Earlier this month, Dartmouth College announced that they would be reinstating the requirement for SAT or ACT scores for freshman applicants. Dartmouth officials came to this decision after studying the effects of their test-optional policy. They realized that they were missing out on qualified students who decided not to submit their scores. It’s Dartmouth’s policy to consider test scores “in context.” This means a student with a 1420 coming from a “challenged” school would potentially be a contender for admission because it shows that the student has resilience and academic prowess despite environmental factors working against them. The average SAT score range for the admitted freshman class in 2024 was 1440 – 1560. It’s important to note that the class of 2024 was the last class required to submit scores, and did not reflect any possible data changes due to students taking the new, digital version of the SAT.
With better insider knowledge on how colleges and universities are considering test scores, it is important to think about your own score in context. Take a look at the state by state analysis below for both the SAT and the ACT.
Once again, state by state analysis is only one point of data. College admissions officers have several ways of comparing and contrasting student profiles. It will always be helpful for you to look into your target school’s freshman profile to see what the typical score range is, and aim for the higher end of the range.
Unsure of whether you should tackle the SAT or the ACT? Read more about their differences here.
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