Best colleges for 1226 SAT Score are listed here. If you have achieved a SAT score of 1226, then you must choose at least 5 of the below listed colleges, as not only your chances of admissions will be good but also these colleges will be a good match for you. The following list of best suitable colleges for 1226 SAT scores is given so that you can choose a more suitable college, and may not choose a less competitive college or loose admissions because you have applied to a more competitive college.
Is a 1226 SAT Score Good for 2026?
Yes, a 1226 SAT score is considered Solid / Competitive. Nationally, this performance puts you in the 75th-88th percentile of nearly 2 million annual test-takers.
Strategic Admissions Guidance
Scoring a 1226 puts you well above the national average. You are a competitive applicant for the majority of four-year universities in the US and Canada. For the 2026 cycle, we recommend identifying 'Target' schools where your score is at or above their 75th percentile; this strategy maximizes your chances for automatic merit scholarships. If your GPA is also strong, you have a very high probability of admission at your listed Match schools.
What does a 1226 mean for your applications?
In the 2026 admissions cycle, universities are increasingly looking for 'data-backed' proof of academic readiness. A 1226 serves as a standardized metric that complements your GPA. However, remember that admissions officers also weigh your extracurricular involvement, leadership roles, and the difficulty of your high school curriculum (AP/IB classes).
To help you build a balanced college list, we have analyzed thousands of data points from the Common Data Set (CDS) to categorize the schools below into Reach, Match, and Safety categories specifically for a 1226 applicant.
Best Colleges for 1226 SAT Score
Following is the list of colleges that accept 1226 SAT Score.
| Logo | Institute | State | Average SAT Score | SAT Reading Scores | SAT Math Scores | Acceptance Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | Institute | State | Average SAT Score | SAT Reading Scores | SAT Maths Scores | Acceptance Rate | Status |
|
Marquette University | Wisconsin | 1306 | 600 - 680 | 590 - 680 | 87.44% | Match |
|
Rollins College | Florida | 1304 | 620 - 690 | 590 - 670 | 40.56% | Match |
|
Ursinus College | Pennsylvania | 1304 | 600 - 700 | 560 - 660 | 87.37% | Match |
|
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | Tennessee | 1304 | 600 - 670 | 590 - 670 | 45.99% | Match |
|
University of the Pacific | California | 1303 | 580 - 690 | 580 - 730 | 94.86% | Match |
|
Moore College of Art and Design | Pennsylvania | 1303 | 605 - 688 | 628 - 723 | 60.51% | Reach |
|
Texas Christian University | Texas | 1303 | 580 - 690 | 570 - 685 | 42.6% | Match |
|
University of Georgia | Georgia | 1301 | 590 - 690 | 570 - 700 | 37.2% | Match |
|
The University of Texas at Dallas | Texas | 1300 | 580 - 690 | 590 - 720 | 65.46% | Match |
|
University of Maryland-Baltimore County | Maryland | 1299 | 610 - 700 | 610 - 710 | 74.24% | Match |
|
University at Buffalo | New York | 1298 | 600 - 680 | 610 - 700 | 69.3% | Match |
|
University of South Carolina-Columbia | South Carolina | 1297 | 600 - 690 | 580 - 690 | 61.49% | Match |
|
University of Delaware | Delaware | 1297 | 610 - 680 | 590 - 680 | 65.11% | Match |
|
Houghton University | New York | 1297 | 600 - 700 | 580 - 690 | 92.7% | Match |
|
Wofford College | South Carolina | 1297 | 610 - 680 | 590 - 670 | 58.59% | Match |
|
SUNY College at Geneseo | New York | 1296 | 610 - 690 | 590 - 690 | 63.53% | Match |
|
Creighton University | Nebraska | 1296 | 610 - 700 | 600 - 700 | 72.31% | Match |
|
Agnes Scott College | Georgia | 1296 | 610 - 710 | 570 - 640 | 67.31% | Match |
|
Hobart William Smith Colleges | New York | 1296 | 620 - 690 | 600 - 670 | 57.28% | Match |
|
Illinois Institute of Technology | Illinois | 1296 | 570 - 690 | 610 - 720 | 55.42% | Match |
|
University of St Thomas | Minnesota | 1296 | 610 - 708 | 613 - 708 | 84.94% | Match |
|
John Carroll University | Ohio | 1295 | 600 - 670 | 590 - 680 | 81.1% | Match |
|
DigiPen Institute of Technology | Washington | 1295 | 590 - 700 | 580 - 690 | 68.02% | Match |
|
Florida Polytechnic University | Florida | 1294 | 590 - 680 | 590 - 690 | 55.73% | Match |
|
Hofstra University | New York | 1294 | 610 - 690 | 600 - 690 | 70.59% | Match |
|
Allegheny College | Pennsylvania | 1292 | 600 - 690 | 540 - 660 | 58.53% | Match |
|
Loyola University Maryland | Maryland | 1292 | 610 - 690 | 570 - 660 | 76.33% | Match |
|
United States Coast Guard Academy | Delaware | 1290 | 610 - 690 | 600 - 690 | 24.32% | Reach |
|
Warren Wilson College | North Carolina | 1290 | - | - | 77.62% | Safety |
|
New York Institute of Technology | New York | 1290 | 580 - 680 | 600 - 710 | 78.08% | Match |
|
Ohio Northern University | Ohio | 1290 | 580 - 678 | 593 - 698 | 73.35% | Match |
|
Drake University | Iowa | 1288 | 610 - 690 | 580 - 700 | 64.13% | Match |
|
The University of Alabama | Alabama | 1287 | 590 - 700 | 580 - 700 | 75.82% | Match |
|
DePauw University | Indiana | 1287 | 570 - 680 | 570 - 750 | 54.06% | Match |
|
Missouri University of Science and Technology | Missouri | 1287 | 560 - 670 | 590 - 708 | 73.07% | Match |
|
Ithaca College | New York | 1285 | 610 - 700 | 580 - 670 | 69.94% | Match |
|
Marist University | New York | 1285 | 620 - 690 | 600 - 670 | 64.71% | Match |
|
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce | Puerto Rico | 1285 | 575 - 658 | 548 - 678 | 90.33% | Match |
|
Transylvania University | Kentucky | 1285 | 570 - 670 | 530 - 620 | 84.99% | Match |
|
University of Dallas | Texas | 1284 | 600 - 710 | 570 - 660 | 54.2% | Match |
|
Loyola University Chicago | Illinois | 1283 | 590 - 680 | 570 - 660 | 81.39% | Match |
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Butler University | Indiana | 1282 | 590 - 680 | 590 - 680 | 85.87% | Match |
|
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | Ohio | 1281 | 580 - 670 | 570 - 690 | 87.67% | Match |
|
Virginia Wesleyan University | Virginia | 1281 | 560 - 670 | 580 - 680 | 71.29% | Match |
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Mercer University | Georgia | 1280 | 600 - 680 | 580 - 670 | 66.46% | Match |
|
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | New York | 1280 | 560 - 680 | 560 - 700 | 59.08% | Match |
|
Point Loma Nazarene University | California | 1278 | 590 - 710 | 550 - 700 | 81.76% | Match |
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Thomas Aquinas College | California | 1277 | 590 - 690 | 570 - 640 | 78.71% | Match |
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University of Central Florida | Florida | 1277 | 610 - 680 | 580 - 670 | 39.52% | Match |
|
University of Portland | Oregon | 1277 | 620 - 693 | 570 - 663 | 95.39% | Match |
|
Belmont University | Tennessee | 1277 | 600 - 690 | 560 - 660 | 96.36% | Match |
|
SUNY at Purchase College | New York | 1277 | 600 - 700 | 578 - 663 | 72.83% | Match |
|
Washington College | Maryland | 1274 | 605 - 690 | 580 - 655 | 65.54% | Match |
|
Texas A&M University-College Station | Texas | 1272 | 570 - 680 | 570 - 700 | 63.25% | Match |
|
Austin College | Texas | 1272 | 590 - 680 | 580 - 660 | 46.66% | Match |
|
Kalamazoo College | Michigan | 1270 | 610 - 700 | 578 - 673 | 76.23% | Match |
|
Southwestern University | Texas | 1269 | 600 - 690 | 570 - 650 | 39.07% | Match |
|
Gordon College | Massachusetts | 1268 | 598 - 690 | 570 - 680 | 58.78% | Match |
|
State University of New York at New Paltz | New York | 1267 | 600 - 680 | 570 - 660 | 58.7% | Match |
|
Seattle University | Washington | 1266 | 570 - 670 | 560 - 680 | 76.05% | Match |
|
Bryant University | Rhode Island | 1263 | 580 - 670 | 580 - 670 | 65.65% | Match |
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Florida Southern College | Florida | 1263 | 590 - 660 | 580 - 650 | 59.07% | Match |
|
Emmanuel College | Massachusetts | 1263 | 590 - 680 | 580 - 650 | 80.6% | Match |
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Endicott College | Massachusetts | 1263 | 590 - 680 | 570 - 660 | 72.29% | Match |
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LeTourneau University | Texas | 1262 | 570 - 690 | 570 - 680 | 40.68% | Match |
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Champlain College | Vermont | 1262 | 605 - 680 | 560 - 660 | 66.72% | Match |
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University of North Carolina Wilmington | North Carolina | 1262 | 620 - 690 | 600 - 670 | 74.01% | Match |
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Michigan State University | Michigan | 1261 | 580 - 670 | 570 - 680 | 83.92% | Match |
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University of Arizona | Arizona | 1261 | 580 - 700 | 580 - 720 | 85.66% | Match |
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Grove City College | Pennsylvania | 1261 | 566 - 684 | 562 - 690 | 73.4% | Match |
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Le Moyne College | New York | 1260 | 580 - 670 | 580 - 670 | 75.29% | Match |
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Thomas Jefferson University | Pennsylvania | 1259 | 590 - 680 | 560 - 670 | 86.14% | Match |
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Long Island University | New York | 1259 | 580 - 670 | 560 - 680 | 89.77% | Match |
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Biola University | California | 1258 | 580 - 690 | 550 - 670 | 60.08% | Match |
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Duquesne University | Pennsylvania | 1257 | 590 - 680 | 570 - 670 | 78.85% | Match |
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University of Oregon | Oregon | 1257 | 580 - 690 | 550 - 670 | 85.11% | Match |
|
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | Arizona | 1256 | 580 - 680 | 580 - 680 | 75.19% | Match |
|
Eckerd College | Florida | 1256 | 600 - 678 | 550 - 658 | 78.69% | Match |
|
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach | Florida | 1256 | 570 - 670 | 570 - 680 | 66.28% | Match |
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Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1256 | 580 - 670 | 570 - 660 | 86.39% | Match |
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Hollins University | Virginia | 1256 | 550 - 710 | 550 - 620 | 70.86% | Match |
|
Nazareth University | New York | 1256 | 610 - 680 | 560 - 650 | 79.5% | Match |
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Manhattan University | New York | 1254 | 570 - 670 | 580 - 670 | 78.49% | Match |
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Covenant College | Georgia | 1254 | 590 - 710 | 540 - 680 | 81.76% | Match |
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DePaul University | Illinois | 1254 | 570 - 680 | 560 - 660 | 73.53% | Match |
|
University of Massachusetts-Lowell | Massachusetts | 1253 | 590 - 670 | 590 - 680 | 85.24% | Match |
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University of Alabama at Birmingham | Alabama | 1251 | 570 - 700 | 560 - 700 | 88.42% | Match |
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Conception Seminary College | Missouri | 1250 | - | - | 100% | Safety |
|
Concordia University-Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 1250 | - | - | 67.53% | Safety |
|
Knox College | Illinois | 1250 | 530 - 680 | 590 - 705 | 71.13% | Match |
|
Earlham College | Indiana | 1250 | 608 - 690 | 570 - 673 | 74.22% | Match |
|
University of North Carolina School of the Arts | North Carolina | 1250 | 600 - 710 | 550 - 640 | 33.1% | Match |
|
Salisbury University | Maryland | 1250 | 600 - 670 | 580 - 640 | 88.63% | Match |
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Concordia University Ann Arbor | Michigan | 1250 | - | - | 72.09% | Safety |
|
Westminster University | Utah | 1249 | 598 - 718 | 550 - 660 | 68.83% | Match |
|
Truman State University | Missouri | 1249 | 573 - 648 | 553 - 670 | 79.96% | Match |
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Berea College | Kentucky | 1248 | 588 - 680 | 568 - 655 | 32.71% | Match |
|
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Louisiana | 1248 | 590 - 670 | 560 - 660 | 74% | Match |
|
Lipscomb University | Tennessee | 1248 | 580 - 680 | 565 - 670 | 66.64% | Match |
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SUNY Polytechnic Institute | New York | 1248 | 560 - 650 | 590 - 680 | 78.44% | Match |
|
Drew University | New Jersey | 1247 | 560 - 680 | 550 - 640 | 69.44% | Match |
|
University of North Carolina Asheville | North Carolina | 1247 | 600 - 690 | 570 - 660 | 93.89% | Match |
|
The College of New Jersey | New Jersey | 1247 | 570 - 670 | 570 - 670 | 62.14% | Match |
|
University of Missouri-Columbia | Missouri | 1247 | 580 - 670 | 570 - 660 | 77.02% | Match |
|
George Mason University | Virginia | 1247 | 580 - 670 | 560 - 670 | 88.83% | Match |
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James Madison University | Virginia | 1247 | 600 - 670 | 570 - 650 | 76.25% | Match |
|
Cornell College | Iowa | 1246 | 580 - 655 | 570 - 663 | 80.66% | Match |
|
Cedarville University | Ohio | 1246 | 570 - 690 | 540 - 670 | 62.82% | Match |
|
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | South Dakota | 1245 | 560 - 650 | 570 - 670 | 85.25% | Match |
|
New Saint Andrews College | Idaho | 1245 | 590 - 680 | 580 - 650 | 85.71% | Match |
|
University of Northwestern-St Paul | Minnesota | 1244 | 488 - 630 | 493 - 663 | 91.88% | Match |
|
Benedictine College | Kansas | 1244 | 560 - 660 | 557 - 650 | 76.45% | Match |
|
Michigan Technological University | Michigan | 1243 | 560 - 660 | 560 - 670 | 87.94% | Match |
|
Bethel University | Minnesota | 1243 | 520 - 625 | 545 - 615 | 90.99% | Match |
|
Union University | Tennessee | 1243 | 540 - 690 | 490 - 650 | 47.18% | Match |
|
University of Illinois Chicago | Illinois | 1242 | 560 - 660 | 560 - 680 | 78.5% | Match |
|
Illinois Wesleyan University | Illinois | 1242 | 570 - 660 | 570 - 670 | 45.17% | Match |
|
High Point University | North Carolina | 1242 | 560 - 650 | 550 - 650 | 76.83% | Match |
|
Saint Michael's College | Vermont | 1241 | 600 - 680 | 550 - 630 | 91.85% | Match |
|
University of Mary Washington | Virginia | 1241 | 600 - 690 | 540 - 640 | 86.26% | Match |
FAQ for SAT Score: 1226
How does a 1226 SAT score compare to the ACT?
A 1226 SAT score is roughly equivalent to a 24-25 on the ACT. While not highly competitive for selective colleges, it is still a solid score for many state schools and private universities that are not highly selective. For your top choice, it may be worth considering retaking the test if aiming for more competitive schools.
What scholarships are available for a 1226 SAT score?
A 1226 SAT score can qualify you for merit-based scholarships at many public universities, though you may need to apply to more schools to maximize your financial aid options. Some private schools may offer partial scholarships, but full scholarships are rare at this level.
Can I get into Ivy League schools with a 1226 SAT score?
A 1226 SAT score is below the average for Ivy League schools, which generally expect scores closer to 1500-1600. While this score may not be competitive for these highly selective schools, it’s still a strong score for many excellent institutions.
Should I retake the SAT to improve my score?
If your goal is to get into highly competitive schools, retaking the SAT could help boost your score and improve your chances. However, if you’re targeting mid-tier or public schools, your 1226 might already position you well for those institutions. Consider whether a retake will significantly improve your score.
What is the national average SAT score?
The national average SAT score is around 1050. A 1226 is above average and places you in a good position for many colleges. If you want to aim for more selective schools, consider improving your score through focused study.
Do test-optional colleges consider a 1226 SAT score if submitted?
Yes, test-optional colleges will consider your 1226 SAT score if submitted. While it may not be at the top end, it can still help demonstrate your academic abilities. If you feel that other aspects of your application, such as essays or extracurriculars, are strong, submitting this score might give you a competitive edge.
What GPA is a 1226 SAT?
A 1226 SAT score usually correlates with a GPA of around 3.3-3.5. This suggests that you’ve performed solidly in your high school classes, though improving your GPA could further strengthen your college applications.
Can I get into NYU with a 1226 SAT?
NYU's average SAT score is higher than a 1226 SAT, but it’s not out of the question to gain admission with this score if other parts of your application, such as your essays and extracurriculars, are very strong. Consider applying to a broad range of schools.
Is 1226 a good SAT score for Harvard?
Harvard’s average SAT score is closer to 1500-1600, so a 1226 is below the typical range. While Harvard is extremely selective, you can still aim for other prestigious institutions that may have a slightly lower average SAT score.
Can I get into MIT with a 1226 SAT?
MIT’s average SAT score is also well above 1226, so gaining admission to MIT with a 1226 is unlikely. However, MIT looks at more than just SAT scores; if you have extraordinary achievements or talents in science or engineering, those could strengthen your application.
Can I get into Princeton with a 1226 SAT score?
Princeton’s average SAT score is above 1226, which means a 1226 SAT might not make you competitive for Princeton. However, other parts of your application, such as your essays and recommendation letters, could still play a role in your chances.
Is a 1226 SAT score good?
A 1226 SAT score is solid and well above average, but it may not be enough to gain admission to the most selective colleges. You’re in a strong position for many public and private universities, especially those with moderate selectivity.
Which colleges can I get into with a 1226 SAT score?
A 1226 SAT score will make you a competitive applicant at many public universities and mid-tier private schools. Some good options could include schools like University of Miami, University of Alabama, or Michigan State University. You’ll have a wide range of options where you can thrive.
