United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score

Below is a list of the 783 private colleges in the United States with the highest SAT Score for incoming freshmen. California Institute of Technology leads the list with an average SAT Score of 1555. Alternatively, check out the ACT version of these rankings.

The SAT 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 SAT Score
College	Average SAT Score
Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva, New York	1287
Ohio Northern University Ada, Ohio	1287
Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, Maryland	1285
Gonzaga University Spokane, Washington	1285
Augsburg University Minneapolis, Minnesota	1282
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1282
Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1280
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1280
Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, Michigan	1275
Union University Jackson, Tennessee	1275
University of Puget Sound Tacoma, Washington	1275
Houghton University Houghton, New York	1272
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, California	1270
Covenant College Lookout Mountain, Georgia	1270
Pratt Institute Main Brooklyn, New York	1270
Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina	1270
Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee	1270
Manhattan University Riverdale, New York	1269

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

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