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Colleges that accept a 1500 SAT

Updated Federal and Common Data Set numbers, each with its year

The short answer

A 1500 SAT is in the middle 50% of first-year scores at 63 four-year colleges, including UT Austin, Rutgers and Illinois.

Each college reports the SAT scores of the first-year students who sent one: a quarter scored below the 25th percentile and a quarter above the 75th. When 1500 falls between the two, it's a typical score there. Many of these colleges are test-optional, so the range describes only the students who chose to send a score.

The list (63)

Four-year colleges with 500 or more undergraduates where 1500 is between the 25th and 75th percentile SAT total, closest to the middle first. Score ranges come from each college's own Common Data Set (fall 2025) for 44 colleges and IPEDS (fall 2024) for 19 colleges.

  1. University of Notre Dame SAT 1460–1540 Notre Dame, IN · Admitted 9.4% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  2. Wellesley College SAT 1460–1540 Wellesley, MA · Admitted 15% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  3. University of Southern California SAT 1470–1540 Los Angeles, CA · Admitted 11% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  4. Dartmouth College SAT 1440–1550 Hanover, NH · Admitted 6% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  5. Middlebury College SAT 1460–1530 Middlebury, VT · Admitted 13% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  6. Colby College SAT 1460–1550 Waterville, ME · Admitted 7.1% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  7. Carleton College SAT 1460–1530 Northfield, MN · Admitted 22% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  8. Amherst College SAT 1470–1540 Amherst, MA · Admitted 7.7% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  9. Bowdoin College SAT 1470–1540 Brunswick, ME · Admitted 6.8% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  10. Boston College SAT 1440–1540 Chestnut Hill, MA · Admitted 16% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  11. Emory University SAT 1480–1540 Atlanta, GA · Admitted 10% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  12. Tufts University SAT 1460–1520 Medford, MA · Admitted 11% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  13. Barnard College SAT 1480–1540 New York, NY · Admitted 10% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  14. Vassar College SAT 1460–1520 Poughkeepsie, NY · Admitted 21% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  15. New York University SAT 1480–1550 New York, NY · Admitted 9.1% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  16. Case Western Reserve University SAT 1440–1530 Cleveland, OH · Admitted 35% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  17. Swarthmore College SAT 1480–1550 Swarthmore, PA · Admitted 7.5% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  18. Claremont McKenna College SAT 1470–1560 Claremont, CA · Admitted 9.4% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  19. Cornell University SAT 1490–1550 Ithaca, NY · Admitted 8.4% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  20. Yale University SAT 1480–1560 New Haven, CT · Admitted 4.7% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  21. Colgate University SAT 1450–1510 Hamilton, NY · Admitted 18% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  22. Williams College SAT 1490–1550 Williamstown, MA · Admitted 8.6% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  23. Washington and Lee University SAT 1430–1530 Lexington, VA · Admitted 14% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  24. University of Virginia SAT 1410–1540 Charlottesville, VA · Admitted 17% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  25. Northeastern University SAT 1440–1510 Boston, MA · Admitted 5.6% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  26. Washington University in St Louis SAT 1500–1550 St. Louis, MO · Admitted 12% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  27. Princeton University SAT 1490–1560 Princeton, NJ · Admitted 4.4% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  28. Hamilton College SAT 1440–1510 Clinton, NY · Admitted 14% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  29. Grinnell College SAT 1410–1540 Grinnell, IA · Admitted 14% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  30. Pomona College SAT 1490–1560 Claremont, CA · Admitted 7.1% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  31. University of Chicago SAT 1500–1560 Chicago, IL · Admitted 4.5% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  32. Carnegie Mellon University SAT 1500–1560 Pittsburgh, PA · Admitted 11% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Scores required for some, fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  33. Smith College SAT 1420–1520 Northampton, MA · Admitted 22% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  34. Harvey Mudd College SAT 1500–1560 Claremont, CA · Admitted 12% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  35. Georgetown University SAT 1405–1530 Washington, DC · Admitted 14% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  36. University of Maryland SAT 1410–1520 College Park, MD · Admitted 45% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  37. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SAT 1400–1530 Chapel Hill, NC · Admitted 17% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Scores required for some, fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  38. Boston University SAT 1420–1510 Boston, MA · Admitted 13% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  39. Tulane University SAT 1430–1500 New Orleans, LA · Admitted 14% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  40. Scripps College SAT 1430–1500 Claremont, CA · Admitted 40% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  41. Rhode Island School of Design SAT 1396–1530 Providence, RI · Admitted 19% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  42. Babson College SAT 1390–1530 Wellesley, MA · Admitted 17% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  43. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign SAT 1390–1520 Champaign, IL · Admitted 37% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  44. William & Mary SAT 1390–1520 Williamsburg, VA · Admitted 37% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  45. University of Rochester SAT 1400–1510 Rochester, NY · Admitted 42% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  46. Davidson College SAT 1410–1500 Davidson, NC · Admitted 13% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  47. University of Michigan SAT 1370–1530 Ann Arbor, MI · Admitted 16% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  48. Georgia Tech SAT 1370–1530 Atlanta, GA · Admitted 13% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  49. Occidental College SAT 1380–1520 Los Angeles, CA · Admitted 44% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  50. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute SAT 1380–1500 Troy, NY · Admitted 67% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  51. Wesleyan University SAT 1350–1510 Middletown, CT · Admitted 16% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  52. Yeshiva University SAT 1340–1510 New York, NY · Admitted 56% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  53. Binghamton University SAT 1340–1500 Vestal, NY · Admitted 37% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  54. University of Missouri-Kansas City SAT 1290–1550 Kansas City, MO · Admitted 72% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  55. Bates College SAT 1325–1510 Lewiston, ME · Admitted 15% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  56. University of Washington SAT 1320–1502 Seattle, WA · Admitted 42% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-free for fall 2027 Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  57. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology SAT 1320–1500 Terre Haute, IN · Admitted 77% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  58. Rutgers University–New Brunswick SAT 1310–1500 New Brunswick, NJ · Admitted 59% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  59. Cooper Union SAT 1295–1501 New York, NY · Admitted 21% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Scores required for some, fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  60. Bryn Mawr College SAT 1280–1510 Bryn Mawr, PA · Admitted 29% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Test-optional for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  61. University of Texas at Austin SAT 1250–1510 Austin, TX · Admitted 22% of fall 2025 applicants (Common Data Set) SAT or ACT required for fall 2027 Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  62. University of Tulsa SAT 1223–1530 Tulsa, OK · Admitted 62% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  63. Fisk University SAT 1140–1510 Nashville, TN · Admitted 37% of fall 2024 applicants (IPEDS) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
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What colleges accept a 1500 SAT score?

A 1500 SAT is in the middle 50% of first-year scores at 63 four-year colleges, including UT Austin, Rutgers and Illinois. Colleges don't set a minimum score, so a 1500 inside a college's middle 50% means it is a typical score among the first-years who sent one.

Which of these colleges admit the most applicants?

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology admitted 77% of fall 2024 applicants, University of Missouri-Kansas City admitted 72% of fall 2024 applicants and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admitted 67% of fall 2025 applicants. Among the 63 colleges listed, 1 admitted three in four applicants or more.

Which colleges on this list are hardest to get into?

Princeton admitted 4.4% of fall 2025 applicants, UChicago admitted 4.5% of fall 2025 applicants and Yale admitted 4.7% of fall 2025 applicants: the lowest rates on this list.

Do I have to send my SAT score to these colleges?

It depends on the college. We read the fall 2027 rule on the college's own site for 51 colleges on this list: 6 require a score, 41 are test-optional, 3 require it for some applicants, 1 won't look at scores. For the others, check the college's admissions page before you decide.

Numbers change each year when colleges and the Department of Education publish new data. Confirm costs and admission rules with the college before you apply.

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