"Is this score good enough for this school?"
"Should I bother applying to an exclusive school if my daughter doesn't have that score?"
"Is there a minimum score my son needs to be competitive when applying to this school?"
We've been asked a version of this question a number of different times over the last few years so we thought that we'd tackle it here.
As we've mentioned in previous posts, the SAT itself doesn't "make" a student's application, but it can certainly "break" it. Meaning that if a student crossed a certain threshold in terms of their SAT score for a particular school, a higher SAT score doesn't help them. But, if a student doesn't cross a particular threshold for an SAT score when applying to a certain school, this does in fact hurt their chances of being accepted into that school.
If you're interested in learning more about this dynamic, you can do some reading about it here.
Before we discuss the scores needed to get into particular types of schools, we're first going to break down the different types of schools and the common traits each type of school shares. Depending on the type of school, a different SAT score will give a student an edge when applying to the school and ultimately, being accepted into it.
The Different Types Of Schools
For us, there are 5 different calibers of schools and the way we define each caliber of school is as follows:
We define tier 1 schools as the top 5% of schools in the United States. Theses are the Ivy League caliber schools as well as public and private schools with acceptance rates typically less than 15%. These schools include but are not limited to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, UCLA, USC, Rice, Duke, etc.
These are the top tier schools on the planet and the most exclusive and difficult to be accepted to.
We define tier 2. schools as the next 10% of schools in the United States after the top 5%. These schools aren't quite Ivy League caliber schools, but nonetheless they are very difficult institutions to get into and accept only the best of the best. These institutions typically have acceptance rates somewhere between 15% and 30%. These schools include but are not limited to Northeastern University, Boston University, Boston College, NYU, UC Berkeley, The University of Michigan, etc.
These schools, while not being as exclusive and difficult to get into as the first set, are certainly top tier schools in their own right.
We define tier 3 schools as the following 15% of schools in the United States after the tier 2 schools. Theses schools are often some of the more exclusive state schools as well as some larger private schools. These schools are exceptional schools and accept many of the best students all across the globe. These institutions typically have acceptance rates somewhere between 30 and 50%. These schools include but are not limited to The College of New Jersey, Florida State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Maryland, etc.
These schools are often schools are often considered the public "Ivies" and certainly have a level of prestige to them most other schools cannot match.
We define tier 4 schools as the following 20% of schools in the United States after the tier 3 schools. Theses schools are often larger state schools with acceptance rates typically between 50 and 75%. These schools include but are not limited to Rutgers University, Ohio State, Loyola University Chicago, Virginia Tech, etc.
These schools while not being as exclusive as some of the previous schools certainly have their own perks and benefits as it relates to attending them.
Finally, we define tier 5 schools as the remaining 50% of schools in the United States.
What SAT Score Do I Need?
The scores we chose for each type of school are the scores that will place a student in a very competitive position when applying to the given type of school. A student getting the score indicated below will, more likely than not, advance into the following rounds of the admission process and stand a much better chance of being admitted compared to a student who doesn't.
For Tier 1 Schools
For tier one schools, an SAT score above 1530 will put that student in the top third of scores and will give them a massive edge in this category.
Typically, for tier one schools, the first round of admission usually sees about half of the applicants to the school being tossed out. By being in the top third of scorers, a student places themselves far about the fray and make it much more likely that they'll get into the school of their dreams.
For Tier 2 Schools
For tier two schools, an SAT score above 1480 will put a student in the top third to quarter of scores and will give them a massive edge when applying to this school.
In their two schools, during the first round, about 1/3 to 1/2 of applications are thrown out. By placing oneself in the top third of SAT scores, a student is very likely to advance into the following rounds and eventually be admitted into this type of school.
For Tier 3 Schools
For tier three schools, an SAT score above 1330 will put a student in the top third to quarter of scores and will give them a size-able advantage when applying to this school.
In their three schools, during the first round, about 1/4 to 1/3 of applications are thrown out. By placing oneself in the top third of SAT scores, a student is very likely to advance into the following rounds and eventually be admitted into this type of school.
For Tier 4 Schools
For tier four schools, an SAT score above 1130 will put a student in the top half of scores and will give them a leg up compared to other student when applying to this school.
In their four schools, during the first round, about 1/5 applications are thrown out. By placing oneself in the top half SAT scores, a student is very likely to advance into the following rounds and eventually be admitted into this type of school.
For Tier 5 Schools
For tier four schools, an SAT score above 900 will put a student in the top half of scores and will give them a substantial advantage when getting into the school of their choice.
To recap:
For Tier 1 Schools
For tier one schools (Ivy League caliber schools) a student who receives an SAT score above 1530 with be in a terrific position to make it into the school.
For Tier 2 Schools
For tier two schools (schools just under the Ivy League level), a student who receives an SAT score above 1480 will be in a terrific position to make it into the school.
For Tier 3 Schools
For tier three schools (schools often referred to as "Public Ivies"), a student who receives an SAT score above 1330 will be in a terrific position to make it into the school.
For Tier 4 Schools
For tier four schools (schools that are often larger state schools), a student who receives an SAT score above 1130 will be in a terrific position to make it into the school.
For Tier 5 Schools
For tier five schools, a student who receives an SAT score above 900 will be in a very good position to make it into the school.
Next Post: Has COVID-19 Changed The SAT?->
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