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 Houston Houston, Texas	26
James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia	26
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia	26
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia	26
The Evergreen State College Olympia, Washington	26
University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona	25
San Diego State University San Diego, California	25
Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana	25
Indiana University Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana	25
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana	25
University of Massachusetts Boston Boston, Massachusetts	25
University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, Minnesota	25
University of Mississippi University, Mississippi	25
Mississippi State University Mississippi State, Mississippi	25
University of Nebraska Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska	25
SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, New York	25
State University of New York at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, New York	25
SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, New York	25

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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.