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
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota	1220
Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, New Jersey	1215
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York	1215
SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, New York	1215
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, Pennsylvania	1215
Penn State Erie Behrend College Erie, Pennsylvania	1215
Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, Pennsylvania	1215
University of Nebraska Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska	1214
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona	1210
University of New Hampshire Main Campus Durham, New Hampshire	1210
Rowan University Glassboro, New Jersey	1210
Penn State Wilkes Barre Dallas, Pennsylvania	1210
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana	1205
SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, New York	1205
United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, New York	1205
University of Maine Orono, Maine	1200
Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina	1200
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota	1200

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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.