What SAT and ACT 25th–75th percentiles mean

OPEN ADMIT · ASSERTION LABS

Understand the middle 50% SAT and ACT range, why it is not an admission cutoff, and why SAT section percentiles cannot be added.

The middle 50%

The 25th percentile is the lower end and the 75th percentile the upper end of the middle half of reported scores. These figures describe enrolled first-time students whose scores were used in admission; they do not describe every applicant.

A range is not a cutoff

Some enrolled students score below or above this range. A score within it neither guarantees admission nor establishes an individual probability. Test submission policies also affect who appears in the reported score group.

Keep SAT sections separate

The student at the math 25th percentile is not necessarily the student at the reading 25th percentile. Adding those two values does not produce a valid composite 25th percentile. Open Admit charts the sections separately.

Read the policy alongside the score

Required, considered if submitted, and not considered are different policies. Our filters preserve those categories, but they describe the source year. Check the college’s current admissions page before deciding whether to submit a score.

Sources: NCES IPEDS survey definitions and Common Data Set Initiative. Read our data methodology.