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
University of the Pacific Stockton, California	1331
Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, California	1330
Muhlenberg College Allentown, Pennsylvania	1330
Patrick Henry College Purcellville, Virginia	1330
University of Denver Denver, Colorado	1325
Fairfield University Fairfield, Connecticut	1325
College of the Holy Cross Worcester, Massachusetts	1325
Fisk University Nashville, Tennessee	1325
The University of the South Sewanee, Tennessee	1325
Providence College Providence, Rhode Island	1320
Hofstra University Hempstead, New York	1315
Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, Virginia	1315
Seattle University Seattle, Washington	1315
Beloit College Beloit, Wisconsin	1315
Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, California	1310
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, Illinois	1310
Knox College Galesburg, Illinois	1310
Ithaca College Ithaca, New York	1310

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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.