If you've achieved a score of 16 on your ACTs, this places you squarely within the average range for accepted students at 150 U.S. colleges. This list features popular colleges where your application will likely be competitive, given their historical acceptance of students with a 16 ACT score. However, it's crucial to remember that a good ACT score is not the sole criterion for admission. In fact, may colleges are now test optional. It's equally significant to maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) that aligns with the college's expectations for incoming students. The creation of this list is rooted in a comprehensive analysis of ACT scores from students admitted to all U.S. colleges
A score of 16 is in the lower quarter of those who take the test. It situates you in the bottom 25th percentile on the national scale, underperforming the majority of the 2 million ACT test takers. This score signifies your poor performance in answering questions in the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the exam. The ACT is scored out of a maximum of 36 and a minimum of 1, meaning your 16 score represents 44% of the total possible points. If a 16 does not meet the requirements of your preferred college, you might want to consider enrolling in a test prep course to potentially enhance your score.
Let's examine how a 16 ACT score stacks up to the national averages across various demographic groups
A 16 on the ACT translates to a 890 on the SAT according to the concordance provided by the College Board and ACT. It's important to note that not all colleges disclose admission data for both the SAT and ACT. As such, we recommend checking our listings for each test to identify schools with similar academic profiles.
Scoring a 16 on the ACT places you in the 25th percentile nationwide. This implies that your performance surpassed 25% of all test takers. To put this in perspective, about 2 million students sit for the ACT each year. Thus, with your score, you've outperformed about 500,000 students with only 1,500,000 test takers achieving a higher score.
150 results nationwide
Displaying 150 colleges where your 16 ACT score is within the typical range of past accepted students. You have a chance at being accepted but admission may be challenging at more selective colleges. Hint: Filter by admission chance for 411 target schools (good chance), 1,692 reach (harder) schools and 1,335 safety (easier) schools you can consider.
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#15 Best Public Universities in Virginia
Applications Due May 31
Public 4 Year
2 reviews
#11 Best Public Universities in Georgia
Applications Due Jun 15
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#12 Best Public Universities in South Carolina
Applications Due Jul 31
Public 4 Year
3 reviews
Test Optional
#25 Best Public Universities in Texas
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#10 Best Public Universities in Colorado
Private 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#22 Best Private Colleges in Texas
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#6 Best Public Universities in Mississippi
Applications Due Jul 15
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#12 Best Public Universities in Ohio
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#12 Best Public Universities in Colorado
Applications Due Jul 1
Public 4 Year
2 reviews
Test Optional
#16 Best Public Universities in North Carolina
Applications Due Aug 1
Private 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#21 Best Private Colleges in Florida
Private 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#19 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
Test Optional
#24 Best Public Universities in Texas
Applications Due Jun 1
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#11 Best Public Universities in Illinois
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#7 Best Public Universities in Kentucky
Public 4 Year
0 reviews
Test Optional
#15 Best Public Universities in Texas
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
#8 Best Public Universities in Mississippi
Public 4 Year
1 reviews
Test Optional
#9 Best Public Universities in Georgia
Applications Due Jul 17
A score of 16 is in the lower quarter of those who take the test. The score puts you in the bottom 25th percentile of those who take the test. Explore colleges you can get into with a 16 ACT score.
San Francisco State University, California State University Los Angeles and Clark Atlanta University are some of the best colleges that you have a competitive chance of getting into. Explore the full list: Colleges for a 16 ACT score.
A 16 ranks in the bottom 25th percentile of all students who take the ACT exam.
A 16 converts to a 890 on the SAT using College Board / ACT concordance tables. Explore the colleges: Colleges for a 890 SAT score.