Best colleges for 1489 SAT Score are listed here. If you have achieved a SAT score of 1489, 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 1489 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 1489 SAT Score Good for 2026?
Yes, a 1489 SAT score is considered Outstanding. Nationally, this performance puts you in the 96th-98th percentile of nearly 2 million annual test-takers.
Strategic Admissions Guidance
With a 1489, you are an extremely strong candidate for 'Public Ivies' like UC Berkeley, UVA, and the University of Michigan. While this score is within the middle 50% range for many elite colleges, if you are targeting the most selective Tier 1 schools, ensure your Math subscore is particularly high if you are a STEM major. For 2026, many of these institutions have returned to requiring scores, so your 1489 provides a significant advantage over test-optional applicants.
What does a 1489 mean for your applications?
In the 2026 admissions cycle, universities are increasingly looking for 'data-backed' proof of academic readiness. A 1489 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 1489 applicant.
Best Colleges for 1489 SAT Score
Following is the list of colleges that accept 1489 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 |
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | 1560 | 740 - 780 | 790 - 800 | 3.96% | Reach |
|
Duke University | North Carolina | 1554 | 730 - 770 | 760 - 800 | 6.35% | Reach |
|
Stanford University | California | 1553 | 730 - 780 | 770 - 800 | 3.68% | Reach |
|
Harvard University | Massachusetts | 1553 | 730 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 3.24% | Reach |
|
Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 1553 | 740 - 770 | 780 - 800 | 7.25% | Reach |
|
Brown University | Rhode Island | 1547 | 730 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 5.06% | Reach |
|
Yale University | Connecticut | 1547 | 740 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 4.57% | Reach |
|
Rice University | Texas | 1546 | 730 - 770 | 760 - 800 | 8.68% | Reach |
|
Vanderbilt University | Tennessee | 1546 | 730 - 770 | 760 - 800 | 6.67% | Reach |
|
University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 1546 | 730 - 770 | 770 - 800 | 6.5% | Reach |
|
Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania | 1546 | 720 - 770 | 770 - 800 | 11.3% | Reach |
|
Princeton University | New Jersey | 1546 | 730 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 5.7% | Reach |
|
Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 1540 | 730 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 3.95% | Reach |
|
Williams College | Massachusetts | 1540 | 730 - 780 | 750 - 790 | 8.5% | Reach |
|
Harvey Mudd College | California | 1539 | 720 - 770 | 760 - 790 | 13.36% | Reach |
|
Dartmouth College | New Hampshire | 1539 | 740 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 6.38% | Reach |
|
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Massachusetts | 1533 | 720 - 770 | 770 - 790 | 19.14% | Reach |
|
University of Chicago | Illinois | 1532 | 740 - 780 | 760 - 800 | 5.43% | Reach |
|
Cornell University | New York | 1527 | 710 - 770 | 760 - 800 | 7.47% | Reach |
|
New York University | New York | 1527 | 720 - 770 | 750 - 800 | 12.46% | Reach |
|
Northwestern University | Illinois | 1526 | 730 - 770 | 760 - 800 | 7.21% | Reach |
|
Washington University in St Louis | Missouri | 1525 | 730 - 770 | 770 - 800 | 11.76% | Reach |
|
Pomona College | California | 1520 | 730 - 770 | 750 - 790 | 7.02% | Reach |
|
Bowdoin College | Maine | 1520 | 720 - 770 | 740 - 790 | 9.19% | Reach |
|
University of Southern California | California | 1520 | 710 - 760 | 740 - 790 | 12.02% | Reach |
|
University of Notre Dame | Indiana | 1515 | 710 - 760 | 740 - 790 | 12.91% | Reach |
|
Claremont McKenna College | California | 1514 | 710 - 760 | 730 - 790 | 10.35% | Reach |
|
Tufts University | Massachusetts | 1513 | 710 - 760 | 740 - 790 | 9.69% | Reach |
|
Amherst College | Massachusetts | 1513 | 700 - 760 | 720 - 790 | 7.26% | Reach |
|
Jewish Theological Seminary of America | New York | 1512 | 733 - 768 | 733 - 770 | 50.76% | Match |
|
Swarthmore College | Pennsylvania | 1507 | 710 - 770 | 730 - 790 | 6.93% | Reach |
|
Georgetown University | District of Columbia | 1507 | 700 - 770 | 710 - 790 | 12.23% | Reach |
|
Haverford College | Pennsylvania | 1506 | 700 - 760 | 730 - 780 | 14.21% | Reach |
|
Northeastern University | Massachusetts | 1505 | 700 - 760 | 740 - 790 | 6.8% | Reach |
|
Middlebury College | Vermont | 1502 | 710 - 760 | 715 - 780 | 12.69% | Reach |
|
Colby College | Maine | 1501 | 710 - 750 | 720 - 790 | 7.61% | Reach |
|
Hamilton College | New York | 1500 | 700 - 760 | 720 - 780 | 11.78% | Reach |
|
Wellesley College | Massachusetts | 1500 | 720 - 770 | 710 - 780 | 13.57% | Reach |
|
Boston College | Massachusetts | 1500 | 705 - 760 | 730 - 780 | 16.66% | Reach |
|
Washington and Lee University | Virginia | 1499 | 700 - 753 | 710 - 780 | 16.96% | Reach |
|
Barnard College | New York | 1495 | 720 - 770 | 720 - 780 | 8.79% | Reach |
|
Emory University | Georgia | 1493 | 700 - 760 | 730 - 790 | 11.35% | Reach |
|
Emory University-Oxford College | Georgia | 1487 | 700 - 750 | 730 - 790 | 15% | Reach |
|
University of Virginia-Main Campus | Virginia | 1487 | 690 - 750 | 710 - 790 | 18.66% | Match |
|
Case Western Reserve University | Ohio | 1487 | 680 - 750 | 730 - 790 | 27.41% | Match |
|
Vassar College | New York | 1487 | 720 - 760 | 710 - 775 | 18.66% | Match |
|
Carleton College | Minnesota | 1486 | 710 - 770 | 720 - 780 | 16.63% | Reach |
|
Colgate University | New York | 1480 | 700 - 750 | 710 - 780 | 12.43% | Reach |
|
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | Georgia | 1480 | 670 - 760 | 700 - 790 | 17.13% | Reach |
|
Grinnell College | Iowa | 1480 | 680 - 750 | 700 - 780 | 10.76% | Reach |
|
Bates College | Maine | 1480 | 700 - 750 | 720 - 770 | 13.74% | Reach |
|
University of Richmond | Virginia | 1474 | 688 - 750 | 710 - 780 | 24.37% | Match |
|
Brandeis University | Massachusetts | 1473 | 680 - 750 | 690 - 780 | 39.41% | Match |
|
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan | 1473 | 670 - 750 | 680 - 780 | 17.69% | Reach |
|
University of Rochester | New York | 1473 | 680 - 750 | 710 - 790 | 38.91% | Match |
|
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York | 1472 | 670 - 740 | 720 - 790 | 22.47% | Match |
|
Scripps College | California | 1467 | 710 - 760 | 680 - 750 | 27.91% | Match |
|
William & Mary | Virginia | 1465 | 695 - 750 | 680 - 770 | 33.5% | Match |
|
University of Maryland-College Park | Maryland | 1461 | 670 - 740 | 690 - 780 | 44.61% | Match |
|
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | New York | 1457 | 660 - 740 | 700 - 780 | 64.51% | Match |
|
Stevens Institute of Technology | New Jersey | 1455 | 670 - 730 | 710 - 780 | 46.22% | Match |
|
Smith College | Massachusetts | 1455 | 700 - 760 | 670 - 760 | 22.86% | Match |
|
Boston University | Massachusetts | 1454 | 660 - 730 | 690 - 770 | 14.37% | Reach |
|
Villanova University | Pennsylvania | 1454 | 678 - 730 | 700 - 770 | 23.39% | Match |
|
Webb Institute | New York | 1453 | 680 - 740 | 720 - 770 | 20.77% | Match |
|
Kenyon College | Ohio | 1451 | 690 - 760 | 660 - 755 | 34.3% | Match |
|
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 1449 | 670 - 750 | 680 - 780 | 17.11% | Reach |
|
Oberlin College | Ohio | 1446 | 690 - 760 | 670 - 770 | 34.87% | Safety |
|
Southern Methodist University | Texas | 1444 | 680 - 740 | 690 - 770 | 52.25% | Safety |
|
Tulane University of Louisiana | Louisiana | 1443 | 680 - 750 | 690 - 760 | 11.45% | Reach |
|
Hillsdale College | Michigan | 1440 | 690 - 760 | 670 - 760 | 20.58% | Match |
|
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Illinois | 1440 | 650 - 730 | 670 - 780 | 44.82% | Safety |
|
Davidson College | North Carolina | 1435 | 670 - 740 | 680 - 760 | 16.95% | Reach |
|
Occidental College | California | 1434 | 690 - 750 | 680 - 760 | 39.4% | Safety |
|
Babson College | Massachusetts | 1434 | 660 - 730 | 690 - 780 | 22.35% | Match |
|
Rhode Island School of Design | Rhode Island | 1433 | 660 - 740 | 680 - 785 | 17.42% | Reach |
|
Mount Holyoke College | Massachusetts | 1432 | 690 - 770 | 660 - 770 | 39.76% | Safety |
|
Macalester College | Minnesota | 1430 | 670 - 750 | 670 - 750 | 28.42% | Match |
|
Connecticut College | Connecticut | 1427 | 700 - 750 | 660 - 740 | 40.4% | Safety |
|
Wesleyan University | Connecticut | 1426 | 660 - 750 | 660 - 760 | 14.43% | Reach |
|
Binghamton University | New York | 1426 | 650 - 730 | 690 - 780 | 41.75% | Safety |
|
Reed College | Oregon | 1421 | 690 - 750 | 630 - 750 | 30.8% | Safety |
|
George Washington University | District of Columbia | 1420 | 670 - 740 | 660 - 750 | 48.98% | Safety |
|
Lehigh University | Pennsylvania | 1418 | 660 - 720 | 680 - 770 | 36.98% | Safety |
|
Whitman College | Washington | 1416 | 645 - 740 | 648 - 733 | 47.7% | Safety |
|
Fordham University | New York | 1411 | 660 - 730 | 660 - 750 | 54.13% | Safety |
|
Lafayette College | Pennsylvania | 1410 | 660 - 730 | 670 - 750 | 33.63% | Safety |
|
Stony Brook University | New York | 1410 | 640 - 720 | 680 - 780 | 49.14% | Safety |
|
Simpson College | Iowa | 1410 | 0 - 0 | 0 - 0 | 89.1% | Safety |
|
University of Miami | Florida | 1409 | 650 - 730 | 660 - 750 | 18.94% | Match |
FAQ for SAT Score: 1489
How does a 1489 SAT score compare to the ACT?
A 1489 SAT score is equivalent to about a 32-33 on the ACT. This places you in the top 5% of test takers, indicating solid academic abilities. However, while it’s strong, it’s important to remember that some of the most competitive schools might still expect scores closer to 1500 or higher. Don’t be discouraged—this score is still impressive and can open many doors.
What scholarships are available for a 1489 SAT score?
A 1489 SAT score can help you qualify for various merit-based scholarships, especially at public universities and some private institutions. Many state schools offer automatic scholarships for scores in this range. While this score might not automatically guarantee full scholarships at top-tier universities, you can still apply for competitive scholarships at many schools, especially with strong extracurriculars.
Can I get into Ivy League schools with a 1489 SAT score?
A 1489 SAT score can be competitive for Ivy League schools, but it may be below their average range, which is closer to 1500-1550. While Ivy League admissions are highly competitive, your application’s overall strength, including strong essays, extracurricular activities, and recommendation letters, can make up for the slightly lower SAT score. Consider applying to a range of schools to increase your chances.
Should I retake the SAT to improve my score?
While a 1489 is a strong score, it’s always worth considering whether retaking the SAT could benefit you. If you're aiming for a higher percentile or applying to highly selective colleges that expect scores closer to 1500 or higher, a retake could help improve your chances. However, if you're applying to schools where a 1489 is within or above the middle 50% range, there may be little benefit to retaking it.
What is the national average SAT score?
The national average SAT score is around 1050, so a 1489 places you well above average. This score demonstrates excellent academic performance and shows that you're on the higher end of the bell curve. You’re definitely in a strong position compared to the general applicant pool.
Do test-optional colleges consider a 1489 SAT score if submitted?
Yes, submitting a 1489 SAT score to test-optional colleges will likely strengthen your application. Even in a test-optional policy, your SAT score can highlight your academic strengths and place you ahead of students who chose not to submit any test scores. It’s still a good idea to submit your score if it is strong enough to enhance your application.
What GPA is a 1489 SAT?
A 1450 SAT score typically correlates with a GPA of around 3.8 or higher, depending on the rigor of your coursework. This indicates that you're excelling academically and would likely be considered a strong applicant at many colleges. If your GPA and SAT score align well, it demonstrates that you can handle challenging courses and have the discipline to succeed.
Can I get into NYU with a 1489 SAT?
A 1489 SAT score is competitive for NYU, but it’s below their average range, which is closer to 1500-1550. NYU looks for well-rounded applicants with strong academic credentials, extracurricular involvement, and compelling essays. If you have these strengths, your 1450 SAT score will be a solid part of your application.
Is 1489 a good SAT score for Harvard?
While a 1489 is a good score, it’s below Harvard’s typical range, which is closer to 1550 or higher. Harvard’s admissions process is extremely selective, and a lower SAT score means you’ll need to stand out in other areas, such as leadership roles, impactful extracurriculars, and a strong personal essay. However, it’s always worth applying if you feel your application is strong overall.
Can I get into MIT with a 1489 SAT?
MIT typically admits students with SAT scores in the 1500-1600 range, so a 1489 would be below their typical threshold. While it’s still a strong score, your application will need to shine in other ways, such as through rigorous coursework, stellar recommendations, and significant achievements in STEM or other relevant areas. It’s worth considering other highly competitive schools as well.
Can I get into Princeton with a 1489 SAT score?
A v SAT score can make you competitive for Princeton, but it's on the lower end of their typical range, which tends to be 1500 or higher. With Princeton’s holistic admissions, your essays, recommendations, and extracurricular activities will need to be exceptional to make up for a lower SAT score. If you have unique achievements or experiences, a 1489 can still help you stand out.
Is a 1450 SAT score good?
Yes, a 1489 SAT score is excellent! This score places you in the top 5% of all test-takers and is above the average for most universities. While it may not be in the 1600 range, it's still a very strong score that will make you a competitive applicant for a wide range of schools, including many highly selective ones.
Which colleges can I get into with a 1489 SAT score?
With a 1489 SAT score, you’re competitive at many top universities, including selective schools like UCLA, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina. While Ivy League and highly selective schools may be more challenging to get into with this score, there are many prestigious colleges that will view you as a strong applicant. Always remember that the rest of your application will play a big role too, so make sure to showcase your full potential.
