Is a 1500 SAT score good?
Yes. A 1500 is a strong score on the SAT. It's at the 97th percentile of recent SAT takers and in the top 1% of all U.S. 11th and 12th graders, by College Board's percentiles. Whether it's good for you depends on your colleges: it's inside or above the middle 50% of enrolled freshmen at 915 of the 925 colleges we track with published SAT ranges.
Updated
- percentile of recent SAT takers
- 97th
- percentile of all U.S. 11th and 12th graders
- 99+
- colleges where it's in or above the middle 50%
- 915 of 925
- ACT equivalent
- 34
Percentiles: College Board, SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles. User group percentiles count students who graduated in the past three school years; nationally representative ones are weighted to stand for all U.S. 11th and 12th graders. Checked October 31, 2026. ACT equivalent: ACT and College Board concordance (2018).
Key takeaways
- A 1500 is no more than 30 points below any 25th percentile we track, and below it only at the most selective private universities.
- At every test-optional college we can estimate, a 1500 is worth sending, including Princeton, Columbia, Duke and Vanderbilt.
- Tennessee's out-of-state award doubles to $18,000 a year at 1490 with a 4.0 GPA.
How a 1500 compares across colleges
Where 1500 falls against the middle 50% of enrolled freshmen who sent scores, at public and at private colleges.
| Where a 1500 falls | Public (378) | Private (547) |
|---|---|---|
| Above the 75th percentile | 367 | 481 |
| Inside the middle 50% | 11 | 56 |
| Below the 25th percentile | 0 | 10 |
Large public universities where a 1500 is in range
The largest public universities where 1500 is inside the middle 50%. Each range links to its source and each policy to the college's admissions page. "Sent an SAT" is the share of enrolled first-years the range describes.
| College | Middle 50% SAT (Fall 2025) | 2026-27 test policy | Sent an SAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 1390-1520 | Optional | 43% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 1370-1530 | Optional | 55% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 1320-1502 | Varies by applicant | 19% |
| University of Maryland-College Park | 1410-1520 | Optional | 37% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 1400-1530 | Optional | 22% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 1370-1530 | Required | 78% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | 1410-1510 | Optional | 49% |
| William & Mary | 1390-1520 | Optional | 48% |
| University of Missouri-Kansas City | 1115-1525 | Optional | 3% |
Selective private colleges where a 1500 is in range
The private colleges with the highest middle 50% that still includes 1500, most selective first.
| College | Middle 50% SAT (Fall 2025) | 2026-27 test policy | Sent an SAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | 1500-1560 | Varies by applicant | 66% |
| Harvey Mudd College | 1500-1560 | Optional | 55% |
| University of Chicago | 1500-1560 | Optional | 57% |
| Princeton University | 1490-1560 | Optional | 60% |
| Washington University in St Louis | 1500-1550 | Optional | 32% |
| Cornell University | 1490-1550 | Required | 43% |
| Pomona College | 1490-1550 | Optional | 37% |
| Williams College | 1490-1550 | Optional | 43% |
| Yale University | 1480-1560 | Required | 67% |
| New York University | 1480-1550 | Optional | 27% |
Where does a 1500 fall short?
A 1500 is within 30 points of every range we track. It's below the 25th percentile at Harvard, Penn, Columbia, Duke, Vanderbilt and Rice (1510), Stanford, Northwestern and MIT (1520), and Johns Hopkins (1530).
Those universities admitted between 4% and 8% of applicants for Fall 2025, so even a score inside their ranges leaves admission unlikely. We've written about SAT ranges at Ivy League schools.
Should you send a 1500 to test-optional colleges?
Yes, wherever you have the choice. A 1500 is at or above our estimate of the typical SAT of freshmen who enrolled without one at every test-optional college we can estimate. That includes Princeton (1460), Columbia and Vanderbilt (1470), and Duke, Northwestern, Rice and the University of Chicago (1480), where a 1450 was a close call at several.
The exception is a test-blind college, which doesn't read the score at all: UCLA and Berkeley are test-blind for 2026-27.
Which scholarships does a 1500 earn?
Most public grids top out below 1500, so the awards that start here are fewer and larger. Tennessee's Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship pays $18,000 a year from 1490 with a 4.0 GPA, and Middle Tennessee State's Centennial Scholarship pays $8,000 a year from 1490 with a 3.5. Michigan Tech pays out-of-state students $21,000 a year from 1500 with a 3.9.
At this score, National Merit can matter more than SAT grids, and it runs on the PSAT/NMSQT, not the SAT. We track colleges with National Merit scholarships. This page counts only awards with an SAT minimum. Many colleges also give merit aid on GPA alone; our merit aid calculator estimates awards from your GPA and score together.
Where 1500 fits, college by college
Each college we track, with its middle 50% of enrolled freshmen, where 1500 falls in it, whether to send it, and the merit aid whose SAT minimum it meets. Pick a score within 20 points of 1500 or a state to redraw the lists.
At 1500: 31 target, 48 reach and 829 likely colleges; worth sending to 762 of 762 test-optional colleges.
Target colleges for 1500 (31)
1500 is inside the middle 50% of enrolled freshmen, or at a test-optional college it's worth sending. Most selective first.
| College | SAT, middle 50% | Send this score? | Merit at this score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringNeedham, MA · Admits 25% | SAT, middle 50%1493 to 1558Lower half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1470 | |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of AmericaNew York, NY · Admits 49% | SAT, middle 50%1440 to 1580Lower half of the middle 50% | Send this score?No estimateTest optional | |
| Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN · Admits 22% | SAT, middle 50%1460 to 1530Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1410 | |
| Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · Admits 16% | SAT, middle 50%1460 to 1520Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1410 | |
| Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY · Admits 21% | SAT, middle 50%1460 to 1520Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1400 | |
| Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH · Admits 35% | SAT, middle 50%1440 to 1530Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1380 | |
| Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY · Admits 18% | SAT, middle 50%1450 to 1510Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1400 | |
| Northeastern University OaklandOakland, CA · Admits 17% | SAT, middle 50%1420 to 1520Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1390 | |
| Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA · Admits 22% | SAT, middle 50%1420 to 1520Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1380 | |
| Scripps CollegeClaremont, CA · Admits 40% | SAT, middle 50%1430 to 1500Upper half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1390 |
Reach colleges for 1500 (48)
1500 is below the middle 50% but above the bottom 10% or so, or the college admits under 15% of applicants, a reach for everyone. Closest first.
| College | SAT, middle 50% | Send this score? | Merit at this score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Admits 5% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1560Below the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1470 | |
| Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Admits 5% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1570Below the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1480 | |
| Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Admits 4% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1580Below the middle 50% | Send this score?RequiredTest required | |
| Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Admits 8% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1560Below the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest recommended. Send from 1480 | |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Admits 5% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1570Below the middle 50% | Send this score?RequiredTest required | |
| Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Admits 5% | SAT, middle 50%1510 to 1560Below the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1470 | |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Admits 5% | SAT, middle 50%1520 to 1570Below the middle 50% | Send this score?RequiredTest required | |
| Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Admits 4% | SAT, middle 50%1520 to 1570Below the middle 50% | Send this score?RequiredTest required | |
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Admits 11% | SAT, middle 50%1500 to 1560Lower half of the middle 50% | Send this score?No estimateVaries by applicant | |
| Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA · Admits 12% | SAT, middle 50%1500 to 1560Lower half of the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1480 |
Not listed: 2 more colleges where 1500 is under roughly the 10th percentile of freshmen.
Likely colleges for 1500 (194)
1500 is above the 75th percentile of enrolled freshmen at a college admitting 15% or more. Closest first.
| College | SAT, middle 50% | Send this score? | Merit at this score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH · Admits 30% | SAT, middle 50%1400 to 1495Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1340 | |
| Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, MI · Admits 21% | SAT, middle 50%1320 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1320 | |
| Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · Admits 31% | SAT, middle 50%1360 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1310 | |
| School of Visual ArtsNew York, NY · Admits 93% | SAT, middle 50%1188 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1150 | |
| University of FloridaGainesville, FL · Admits 20% | SAT, middle 50%1330 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?RequiredTest required | |
| University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, VA · Admits 22% | SAT, middle 50%1420 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1370 | |
| University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI · Admits 41% | SAT, middle 50%1400 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1310 | |
| Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · Admits 28% | SAT, middle 50%1420 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1370 | |
| Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Admits 21% | SAT, middle 50%1420 to 1490Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1390 | |
| Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · Admits 38% | SAT, middle 50%1365 to 1485Above the middle 50% | Send this score?Send itTest optional. Send from 1320 |
Not listed: 635 more colleges where 1500 is more than 150 points above the middle 50%.
Automatic scholarships with an SAT minimum at or below 1500
132 colleges we track publish an automatic merit award with an SAT minimum at or below 1500, including colleges not listed above. Each award's other requirements, usually a GPA, are listed with it, and the college's page has every rule. Largest first.
- Troy UniversityALFull cost of attendanceScholars PLUS Award. 3.70+ GPA, 1450+ SAT or 33+ ACT
- Andrews UniversityMIFull tuitionAPS/SAT Scholars. 1490+ SAT or 34+ ACT, PSAT/NMSQT 1470+ also qualifies
- Murray State UniversityKYFull tuitionGSP, GSA, GSE and CHA Scholarships. 3.50+ GPA, 1200+ SAT or 25+ ACT, participant in GSP, GSA, GSE or CHA; ACT composite. In-state students
- Southern Adventist UniversityTNFull tuitionRenewable Full Tuition Scholarship. 1490+ SAT or 34+ ACT, Single test date composite (not superscored)
- Southwestern Adventist UniversityTXFull tuitionSouthwestern Scholars Award. 1500+ SAT
- The University of AlabamaALFull tuitionPresidential Scholarship (in-state). 3.50+ GPA, 1360+ SAT or 30+ ACT. In-state students
- University of Alabama in HuntsvilleALFull tuitionSaturn V (in-state). 4.00+ GPA, 1390+ SAT or 31+ ACT, award is tuition (yearly value listed as 'Tuition'). In-state students
- University of South AlabamaALFull tuitionUSA Freshman Admission Scholarship, full tuition (in-state). 3.50+ GPA, 1420+ SAT or 32+ ACT. In-state students
What 50 more points changes
At 1550, 29 colleges move up a band, 0 test-optional colleges become worth sending to, and 2 colleges have a larger scholarship whose SAT minimum it meets. See every college at 1550.
Moves up a band (29)
- Carleton CollegeTarget to likely
- Boston CollegeTarget to likely
- Vassar CollegeTarget to likely
- Case Western Reserve UniversityTarget to likely
- Colgate UniversityTarget to likely
- Northeastern University OaklandTarget to likely
Meets a larger award's SAT minimum (2)
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology$12,000 a year
- Tennessee Technological University$8,000 a year
We sort by score alone, with the same rules as our college pages, because this page doesn't ask for your GPA. SAT ranges are the middle 50% of enrolled freshmen who sent scores, mostly the Fall 2025 entering class, from each college's Common Data Set or the federal College Scorecard. Test policies are for fall 2027. "Send from" is our estimate of the typical SAT of freshmen who enrolled without one. Scholarships come from each college's published policy, linked.
What costs points at a 1500?
At 1500 you are missing about 2 to 4 questions in each section: usually one or two of the hardest questions and occasional slips on questions you knew how to answer. The slips deserve the most attention, because an easy miss generally costs more than a hard one.
Build a checking routine. Before confirming an answer, reread the last line of the question and make sure your answer responds to it: the requested variable, units and form. If you finish a module with time left, spend it on the questions you answered fastest, where slips hide. We've written more about what to practice above 1500.
Other SAT scores
1450 is 50 lower; 1550 is 50 higher. Every score from 900 to 1600 is on the SAT scores page. To check one college against your score and GPA, use the submit or retake tool.
Common questions about a 1500 SAT
Is a 1500 a good SAT score?
What percentile is a 1500 on the SAT?
What colleges can I get into with a 1500 SAT?
Should I send a 1500 to test-optional colleges?
What ACT score is a 1500 SAT?
Should I retake the SAT with a 1500?
Have another question? Email us at team@getsharp.app.