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.
| College | Average ACT Score |
|---|---|
|
Concordia University Irvine
Irvine, California |
25 |
|
Howard University
Washington, District Of Columbia |
25 |
|
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida |
25 |
|
The University of Tampa
Tampa, Florida |
25 |
|
Berry College
Mount Berry, Georgia |
25 |
|
Spelman College
Atlanta, Georgia |
25 |
|
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois |
25 |
|
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois |
25 |
|
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana |
25 |
|
Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa |
25 |
|
Emmaus Bible College
Dubuque, Iowa |
25 |
|
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa |
25 |
|
Benedictine College
Atchison, Kansas |
25 |
|
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky |
25 |
|
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky |
25 |
|
University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, Michigan |
25 |
|
Bethel University
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
25 |
|
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
25 |
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.