ACT Score Percentiles and Average Scores by College Tier in 2026

Two charts in this post: (1) what each ACT composite means percentile-wise on the national scale, and (2) what the average admitted ACT looks like at each tier of U.S. college. Use chart 1 to know where you stand. Use chart 2 to know what to aim for.

ACT composite percentile chart (2026 norms)

Section percentile chart

Average ACT by college tier

Tier 1 — Ivy + MIT, Stanford, Duke (median admitted ACT: 34–35)

Eight Ivy League schools plus MIT, Stanford, Duke, Caltech, and the University of Chicago. Median admitted students score 34 or 35. The 25th percentile for these schools is typically a 33; the 75th is a 35 or 36.

Tier 2 — top private universities (median 33–34)

Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Rice, Johns Hopkins, WashU, Emory, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Brown, Tufts, Georgetown. Median around 33–34. A 33 is the realistic floor; 35+ is competitive.

Tier 3 — strong privates and top publics (median 31–33)

USC, NYU, Boston College, Boston University, University of Michigan (out-of-state), UVA, UNC Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, Berkeley (test-blind), UCLA (test-blind), Wake Forest, Tulane. Median 31–33.

Tier 4 — flagship state universities (median 27–31)

UT Austin, University of Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Washington, Indiana University, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota. Median 27–31. In-state thresholds are typically 1–3 points lower than out-of-state.

Tier 5 — flagship and large state schools (median 23–27)

Most other state flagships and large state schools — University of Arizona, Michigan State, University of Iowa, University of Oregon, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee. Median 23–27.

What this means for your target

1. 1Pick the most selective school on your list.
2. 2Find its 75th-percentile ACT score (use the chart in our 'ACT scores for top colleges' post or the school's Common Data Set).
3. 3That number is your target — being at the 75th percentile of your target school means you've removed test scores as an admissions concern.
4. 4If your baseline is more than 4 points below that target, plan for 12+ weeks of prep. Less than 4 points, plan 8 weeks.

Where the 4-point jump comes from

Composite gains of 3–5 points come from concentrated work on your weakest sections, not from generic 'more practice.' AceNotes' free section-specific study sets and AI tutor are the per-day drill layer; official ACT.org practice tests are the full-length conditioning layer. Those two free tools are sufficient for the score jump for most students.