1500 SAT Colleges: Best Schools for 1500 SAT Score

Best colleges for 1500 SAT Score are listed here. If you have achieved a SAT score of 1500, 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 1500 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 1500 SAT Score Good for 2026?

Yes, a 1500 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 1500, 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 1500 provides a significant advantage over test-optional applicants.

What does a 1500 mean for your applications?

In the 2026 admissions cycle, universities are increasingly looking for 'data-backed' proof of academic readiness. A 1500 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 1500 applicant.

Best Colleges for 1500 SAT Score

Following is the list of colleges that accept 1500 SAT Score.

LogoInstituteStateAverage SAT ScoreSAT Reading ScoresSAT Math ScoresAcceptance RateStatus
LogoInstituteStateAverage SAT ScoreSAT Reading ScoresSAT Maths ScoresAcceptance RateStatus
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts1560 740 - 780790 - 800 3.96% Reach
Duke University Duke UniversityNorth Carolina1554 730 - 770760 - 800 6.35% Reach
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland1553 740 - 770780 - 800 7.25% Reach
Harvard University Harvard UniversityMassachusetts1553 730 - 780760 - 800 3.24% Reach
Stanford University Stanford UniversityCalifornia1553 730 - 780770 - 800 3.68% Reach
Brown University Brown UniversityRhode Island1547 730 - 780760 - 800 5.06% Reach
Yale University Yale UniversityConnecticut1547 740 - 780760 - 800 4.57% Reach
Rice University Rice UniversityTexas1546 730 - 770760 - 800 8.68% Reach
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt UniversityTennessee1546 730 - 770760 - 800 6.67% Reach
University of Pennsylvania University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania1546 730 - 770770 - 800 6.5% Reach
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvania1546 720 - 770770 - 800 11.3% Reach
Princeton University Princeton UniversityNew Jersey1546 730 - 780760 - 800 5.7% Reach
Williams College Williams CollegeMassachusetts1540 730 - 780750 - 790 8.5% Reach
Columbia University in the City of New York Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York1540 730 - 780760 - 800 3.95% Reach
Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd CollegeCalifornia1539 720 - 770760 - 790 13.36% Reach
Dartmouth College Dartmouth CollegeNew Hampshire1539 740 - 780760 - 800 6.38% Reach
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringMassachusetts1533 720 - 770770 - 790 19.14% Reach
University of Chicago University of ChicagoIllinois1532 740 - 780760 - 800 5.43% Reach
Cornell University Cornell UniversityNew York1527 710 - 770760 - 800 7.47% Reach
New York University New York UniversityNew York1527 720 - 770750 - 800 12.46% Reach
Northwestern University Northwestern UniversityIllinois1526 730 - 770760 - 800 7.21% Reach
Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St LouisMissouri1525 730 - 770770 - 800 11.76% Reach
Pomona College Pomona CollegeCalifornia1520 730 - 770750 - 790 7.02% Reach
Bowdoin College Bowdoin CollegeMaine1520 720 - 770740 - 790 9.19% Reach
University of Southern California University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia1520 710 - 760740 - 790 12.02% Reach
University of Notre Dame University of Notre DameIndiana1515 710 - 760740 - 790 12.91% Reach
Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna CollegeCalifornia1514 710 - 760730 - 790 10.35% Reach
Amherst College Amherst CollegeMassachusetts1513 700 - 760720 - 790 7.26% Reach
Tufts University Tufts UniversityMassachusetts1513 710 - 760740 - 790 9.69% Reach
Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of AmericaNew York1512 733 - 768733 - 770 50.76% Match
Georgetown University Georgetown UniversityDistrict of Columbia1507 700 - 770710 - 790 12.23% Reach
Swarthmore College Swarthmore CollegePennsylvania1507 710 - 770730 - 790 6.93% Reach
Haverford College Haverford CollegePennsylvania1506 700 - 760730 - 780 14.21% Reach
Northeastern University Northeastern UniversityMassachusetts1505 700 - 760740 - 790 6.8% Reach
Middlebury College Middlebury CollegeVermont1502 710 - 760715 - 780 12.69% Reach
Colby College Colby CollegeMaine1501 710 - 750720 - 790 7.61% Reach
Wellesley College Wellesley CollegeMassachusetts1500 720 - 770710 - 780 13.57% Reach
Boston College Boston CollegeMassachusetts1500 705 - 760730 - 780 16.66% Reach
Hamilton College Hamilton CollegeNew York1500 700 - 760720 - 780 11.78% Reach
Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee UniversityVirginia1499 700 - 753710 - 780 16.96% Reach
Barnard College Barnard CollegeNew York1495 720 - 770720 - 780 8.79% Reach
Emory University Emory UniversityGeorgia1493 700 - 760730 - 790 11.35% Reach
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve UniversityOhio1487 680 - 750730 - 790 27.41% Match
University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main CampusVirginia1487 690 - 750710 - 790 18.66% Match
Vassar College Vassar CollegeNew York1487 720 - 760710 - 775 18.66% Match
Emory University-Oxford College Emory University-Oxford CollegeGeorgia1487 700 - 750730 - 790 15% Reach
Carleton College Carleton CollegeMinnesota1486 710 - 770720 - 780 16.63% Reach
Colgate University Colgate UniversityNew York1480 700 - 750710 - 780 12.43% Reach
Bates College Bates CollegeMaine1480 700 - 750720 - 770 13.74% Reach
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGeorgia1480 670 - 760700 - 790 17.13% Reach
Grinnell College Grinnell CollegeIowa1480 680 - 750700 - 780 10.76% Reach
University of Richmond University of RichmondVirginia1474 688 - 750710 - 780 24.37% Match
Brandeis University Brandeis UniversityMassachusetts1473 680 - 750690 - 780 39.41% Match
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichigan1473 670 - 750680 - 780 17.69% Reach
University of Rochester University of RochesterNew York1473 680 - 750710 - 790 38.91% Match
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew York1472 670 - 740720 - 790 22.47% Match
Scripps College Scripps CollegeCalifornia1467 710 - 760680 - 750 27.91% Match
William & Mary William & MaryVirginia1465 695 - 750680 - 770 33.5% Match
University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College ParkMaryland1461 670 - 740690 - 780 44.61% Match
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNew York1457 660 - 740700 - 780 64.51% Safety
Smith College Smith CollegeMassachusetts1455 700 - 760670 - 760 22.86% Match
Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey1455 670 - 730710 - 780 46.22% Safety
Boston University Boston UniversityMassachusetts1454 660 - 730690 - 770 14.37% Reach
Villanova University Villanova UniversityPennsylvania1454 678 - 730700 - 770 23.39% Match
Webb Institute Webb InstituteNew York1453 680 - 740720 - 770 20.77% Match
Kenyon College Kenyon CollegeOhio1451 690 - 760660 - 755 34.3% Safety
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth Carolina1449 670 - 750680 - 780 17.11% Reach
Oberlin College Oberlin CollegeOhio1446 690 - 760670 - 770 34.87% Safety
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist UniversityTexas1444 680 - 740690 - 770 52.25% Safety
Tulane University of Louisiana Tulane University of LouisianaLouisiana1443 680 - 750690 - 760 11.45% Reach
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIllinois1440 650 - 730670 - 780 44.82% Safety
Hillsdale College Hillsdale CollegeMichigan1440 690 - 760670 - 760 20.58% Match
Davidson College Davidson CollegeNorth Carolina1435 670 - 740680 - 760 16.95% Reach
Babson College Babson CollegeMassachusetts1434 660 - 730690 - 780 22.35% Match
Occidental College Occidental CollegeCalifornia1434 690 - 750680 - 760 39.4% Safety
Rhode Island School of Design Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island1433 660 - 740680 - 785 17.42% Reach
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke CollegeMassachusetts1432 690 - 770660 - 770 39.76% Safety
Macalester College Macalester CollegeMinnesota1430 670 - 750670 - 750 28.42% Match
Connecticut College Connecticut CollegeConnecticut1427 700 - 750660 - 740 40.4% Safety
Wesleyan University Wesleyan UniversityConnecticut1426 660 - 750660 - 760 14.43% Reach
Binghamton University Binghamton UniversityNew York1426 650 - 730690 - 780 41.75% Safety
Reed College Reed CollegeOregon1421 690 - 750630 - 750 30.8% Safety
George Washington University George Washington UniversityDistrict of Columbia1420 670 - 740660 - 750 48.98% Safety
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FAQ for SAT Score: 1500

How does a 1500 SAT score compare to the ACT?

A 1500 SAT is equivalent to a 34 on the ACT, which places you in the top 1–2% of test takers. It's a fantastic score that reflects a high level of college readiness.

What scholarships are available for a 1500 SAT score?

Many public and private universities offer generous merit scholarships for students scoring 1500 or above. You may qualify for honors programs, tuition waivers, or automatic academic awards.

Can I get into Ivy League schools with a 1500 SAT score?

Yes, though the competition is intense. A 1500 will get you past the academic screening at Ivy League schools, but your essays, extracurriculars, and personal story will play a big role in the final decision.

Should I retake the SAT to improve my score?

If you're aiming for ultra-selective colleges or feel you could improve without much extra prep, consider a retake. Otherwise, focus on strengthening other parts of your application.

What is the national average SAT score?

The average SAT score is about 1050. Scoring 1500 puts you several hundred points above that, which shows you're exceptionally prepared for college-level work.

Do test-optional colleges consider a 1500 SAT score if submitted?

Absolutely. A 1500 SAT score will only help you, even at test-optional schools. It demonstrates academic excellence and can balance out other areas if needed.

What GPA is a 1500 SAT?

Students scoring around 1500 typically have GPAs of 3.8 or higher. However, colleges want to see that you challenged yourself with honors, AP, or IB courses if available.

Can I get into NYU with a 1500 SAT?

Yes, your 1500 puts you well within NYU’s competitive range. Combine that with strong personal essays and activities to make your application stand out.

Is 1500 a good SAT score for Harvard?

It’s strong, but on the lower side of Harvard’s typical range. If your GPA, essays, and extracurriculars are outstanding, you still have a shot. Just be prepared for tough competition.

Can I get into MIT with a 1500 SAT?

Yes, a 1500 is competitive, though MIT's admitted students often average even higher. If you have strong math, science, and innovation experience, your chances improve significantly.

Can I get into Princeton with a 1500 SAT score?

Your 1500 makes you a qualified academic applicant. If you pair it with a compelling story, leadership roles, and excellent recommendations, you’ll have a solid chance.

Is a 1500 SAT score good?

Yes, a 1500 is an excellent SAT score—you're in the top 2% of test takers. It's more than enough for competitive universities and will stand out on your college applications.

Which colleges can I get into with a 1500 SAT score?

With a 1500, you're in a competitive range for schools like NYU, UC Berkeley, Cornell, and even some Ivy League schools. It’s a strong academic foundation that opens many top-tier opportunities.

Best Colleges for SAT Score Ranges

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