A 32 ACT Score is Superior (95th percentile). You are highly competitive for flagship state universities (e.g., Michigan, UVA, UT Austin).
2026 Strategy: In the current admissions cycle, a 32 is a 'Golden Ticket' for merit scholarships at mid-tier private colleges.
Expert Insight: If you are targeting T20 schools, check their Middle-50% range. If 32 is below their 25th percentile, you may benefit from a test-optional submission, provided your GPA is exceptionally high.
Best Colleges for 32 ACT Score
Following is the list of best suited colleges with your 32 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 |
|
Middlebury College | Vermont | 33 | 34 | 10.37% | ELITE REACH |
|
Swarthmore College | Pennsylvania | 33 | 34 | 6.94% | ELITE REACH |
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Colgate University | New York | 33 | 34 | 11.95% | ELITE REACH |
|
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York | 33 | 34 | 19.05% | HARD REACH |
|
Boston College | Massachusetts | 33 | 34 | 15.65% | HARD REACH |
|
University of Washington-Bothell Campus | Washington | 32 | 34 | 91.77% | SOLID MATCH |
|
University of Richmond | Virginia | 32 | 34 | 23.31% | COMP. MATCH |
|
University of Virginia-Main Campus | Virginia | 32 | 34 | 16.86% | COMP. MATCH |
|
William & Mary | Virginia | 32 | 34 | 32.72% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Villanova University | Pennsylvania | 32 | 34 | 25.12% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Wake Forest University | North Carolina | 32 | 34 | 21.56% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Barnard College | New York | 32 | 34 | 7.96% | ELITE REACH |
|
Carleton College | Minnesota | 32 | 34 | 22.28% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Boston University | Massachusetts | 32 | 34 | 10.85% | ELITE REACH |
|
Smith College | Massachusetts | 32 | 34 | 19.73% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Colby College | Maine | 32 | 34 | 6.83% | ELITE REACH |
|
Emory University | Georgia | 32 | 34 | 11.1% | ELITE REACH |
|
Georgetown University | District of Columbia | 32 | 34 | 13.08% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Scripps College | California | 32 | 34 | 33.94% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Washington and Lee University | Virginia | 32 | 35 | 17.36% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Case Western Reserve University | Ohio | 32 | 35 | 28.68% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Hamilton College | New York | 32 | 35 | 11.77% | ELITE REACH |
|
University of Maryland-College Park | Maryland | 32 | 35 | 44.84% | SOLID MATCH |
|
University of Southern California | California | 32 | 35 | 10.02% | ELITE REACH |
|
Lehigh University | Pennsylvania | 31 | 33 | 29.26% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Bucknell University | Pennsylvania | 31 | 33 | 32.01% | SOLID MATCH |
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Mount Holyoke College | Massachusetts | 31 | 33 | 38.29% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Bates College | Maine | 31 | 33 | 13.02% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Tulane University of Louisiana | Louisiana | 31 | 33 | 14.59% | COMP. MATCH |
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Simpson College | Iowa | 31 | 33 | 88.88% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Connecticut College | Connecticut | 31 | 33 | 38.28% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Northeastern University Oakland | California | 31 | 33 | 16.54% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Kenyon College | Ohio | 31 | 34 | 30.71% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Davidson College | North Carolina | 31 | 34 | 14.48% | COMP. MATCH |
|
University of Rochester | New York | 31 | 34 | 35.85% | SOLID MATCH |
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Stevens Institute of Technology | New Jersey | 31 | 34 | 43.44% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan | 31 | 34 | 17.94% | COMP. MATCH |
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Brandeis University | Massachusetts | 31 | 34 | 35.31% | SOLID MATCH |
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Grinnell College | Iowa | 31 | 34 | 12.68% | COMP. MATCH |
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George Washington University | District of Columbia | 31 | 34 | 43.54% | SOLID MATCH |
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Colorado College | Colorado | 31 | 34 | 20.03% | COMP. MATCH |
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Occidental College | California | 31 | 34 | 39.89% | SOLID MATCH |
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Amherst College | Massachusetts | 31 | 35 | 9.82% | ELITE REACH |
|
Bennington College | Vermont | 30 | 32 | 48.04% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Bard College | New York | 30 | 32 | 52.29% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Trinity University | Texas | 30 | 33 | 28.16% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Rhode Island School of Design | Rhode Island | 30 | 33 | 13.81% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Bryn Mawr College | Pennsylvania | 30 | 33 | 31.06% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Lafayette College | Pennsylvania | 30 | 33 | 31.47% | SOLID MATCH |
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Oberlin College | Ohio | 30 | 33 | 32.98% | SOLID MATCH |
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Union College | New York | 30 | 33 | 43.79% | SOLID MATCH |
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Fordham University | New York | 30 | 33 | 56.28% | SOLID MATCH |
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Skidmore College | New York | 30 | 33 | 22.92% | COMP. MATCH |
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Macalester College | Minnesota | 30 | 33 | 28.21% | COMP. MATCH |
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Hillsdale College | Michigan | 30 | 33 | 20.59% | COMP. MATCH |
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Babson College | Massachusetts | 30 | 33 | 19.74% | COMP. MATCH |
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Clark University | Massachusetts | 30 | 33 | 41.67% | SOLID MATCH |
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Emerson College | Massachusetts | 30 | 33 | 47.48% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Miami | Florida | 30 | 33 | 18.51% | COMP. MATCH |
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Trinity College | Delaware | 30 | 33 | 33.52% | SOLID MATCH |
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Santa Clara University | California | 30 | 33 | 43.84% | SOLID MATCH |
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Southern Methodist University | Texas | 30 | 34 | 61.22% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 30 | 34 | 18.74% | COMP. MATCH |
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | New York | 30 | 34 | 58.45% | SOLID MATCH |
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Westmont College | California | 30 | 34 | 79.86% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Vermont | Vermont | 29 | 32 | 60.02% | SOLID MATCH |
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Franklin and Marshall College | Pennsylvania | 29 | 32 | 31.83% | SOLID MATCH |
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Denison University | Ohio | 29 | 32 | 16.93% | SOLID MATCH |
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Ohio State University-Main Campus | Ohio | 29 | 32 | 50.82% | SOLID MATCH |
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St Lawrence University | New York | 29 | 32 | 58.47% | SOLID MATCH |
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Bentley University | Massachusetts | 29 | 32 | 48.44% | SOLID MATCH |
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St. John's College | Maryland | 29 | 32 | 44.29% | SOLID MATCH |
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Fairfield University | Connecticut | 29 | 32 | 44.98% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Denver | Colorado | 29 | 32 | 71.19% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | Pennsylvania | 29 | 33 | 49.7% | SOLID MATCH |
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Rochester Institute of Technology | New York | 29 | 33 | 71.4% | SOLID MATCH |
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Sarah Lawrence College | New York | 29 | 33 | 58.93% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Massachusetts | 29 | 33 | 57.77% | SOLID MATCH |
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Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | Massachusetts | 29 | 33 | 71.33% | SOLID MATCH |
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American University | District of Columbia | 29 | 33 | 47.38% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Connecticut | Connecticut | 29 | 33 | 53.95% | SOLID MATCH |
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Colorado School of Mines | Colorado | 29 | 33 | 59.71% | SOLID MATCH |
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Reed College | Oregon | 29 | 34 | 27.16% | COMP. MATCH |
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Binghamton University | New York | 29 | 34 | 37.73% | SOLID MATCH |
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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Indiana | 29 | 34 | 72.81% | SOLID MATCH |
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Illinois | 29 | 34 | 43.69% | SOLID MATCH |
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Muhlenberg College | Pennsylvania | 28 | 31 | 64.01% | PROBABLE |
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Lewis & Clark College | Oregon | 28 | 31 | 74.53% | HIGH SAFETY |
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Lake Forest College | Illinois | 28 | 31 | 59.41% | PROBABLE |
|
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin | 28 | 32 | 43.35% | SOLID MATCH |
|
DigiPen Institute of Technology | Washington | 28 | 32 | 68.02% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Brigham Young University | Utah | 28 | 32 | 69.19% | SOLID MATCH |
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Clemson University | South Carolina | 28 | 32 | 38.05% | SOLID MATCH |
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Furman University | South Carolina | 28 | 32 | 52.57% | SOLID MATCH |
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Bryant University | Rhode Island | 28 | 32 | 65.65% | SOLID MATCH |
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Providence College | Rhode Island | 28 | 32 | 48.72% | SOLID MATCH |
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Ursinus College | Pennsylvania | 28 | 32 | 87.37% | SOLID MATCH |
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North Carolina State University at Raleigh | North Carolina | 28 | 32 | 39.85% | SOLID MATCH |
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Syracuse University | New York | 28 | 32 | 41.69% | SOLID MATCH |
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St Olaf College | Minnesota | 28 | 32 | 52.15% | SOLID MATCH |
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College of the Holy Cross | Massachusetts | 28 | 32 | 21.1% | SOLID MATCH |
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Chapman University | California | 28 | 32 | 55.61% | SOLID MATCH |
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Rhodes College | Tennessee | 28 | 33 | 49.68% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Yeshiva University | New York | 28 | 33 | 63.75% | SOLID MATCH |
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Stony Brook University | New York | 28 | 33 | 49.01% | SOLID MATCH |
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Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | New York | 28 | 33 | 59.08% | SOLID MATCH |
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Touro University | New York | 28 | 33 | 63.01% | SOLID MATCH |
|
United States Military Academy | New York | 28 | 33 | 13.98% | COMP. MATCH |
|
Rutgers University-New Brunswick | New Jersey | 28 | 33 | 65.35% | SOLID MATCH |
|
University of Florida | Florida | 28 | 33 | 24.03% | COMP. MATCH |
|
University of Colorado Boulder | Colorado | 28 | 33 | 83.28% | SOLID MATCH |
|
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | Georgia | 28 | 34 | 16.46% | COMP. MATCH |
|
University of Puget Sound | Washington | 27 | 31 | 76.28% | HIGH SAFETY |
|
Champlain College | Vermont | 27 | 31 | 66.72% | PROBABLE |
|
Wofford College | South Carolina | 27 | 31 | 58.59% | PROBABLE |
|
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 27 | 31 | 86.39% | HIGH SAFETY |
|
Hofstra University | New York | 27 | 31 | 70.59% | HIGH SAFETY |
|
Ithaca College | New York | 27 | 31 | 69.94% | PROBABLE |
|
St. John's College | New Mexico | 27 | 31 | 49.46% | PROBABLE |
|
Seton Hall University | New Jersey | 27 | 31 | 78.9% | HIGH SAFETY |
Your best choices will be the schools and colleges where the average ACT score of the admitted students is 30 to 34. 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 32 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 32 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 32 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 32 Score
How does a 32 ACT score compare to the SAT?
A 32 ACT score is roughly equal to a 1480 SAT. It’s still highly competitive for many universities.
What scholarships are available for a 32 ACT score?
Many colleges offer merit-based scholarships for a 32, especially when paired with a high GPA and extracurriculars.
Can I get into Ivy League schools with a 32 ACT score?
A 32 is lower than the average for Ivy League schools, but with a strong GPA and application, you might still have a chance.
Should I retake the ACT to improve my score?
If you’re targeting Ivy League schools or competitive scholarships, retaking might help. Otherwise, this score is still strong.
What is the national average ACT score?
The national average ACT score is about 20–21, so a 32 is well above average.
Do test-optional colleges consider a 32 ACT score if submitted?
Yes, a 32 is a solid submission for test-optional colleges, showcasing strong academic ability.
What GPA is a 32 ACT?
A 32 ACT generally aligns with a GPA of 3.7–3.9, indicating a strong academic record.
Can I get into NYU with a 32 ACT?
Yes, NYU accepts students with a range of ACT scores. Your 32 is within a competitive range.
Is 32 a good ACT score for Harvard?
Harvard typically admits students with scores closer to 34 or higher. While 32 is competitive, the rest of your application must be outstanding.
Can I get into MIT with a 32 ACT?
MIT generally admits students with scores of 34–36. A 32 is slightly below their average, but your academic background may still qualify you.
Can I get into Princeton with a 32 ACT score?
Princeton’s average ACT score is higher, but a 32 still keeps you competitive, particularly if you excel in other areas of your application.
What if you improve your ACT score by 2 points (to 34)?
Improving to a 34 could significantly increase your chances at top schools like Ivy League and prestigious scholarships.

