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
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary Ankeny, Iowa	22
Saint Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa	22
Georgetown College Georgetown, Kentucky	22
Midway University Midway, Kentucky	22
Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana	22
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Baton Rouge, Louisiana	22
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, Michigan	22
William Carey University Hattiesburg, Mississippi	22
Culver Stockton College Canton, Missouri	22
Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, Missouri	22
College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, Missouri	22
Concordia University Nebraska Seward, Nebraska	22
Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska	22
Saint Peter's University Jersey City, New Jersey	22
Belmont Abbey College Belmont, North Carolina	22
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina	22
Gardner Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina	22
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina	22

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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.