United States Public Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score

Below is a list of the 482 public colleges in the United States with the highest SAT Score for incoming freshmen. University of Virginia Main Campus leads the list with an average SAT Score of 1475. 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 Public Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score
College	Average SAT Score
Jackson State University Jackson, Mississippi	945
Eastern New Mexico University Main Campus Portales, New Mexico	945
Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, Missouri	940
Fairmont State University Fairmont, West Virginia	940
Bowie State University Bowie, Maryland	939
Southern University at New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana	935
CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, New York	935
Columbus State University Columbus, Georgia	930
Norfolk State University Norfolk, Virginia	926
Alabama A & M University Normal, Alabama	925
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne, Maryland	925
Winston Salem State University Winston-Salem, North Carolina	925
University of South Carolina Union Union, South Carolina	925
South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina	925
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva, Oklahoma	919
Kentucky State University Frankfort, Kentucky	915
University of South Carolina Salkehatchie Allendale, South Carolina	915
Savannah State University Savannah, Georgia	912

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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.