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.
| College | Average SAT Score |
|---|---|
|
Lancaster Bible College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
1175 |
|
University of Evansville
Evansville, Indiana |
1172 |
|
Mount Saint Mary College
Newburgh, New York |
1172 |
|
Spring Hill College
Mobile, Alabama |
1170 |
|
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas |
1170 |
|
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana |
1170 |
|
King's College
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
1170 |
|
Abilene Christian University
Abilene, Texas |
1170 |
|
Husson University
Bangor, Maine |
1170 |
|
Franklin Pierce University
Rindge, New Hampshire |
1169 |
|
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, Minnesota |
1167 |
|
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
1165 |
|
Stetson University
DeLand, Florida |
1165 |
|
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois |
1165 |
|
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana |
1165 |
|
William Carey University
Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
1165 |
|
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, New York |
1165 |
|
Catawba College
Salisbury, North Carolina |
1165 |
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.