Western Colleges for a 26 on the ACT

With a 26 ACT, you are competitive at 199 four-year colleges in the West (67 target, 21 reach, 111 safety). Your score is roughly equivalent to a 1240 SAT.

Colleges in the West for a 26 ACT

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have middle 50% ranges that include 26 - your score fits squarely in the admitted pool.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
San Diego State University San Diego, CA	22-29	25	36%	Medium
University of California Irvine Irvine, CA	26-33	29	29%	Medium
University of California Davis Davis, CA	25-33	29	42%	Medium
San Jose State University San Jose, CA	19-26	22	85%	Medium
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA	20-26	23	46%	Medium
Colorado State University Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	23-29	26	89%	Medium
Washington State University Pullman, WA	20-26	23	87%	Medium
University of Oregon Eugene, OR	23-30	26	88%	Medium
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	24-31	27	77%	Medium
University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	25-30	27	62%	Medium
Boise State University Boise, ID	21-26	23	87%	Medium
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	26-32	29	31%	Medium

View all 67 target colleges

Reach Schools (Lower Admission Chance)

Reach schools typically enroll students with higher average ACT scores; admission is possible but more competitive.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	29-35	32	9%	Low
University of Washington Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	27-33	30	39%	Low
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA	30-35	32	11%	Low
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	28-34	31	33%	Low
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO	29-33	31	78%	Low
Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	29-32	30	63%	Low
University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	28-34	31	27%	Low
United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, Colorado	26-33	29	14%	Low
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA	28-32	30	45%	Low
Brigham Young University Provo, UT	28-32	30	68%	Low
Chapman University Orange, CA	28-31	29	65%	Low
University of Denver Denver, CO	28-33	30	78%	Low

View all 21 reach colleges

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average ACT scores well below 26; you have a very high chance of acceptance.

College	ACT Range	Avg ACT	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI	17-25	21	87%	High
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	16-23	19	96%	High
California State University Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	15-20	17	91%	High
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, CA	18-23	20	91%	High
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA	17-23	20	94%	High
University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	18-25	21	96%	High
California State University Chico Chico, CA	18-24	21	93%	High
Portland State University Portland, OR	17-24	20	91%	High
California State University Fresno Fresno, CA	16-21	18	95%	High
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA	17-23	20	93%	High
Utah Valley University Orem, UT	-	-	100%	High
California State University Northridge Northridge, CA	16-22	19	93%	High

View all 111 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 26 ACT in the West

See all colleges nationally for a 26 ACT

26 ACT to SAT Equivalent Conversion

Colleges use concordance tables to compare SAT and ACT scores. The following table shows the 26 ACT to SAT equivalent and nearby scores for context. These conversions are approximate.

ACT Score	SAT Equivalent
23	1140
24	1180
25	1210
26	1240
27	1280
28	1310
29	1340

Individual colleges may interpret scores slightly differently, so treat concordance as a guide rather than an exact rule.

Published: August 19, 2026