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
Occidental College Los Angeles, California	32
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California	32
Scripps College Claremont, California	32
Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut	32
George Washington University Washington, District Of Columbia	32
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa	32
Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana	32
Bates College Lewiston, Maine	32
Babson College Wellesley, Massachusetts	32
Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts	32
Macalester College Saint Paul, Minnesota	32
Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey	32
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York	32
University of Rochester Rochester, New York	32
Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, New York	32
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina	32
Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio	32
Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio	32

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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.