What colleges accept a 18 ACT score?
Based on 2021 freshman class ACT scores for all U.S. colleges, here are 373 schools where submitting a 18 with your college application places you around the middle ACT score range of admitted students. This list represents the most popular schools where you will be a competitive applicant and those which have historically accepted a 18 ACT score. Keep in mind, an ACT score alone won't get you admitted. It's equally important to have the GPA that the college is expecting for incoming students.
You can probably do better than a score of 18. It places you in the bottom 38th percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. The score indicates you've done a below average job answering the questions on the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the test. Since your score is on the lower end of the range, consider taking a test prep course and re-taking the ACT to see if you can do better.
For comparison purposes, a 18 on the ACT converts to a 970 on the SAT based on the College Board / ACT concordance. Not all colleges report both SAT and ACT score admission data so you should check our comparable listings for both standardized tests to find academically similar schools.
Here are some of the top ranked colleges which have historically accepted students in this test score range. Scroll down further to explore, search, sort and filter the full list.
College | Average ACT |
---|---|
University of Redlands | 22 |
Rutgers University Newark | 20 |
University of Alaska Fairbanks | 22 |
Rutgers University Camden | 20 |
Jacksonville University | 22 |
Augsburg College | 20 |
Ursuline College | 21 |
Cedar Crest College | 21 |
Roosevelt University | 22 |
Anderson University | 21 |
SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 21 |
McKendree University | 23 |
Mount St. Mary's College | 20 |
Western Illinois University | 21 |
Mercy College of Ohio | 20 |
373 results nationwide
Displaying 373 colleges where your 18 ACT score is within the typical range of past accepted students. You have a chance at being accepted but admission may be challenging at more selective colleges. Hint: Filter by admission chance for 1,098 target schools (good chance), 1,443 reach (harder) schools and 1,101 safety (easier) schools you can consider.
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
19 Average ACT
#18 Best Public Universities in California
Applications Due May 1
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
17 Average ACT
#26 Best Public Universities in California
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
20 Average ACT
#16 Best Public Universities in California
Applications Due Nov 30
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
20 Average ACT
#20 Best Public Universities in California
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
21 Average ACT
#9 Best Public Universities in Virginia
Applications Due Apr 15
Private 4 Year
0 reviews
18 Average ACT
#12 Best Private Colleges in Georgia
Applications Due May 1
Public 4 Year
5 reviews
18 Average ACT
#9 Best Public Universities in Maryland
Applications Due Nov 1
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
21 Average ACT
#5 Best Public Universities in Georgia
Applications Due May 1
Public 4 Year
2 reviews
17 Average ACT
#11 Best Public Universities in Alabama
Applications Due Mar 1
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
19 Average ACT
#12 Best Public Universities in North Carolina
Applications Due May 1
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
20 Average ACT
#16 Best Public Universities in Texas
Applications Due Aug 1
Public 4 Year
3 reviews
18 Average ACT
#25 Best Public Universities in Texas
Applications Due Apr 30
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
21 Average ACT
#15 Best Public Universities in California
Applications Due Nov 30
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
19 Average ACT
#7 Best Public Universities in Georgia
Applications Due Jul 15
Public 4 Year
6 reviews
19 Average ACT
#9 Best Public Universities in New Jersey
Applications Due May 31
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
17 Average ACT
#12 Best Public Universities in Virginia
Applications Due May 1
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
20 Average ACT
#5 Best Public Universities in Oregon
Applications Due Mar 1
Public 4 Year
2 reviews
18 Average ACT
#24 Best Public Universities in California
Applications Due Apr 1
You can probably do better than a score of 18. The score puts you in the bottom 38th percentile of those who take the test. Explore colleges you can get into with a 18 ACT score.
San Francisco State University, California State University Los Angeles and California State University Fullerton are some of the best colleges that you have a competitive chance of getting into. Explore the full list: Colleges for a 18 ACT score.
A 18 ranks in the bottom 38th percentile of all students who take the ACT exam.
A 18 converts to a 970 on the SAT using College Board / ACT concordance tables. Explore the colleges: Colleges for a 970 SAT score.