

Gender Math SAT Score Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Score Total Average SAT Scores 
Male 523 531 1055 
Female 532 516 1048 
No Response 499 468 967 

As per the stats, the males outperform females by 15 points in Math subject. However, the females outperform males by 9 points in ERW. 

SAT Average Scores- Based on the Ethnicity 

Based on the specifics of Ethnicity, the college board offers scores depending on this category as well.  

Ethnicity / Race Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Scores Math SAT Scores Total Average SAT Scores 
White 557 547 1104 
Asian 585 632 1217 
American Indian / Alaska Native 456 447 902 
Black / African American 473 454 927 
Hispanic / Latino 491 478 969 
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 478 470 948 
Two or more races 552 539 1091 

The Average SAT scores based on the Waiver: 

SAT Fee Waiver Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Scores Math SAT Scores Total Average SAT Scores 
Used 503 491 966 
Not Used 533 430 1063 

The Strategy of SAT Scores 

It is a known fact that SAT Exam is scored for 1600 for the two sections Math and ERW along with a scaled score of 200-800. When it comes to section scores, they are done for the two SAT sections with 800 each, which will be combined to give the total score.  

When it comes to SAT sub-scores , it evaluates the performance of the student in various skills and displays the individual strengths and weaknesses.  

Conclusion: 

The thorough understanding of SAT Average Scores based on various categories is crucial to plan the test prep and also strategize on how to plan for studying and pursuing the right training. The right guidance from established educational institutions such as Turito would give a great idea on planning to ace the SAT exam- and get admitted into college admissions.  

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