SAT scores and success in life: does everything depend on a high score?

So you just got your SAT score, and you’re a little disappointed. You studied hard and you didn’t do as well as you expected. Sometimes, it can seem like one bad exam can derail your life plans, which depend on getting into a super competitive college.

But don’t despair! While it is true that high SAT scores correlate with higher earnings later in life, there are plenty of universities accepting mid-range SAT scores that offer excellent educational investment value. And some top-notch institutions don’t even consider standardized tests at all!

To rank the best colleges in the US, we rank them by economic value, not just by subjective factors like “prestige”. Our metrics show that even if you can’t get into a top university, there are still plenty of paths to financial stability.

In this article, we look at the economic outcomes of universities with various average SAT scores to determine how much a high SAT score matters for economic success later in life. We also provide information on the best colleges in each SAT-score bracket.

Do SAT scores really matter in college admissions?

The SAT, or standard achievement test, tests high schoolers on their knowledge of math, reading, and writing. It is an important element of college admissions, and many elite schools only accept applicants with a high score.

Many students stress out about the SAT. But as you apply for college, remember that the SAT is just one component of a multifaceted application. If your SAT score was a little lower than you expected, a high GPA, solid AP scores (try picking a few of the easiest AP classes to be safe), recommendations, or a mike-drop essay could pull you through.

What is a good SAT score?

If you score higher than a 1500, congratulations, you’re in the top 1-2% of test takers. Only 17 schools have a student body with average results in this range. They include world-renowned institutions like Harvard and MIT.

Meanwhile, the average (median) SAT score is 1077: that means that roughly 50% of test takers score above, and 50% score below it. The chart below provides a comprehensive overview of SAT scores and their 2022 percentile rankings for all test takers. According to this chart, if you got a 1450 on your SAT, you did better than 90%-98% of all your peers.

In the end, what defines a “good” SAT score depends on the colleges you’re applying for – and whom you’re comparing yourself with. If you have a specific university in mind, search our college database to find information on their student bodies’ average SAT scores to figure out if that school is a good match for you.

The link between SAT scores and income

Besides being an important part of the college application process, high SAT scores are positively correlated with high earnings after graduation. In other words, colleges whose students earned higher SAT scores tend to produce higher-earning graduates. Students with high SAT scores are also more likely to graduate, indicating that there is a correlation between SAT scores and success in college too.

This is especially evident for students with very high or very low scores. Thus, universities with students who have SAT scores in the top 10 percentile (meaning they got a better score than 90% of all those who took the SAT), have alumni who earn an average of $76,156 10 years after beginning university. In contrast, graduates of colleges with SAT scores in the bottom 50 percentile go on to earn $45,370 on average. That is an earnings difference of 68%, or $30,786 per year.

So do good SAT scores offer a sure path to financial security by helping you get into a more competitive school? In reality, things aren’t so simple.

Why you shouldn’t panic about your SAT scores

It is true that many selective schools require very good SATs; however, college acceptance rates aren’t always a good predictor of a university’s economic value. Likewise, although universities requiring SAT scores in the top 1-2 percentile tend to be a very good deal, for colleges nearer the middle of the bell curve, the correlation between SATs and educational investment value is less clear.

Why is this? The nation’s most elite universities generally have large endowments, allowing them to be generous with financial aid. And their graduates do go on to earn high salaries. But for mid-range colleges, slightly higher average SATs also correlate to slightly more expensive tuition; this makes their slightly better earnings less consequential.

In addition, students with higher SAT scores tend to come from wealthier families in the first place – so it could be that their higher earnings have more to do with socioeconomic privilege than their choice of college.

The moral of the story is that unless you’re aiming for an Ivy League, you shouldn’t panic about your SATs. Going to a school with a slightly lower SAT profile doesn’t doom your career. In fact, there could even be good reasons to go to a college with lower SAT scores. At the end of the day, factors like educational ROI, financial aid, and the programs the school offers should be more important.

Test-blind colleges and test-optional colleges

If standardized testing gives you crippling anxiety, or you feel that your SAT score does not reflect your true academic capabilities, applying for a test-optional or test-blind college could be a good idea. Test-optional colleges don’t require you to submit your standardized test scores (though it may be recommended), while test-blind colleges don’t consider them at all. You may be surprised to learn that some of the country’s most famous universities, like Berkeley and Cornell, are test blind.

» Read more: The best test-optional colleges in the country

The best colleges with your SAT score

Now that we’ve discussed the links between SAT scores and earnings, we have some good news: there are excellent value colleges for students across the SAT-score spectrum that cost relatively little and lead to high earnings.

Below, we ranked the best colleges for various SAT tiers and provided their economic score, which reflects their return on investment.

The best colleges with an SAT score of 1600-1500

Only 17 schools have students with average SAT scores above 1500. They have an average economic score of 1.2.

*Cost is $16,484 for low-income students

The best colleges with an SAT score of 1500 to 1360

A total of 64 colleges have average SAT scores in this range. Their average economic score is 1.6.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 1360 to 1240

There are 121 colleges with average SAT scores in this bracket. These have an average economic score of 2.3.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 1240 to 1160

In total, 188 colleges have a student body who earned between 1160 and 1240 on their SATs. They have an average economic score of 3.0.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 1160 to 1100

155 schools have a student body with an average SAT score between 1100 and 1160. Their average economic score is 3.2.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 1100 to 1040

278 schools fall in this range and their average economic score is 3.6.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 1040 to 980

There are 140 schools whose students earned average SAT scores within this range. They have an average economic score of 3.7.

Best colleges with an SAT score of 980 or lower

A total of 65 colleges have students with average SAT scores of 980 or below. These have an average economic score of 5.8.

Final thoughts

We don’t choose the cards we’re dealt, and sometimes life circumstances can make a perfect SAT score seem unachievable. Maybe you don’t have the resources to pay for test prep and tutoring, or maybe you just don’t do well at standardized tests. Fortunately, the SAT is just one of the many factors that colleges consider during the application process.

While it’s wise to prepare for the SAT by taking practice tests, reviewing vocabulary, and honing your math skills, you can only retake the SAT so many times before you eventually need to submit your scores to colleges.

What you can do is research which colleges you could realistically get into that also offer the strongest return on your educational investment. Our college ranking system can help you find these schools, and you might find you have more options than you think.