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
Whitman College Walla Walla, Washington	1395
Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee	1393
Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	1390
Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, Pennsylvania	1386
St Olaf College Northfield, Minnesota	1385
Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania	1385
Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut	1384
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York	1380
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma	1376
St. John's College Santa Fe, New Mexico	1375
Clark University Worcester, Massachusetts	1374
Pepperdine University Malibu, California	1370
American University Washington, District Of Columbia	1370
Wheaton College Wheaton, Illinois	1365
Gettysburg College Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	1365
Brigham Young University Provo, Utah	1365
Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, New York	1360
St. John's College Annapolis, Maryland	1355

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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.