United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score
Below is a list of the 783 private colleges in the United States with the highest SAT Score for incoming freshmen. California Institute of Technology leads the list with an average SAT Score of 1555. Alternatively, check out the ACT version of these rankings.
The SAT is a standardized test used by colleges to evaluate applicants. It is not a guarantee of success in college, but it is a strong indicator of academic potential.
| College | Average SAT Score |
|---|---|
|
Wesleyan College
Macon, Georgia |
1042 |
|
Huntington University
Huntington, Indiana |
1040 |
|
Missouri Baptist University
Saint Louis, Missouri |
1040 |
|
Baptist Health Sciences University
Memphis, Tennessee |
1040 |
|
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
1040 |
|
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Jackson, Kentucky |
1037 |
|
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois |
1035 |
|
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois |
1035 |
|
Mount St. Joseph University
Cincinnati, Ohio |
1035 |
|
Wilmington College
Wilmington, Ohio |
1035 |
|
Erskine College
Due West, South Carolina |
1035 |
|
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee |
1035 |
|
Averett University
Danville, Virginia |
1034 |
|
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois |
1031 |
|
Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana |
1031 |
|
Eastern Nazarene College
Quincy, Massachusetts |
1031 |
|
Hope International University
Fullerton, California |
1030 |
|
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa |
1030 |
This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026
Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.