A 20 ACT Score is Average. You are in the 50th percentile. While this meets the requirements for most regional colleges, it will be a 'Reach' for selective state flagships.
2026 Expert Guidance: For the 2026 cycle, 'average' is the new 'minimum.' To compensate for a 20, you must demonstrate strong leadership or a high-ranking class position.
Best Colleges for 20 ACT Score
Following is the list of best suited colleges with your 20 ACT Score.
| Logo | College | State | ACT 25th Percentile | ACT 75th Percentile | Acceptance Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | College | State | ACT 25th Percentile | ACT 75th Percentile | Acceptance Rate | Status |
 |
Ursuline College | Ohio | 20 | 22 | 85.08% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | New Jersey | 20 | 23 | 84.09% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Baptist Health Sciences University | Tennessee | 20 | 24 | 40.93% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | North Carolina | 20 | 24 | 44.9% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
LIM College | New York | 20 | 24 | 83.82% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University | Louisiana | 20 | 24 | 84.78% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Buena Vista University | Iowa | 20 | 24 | 77.27% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Delaware State University | Delaware | 20 | 24 | 54.92% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
McMurry University | Texas | 20 | 25 | 56.5% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Coastal Carolina University | South Carolina | 20 | 25 | 78.63% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of South Carolina-Upstate | South Carolina | 20 | 25 | 78.58% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Lycoming College | Pennsylvania | 20 | 25 | 75.22% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Lancaster Bible College | Pennsylvania | 20 | 25 | 97.15% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | Ohio | 20 | 25 | 78.66% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Gardner-Webb University | North Carolina | 20 | 25 | 74.95% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
College of the Ozarks | Missouri | 20 | 25 | 21.13% | COMP. MATCH |
 |
Bethany Lutheran College | Minnesota | 20 | 25 | 58.5% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saginaw Valley State University | Michigan | 20 | 25 | 76.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Xavier University of Louisiana | Louisiana | 20 | 25 | 95.16% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Louisiana at Monroe | Louisiana | 20 | 25 | 70.11% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | Kentucky | 20 | 25 | 87.23% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Indiana University-Northwest | Indiana | 20 | 25 | 80.31% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Indiana University-Southeast | Indiana | 20 | 25 | 85.23% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Florida Atlantic University | Florida | 20 | 25 | 81.32% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Florida Gulf Coast University | Florida | 20 | 25 | 74.39% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
West Virginia University | West Virginia | 20 | 26 | 88.38% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Longwood University | Virginia | 20 | 26 | 87.79% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | Tennessee | 20 | 26 | 82.65% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saint Francis University | Pennsylvania | 20 | 26 | 73.05% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
La Roche University | Pennsylvania | 20 | 26 | 97.36% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Pacific University | Oregon | 20 | 26 | 92.28% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Lake Erie College | Ohio | 20 | 26 | 54.1% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Ashland University | Ohio | 20 | 26 | 71.76% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Walsh University | Ohio | 20 | 26 | 72.51% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Caldwell University | New Jersey | 20 | 26 | 66.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
William Jewell College | Missouri | 20 | 26 | 40.99% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Missouri Baptist University | Missouri | 20 | 26 | 70.9% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Missouri State University-Springfield | Missouri | 20 | 26 | 92.56% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Hamline University | Minnesota | 20 | 26 | 80.55% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Spring Arbor University | Michigan | 20 | 26 | 47.32% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Northern Iowa | Iowa | 20 | 26 | 94.95% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Purdue University Fort Wayne | Indiana | 20 | 26 | 80.66% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Jacksonville University | Florida | 20 | 26 | 57.69% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Howard University | District of Columbia | 20 | 26 | 53.43% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of South Alabama | Alabama | 20 | 26 | 65.36% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Carthage College | Wisconsin | 20 | 27 | 81.83% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Concordia University-Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 20 | 27 | 70.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Wisconsin | 20 | 27 | 85.43% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Seattle Pacific University | Washington | 20 | 27 | 90.71% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Utah State University | Utah | 20 | 27 | 93.73% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Texas Lutheran University | Texas | 20 | 27 | 91.83% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saint Edward's University | Texas | 20 | 27 | 85.1% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | Oklahoma | 20 | 27 | 70.63% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Otterbein University | Ohio | 20 | 27 | 83.68% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Baldwin Wallace University | Ohio | 20 | 27 | 77.04% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | North Carolina | 20 | 27 | 79.64% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Culinary Institute of America | New York | 20 | 27 | 94.86% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Montana State University | Montana | 20 | 27 | 73.33% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Missouri-St Louis | Missouri | 20 | 27 | 51.11% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | Missouri | 20 | 27 | 91.58% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Southern Mississippi | Mississippi | 20 | 27 | 98.84% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
College of Saint Benedict | Minnesota | 20 | 27 | 87.8% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Martin Luther College | Minnesota | 20 | 27 | 83.72% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Siena Heights University | Michigan | 20 | 27 | 64.98% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saint Ambrose University | Iowa | 20 | 27 | 73.92% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Elmhurst University | Illinois | 20 | 27 | 76.01% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Millikin University | Illinois | 20 | 27 | 75.4% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Illinois Springfield | Illinois | 20 | 27 | 82.03% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Idaho | Idaho | 20 | 27 | 73.85% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Hawaii Pacific University | Hawaii | 20 | 27 | 87.1% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Nova Southeastern University | Florida | 20 | 27 | 75.8% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saint Leo University | Florida | 20 | 27 | 80.1% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Northern Colorado | Colorado | 20 | 27 | 78.54% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Regis University | Colorado | 20 | 27 | 76.09% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | Pennsylvania | 20 | 28 | 93.2% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
United States Merchant Marine Academy | New York | 20 | 28 | 27.35% | COMP. MATCH |
 |
Bethel University | Minnesota | 20 | 28 | 72.49% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Savannah College of Art and Design | Georgia | 20 | 28 | 81.73% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Harding University | Arkansas | 20 | 28 | 45.12% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
LeTourneau University | Texas | 20 | 29 | 48.83% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
William Carey University | Mississippi | 20 | 29 | 53.58% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Andrews University | Michigan | 20 | 29 | 91.27% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Trinity Christian College | Illinois | 20 | 29 | 70.68% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Howard Payne University | Texas | 19 | 22 | 62.29% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Presentation College | South Dakota | 19 | 22 | 75.58% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Franklin Pierce University | New Hampshire | 19 | 22 | 92.72% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Radford University | Virginia | 19 | 23 | 93.34% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Houston-Clear Lake | Texas | 19 | 23 | 69.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
John A Gupton College | Tennessee | 19 | 23 | 60.87% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
The University of Tennessee Southern | Tennessee | 19 | 23 | 80.26% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Southern Wesleyan University | South Carolina | 19 | 23 | 51.18% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | North Carolina | 19 | 23 | 80% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Kentucky Mountain Bible College | Kentucky | 19 | 23 | 45% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
North Park University | Illinois | 19 | 23 | 68.01% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Florida | 19 | 23 | 32.93% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Shepherd University | West Virginia | 19 | 24 | 95.86% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Saint Martin's University | Washington | 19 | 24 | 95.04% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Lubbock Christian University | Texas | 19 | 24 | 81.59% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
The University of Texas at Tyler | Texas | 19 | 24 | 93.87% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Johnson University | Tennessee | 19 | 24 | 63.21% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 19 | 24 | 93.63% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Farmingdale State College | New York | 19 | 24 | 73.17% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Louisiana State University-Shreveport | Louisiana | 19 | 24 | 88.91% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Nicholls State University | Louisiana | 19 | 24 | 98.43% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Bethel College-North Newton | Kansas | 19 | 24 | 97.15% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of the Ozarks | Arkansas | 19 | 24 | 60.08% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Spring Hill College | Alabama | 19 | 24 | 72.63% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Wisconsin | 19 | 25 | 89.05% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Northland College | Wisconsin | 19 | 25 | 68.39% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Regent University | Virginia | 19 | 25 | 32.34% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of Virginia's College at Wise | Virginia | 19 | 25 | 75.57% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Neumont College of Computer Science | Utah | 19 | 25 | 87.55% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Dallas Baptist University | Texas | 19 | 25 | 91.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
The University of Tennessee-Martin | Tennessee | 19 | 25 | 88.44% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Fisk University | Tennessee | 19 | 25 | 70.97% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
University of South Dakota | South Dakota | 19 | 25 | 99.46% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
South Dakota State University | South Dakota | 19 | 25 | 86.08% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Waynesburg University | Pennsylvania | 19 | 25 | 75.57% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
Oral Roberts University | Oklahoma | 19 | 25 | 78.37% | SOLID MATCH |
 |
North Dakota State University-Main Campus | North Dakota | 19 | 25 | 95.68% | SOLID MATCH |
Your best choices will be the schools and colleges where the average ACT score of the admitted students is 18 to 22. We are also showing you the 25th percentile and 75th percentile ACT Score of the admitted students so that you can have a clear understanding of how many students score what ACT Score. If your 20 ACT Score is higher than 25th percentile, it means your score is better than the quarter of the admitted students, and if it is higher than 75th percentile, then it means your ACT score of 20 is higher than 75% of the students admitted at that school.
Choose a college where your score is near to 75th percentile, this will maximize your chances of admission. You can also apply to other schools as well, but to be on safe side, you must apply to at least 2-3 such schools and colleges.
Data Methodology & Expert Verification
The admission statuses (Elite Reach, Competitive Match, etc.) displayed on this page are calculated using a proprietary 7-tier multivariate logic. Unlike static lists, our algorithm cross-references the student's score of 20 against:
- 2024-2025 Common Data Set (CDS): Specifically Section C8 (Standardized Testing) and Section C9 (Percentiles).
- IPEDS Analytics: Latest federal reporting on institutional acceptance rates.
- 2026 Trend Analysis: Adjustments for schools that have recently reinstated mandatory testing (e.g., Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard).
Note: Standardized test scores are one component of a holistic application. For 2026, many institutions place "Very Important" weight on the rigors of your secondary school record and GPA.
FAQ for ACT 20 Score
How does a 20 ACT score compare to the SAT?
A 20 ACT score is equivalent to around a 980 SAT. This is a lower score that will limit your options at selective schools.
What scholarships are available for a 20 ACT score?
A 20 ACT score will likely make you eligible for smaller scholarships at state universities or less selective colleges.
Can I get into Ivy League schools with a 20 ACT score?
Ivy League schools require scores above 30, so a 20 would not meet their admission standards. It would be advisable to retake the test if you’re aiming for those schools.
Should I retake the ACT to improve my score?
Yes, retaking the test is recommended for top-tier schools. A 20 will limit your options at more competitive colleges.
What is the national average ACT score?
The national average is around 20–21, so a 20 is at the lower end of the spectrum but still technically considered average.
Do test-optional colleges consider a 20 ACT score if submitted?
Submitting a 20 ACT score may not be the most beneficial, but it can still be considered as part of a holistic review.
What GPA is a 20 ACT?
A 20 ACT typically correlates with a GPA between 1.8–2.3, which is below average and may limit your chances at competitive universities.
Can I get into NYU with a 20 ACT?
NYU's average ACT is much higher than 20, so a 20 would not be competitive. Consider retaking or applying to schools with more flexible requirements.
Is 20 a good ACT score for Harvard?
Harvard typically admits students with scores over 30, so a 20 would not be competitive. Retaking the ACT would be necessary for a chance at Harvard.
Can I get into MIT with a 20 ACT?
MIT’s average score is 34, so a 20 would be too low. Retaking the test is essential for a competitive application.
Can I get into Princeton with a 20 ACT score?
Princeton expects scores over 30, so a 20 would not meet their expectations. Retaking the test is highly advised.
What if you improve your ACT score by 2 points (to 22)?
Improving to 22 would open doors for more options at less competitive schools, and possibly improve your scholarship eligibility.