What do good SAT scores look like these days?

I'm struggling to understand what a competitive SAT score is for getting into top colleges. Could you please give me a few examples of good SAT scores?

A competitive SAT score for top colleges can vary depending on the specific school and its standards. However, generally speaking, good SAT scores for prestigious universities usually fall within the 1450 to 1600 range. To give you a better idea, let's take a look at a few examples of the middle 50% SAT scores for admitted students at some top institutions (for the 2024-2025 application cycle):

1. Harvard University: 1460-1560

2. Stanford University: 1440-1550

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): 1500-1570

4. University of Pennsylvania: 1440-1550

5. Princeton University: 1460-1560

In these examples, the middle 50% SAT scores reflect that 25% of admitted students scored below the lower number, and 25% scored above the higher number. While these ranges provide a general benchmark for competitive SAT scores, it's important to remember that top colleges typically have a holistic admissions process, where they consider various aspects of your application, such as grades, extracurricular activities, and essays.

Furthermore, some top universities still maintain a test-optional policy for the 2024-2025 application cycle, like Columbia University, University of Chicago, and New York University, meaning that you're not required to submit SAT scores as part of your application. So, while a high SAT score is often advantageous, it is not the only factor that determines your chances of admission into a top college.