United States Public Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score

Below is a list of the 443 public colleges in the United States with the highest ACT Score for incoming freshmen. University of Maryland College Park leads the list with an average ACT Score of 33. 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 Public Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score
College	Average ACT Score
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, Wisconsin	21
University of Wisconsin Superior Superior, Wisconsin	21
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin	21
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Stevens Point, Wisconsin	21
University of California Merced Merced, California	21
Augusta University Augusta, Georgia	21
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama	20
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, Arkansas	20
Arkansas Tech University Russellville, Arkansas	20
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, Arkansas	20
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, California	20
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, California	20
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California	20
Adams State University Alamosa, Colorado	20
Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia	20
McNeese State University Lake Charles, Louisiana	20
University of New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana	20
Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, Minnesota	20

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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.