United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score

Below is a list of the 708 private colleges in the United States with the highest ACT Score for incoming freshmen. California Institute of Technology leads the list with an average ACT Score of 35. Alternatively, check out the SAT version of these rankings.

The ACT is a standardized test used by colleges to evaluate applicants. It is not a guarantee of success in college, but it is a strong indicator of academic potential.

List of United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score
College	Average ACT Score
Gordon College Wenham, Massachusetts	28
MCPHS University Boston, Massachusetts	28
Springfield College Springfield, Massachusetts	28
Kettering University Flint, Michigan	28
Hope College Holland, Michigan	28
Saint Louis University Saint Louis, Missouri	28
Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska	28
Clarkson University Potsdam, New York	28
Houghton University Houghton, New York	28
Ithaca College Ithaca, New York	28
Marist University Poughkeepsie, New York	28
The New School New York, New York	28
New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, New York	28
Pratt Institute Main Brooklyn, New York	28
Touro University New York, New York	28
High Point University High Point, North Carolina	28
University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio	28
John Carroll University University Heights, Ohio	28

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.