Top Colleges Which Superscore the SAT & ACT — With Tips for Your Own Score Reporting Strategy
Keith N.
Graduate of UC Berkeley & UC Santa Cruz
Summary
Want to know which top colleges accept SAT or ACT superscores? This guide gives you a curated list of prominent universities that superscore — and those that don’t. You'll also find expert insights into score reporting options and testing-related strategies and discover why they're essential to navigating key steps of your college admissions journey with clarity and confidence!
Superscoring and Your College Admissions Journey
Both the SAT and ACT allow students who’ve taken the test two times or more to report a superscore.
Superscoring means you get to calculate your composite score (overall score) using the top subject matter scores, even if you earned them on different test administrations.
However, students can only benefit from superscoring when the college they're applying to allows superscoring. That's why, beyond understanding how superscoring works, whether for the SAT or for the ACT, you need to know which colleges accept superscores, or don't — whether you're building college lists, shaping your test taking strategy, or deciding which results to submit, and to which colleges.
Key benefits of superscoring
With superscoring students can feel more confident about scheduling SAT or ACT retakes, using feedback from their initial results and testing experience to guide additional study, review, and practice — to build core academic skills and boost their score.
You can learn more about SAT and ACT scores and admissions, and about superscoring, by checking out these companion articles on our blog pages:
- What Is a Good SAT Score?
- What Is a Good ACT Score?
- SAT Superscoring: What It Is and How It Works
- ACT Superscoring: What It Is and How It's Calculated
Knowing which top colleges use superscores
In addition to listing which top schools will or will not superscore your SAT or ACT test results, we’ll also share expert tips on the ways score reporting options factor into your college journey:
- Shaping your college list
- Guiding your test prep strategy
- Informing your own high-stakes score reporting choices and decisions
Understanding Score Reporting Options
Although the College Board (which administers the SAT) and ACT have policies designed to give students more score reporting choices, students and parents often overlook an important fact: that colleges and universities maintain their own score reporting policies and requirements — which means colleges typically have the final word on your test reporting options.
- Colleges that don’t accept superscoring: While many top universities accept superscoring, some schools, like Harvard and Princeton for instance, don’t — removing that option for applicants.
- Colleges that encourage or require all scores be reported: While the College Board and ACT allow students latitude for deciding which scores to report — such as Superscore or Score Choice — some colleges’ either recommend or require students to submit all of their test scores when applying.
- Colleges with more flexible score reporting policies: The good news is that most colleges have adopted more flexible policies that mirror the flexibility provided by the test providers — empowering students to highlight only their best test scores.
- Colleges that are test-optional: We generally advise students to submit scores even when optional, to improve their application ranking, especially when applying to more selective schools. But a personalized strategy is always the best approach, because whether to submit or withhold scores may depend on your test scores, where you’re applying, your intended major, and other factors.
College-Specific Test Reporting Policies: Spotlighting Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon, prominent for its outstanding engineering programs, offers an illustration of how a college’s test reporting rules can be very nuanced and limit students' score reporting options:
If you choose to have your SAT or ACT scores considered, you’re required to submit all official results. While we’re interested in the general pattern of your scores, we give the most weight to the highest score you’ve received on the SAT. On the ACT, we give most weight to the set of scores corresponding to the highest composite score. Carnegie Mellon does not super-score the ACT.
*We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that stud...
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Keep reading to view which top colleges allow superscoring — or don’t — and if they allow you to use the Score Choice option when you do report or require instead that you submit all of your test scores.
Afterwards, we’ll share ideas to help you be as strategic as possible when navigating your test reporting options at each step of your college admissions journey.
Top Colleges & Universities That Superscore the SAT/ACT (or Don’t)
The list below shows which top schools allow superscoring (or don't), their score reporting guidelines, and if they are test optional for admissions. (To learn more about test-optional schools, check out: Test-Optional Colleges 2025/26: A Complete List and Tips for Your SAT/ACT Strategy).
Most schools accept superscoring, and a majority of schools are test optional, but there are many exceptions.
Most schools that superscore do so for both the SAT and ACT — with some exceptions, as noted. Also, be aware that some schools that superscore will not combine top scores from different test formats (paper-and-pencil format vs. digital test).
Test-free schools are not listed.
Some prominent test-free schools include:
- All nine University of California campuses
- Pitzer College, which committed to a test-free policy through the Fall Term 2025, but may phase out this policy afterward
Ivy League Schools & Top-Ranked Non-Ivies
| Use the scroll bar on the right to view all the entries. Remember that policies are subject to change; please check school websites wherever you plan to apply. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts SAT/ACT Superscore? | Allows Score Choice? | Test-Optional Admissions? | |
| Harvard | NO (see policy for qualifications) | YES | NO |
| Princeton | NO (see policy for qualifications) | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| University of Texas, Austin | NO | YES | NO |
| Carnegie Mellon | NO (see policy for qualifications) | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| Georgetown | NO (see policy for qualifications) | Requires all scores | NO |
| Columbia | YES | YES | YES |
| Yale | YES | YES | NO (“test-flexible” admissions) |
| UPenn | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | NO |
| Brown | YES | YES | NO |
| Dartmouth | YES | YES | NO |
| Cornell | YES | YES | NO |
| Stanford | YES | YES | NO |
| MIT | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | NO |
| University of Chicago | YES | YES | YES |
| Duke | YES | YES | YES |
| Northwestern | YES | YES | YES |
| Johns Hopkins | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | NO |
| Rice | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| University of Notre Dame | YES | YES | YES |
| NYU | YES | YES | YES |
| Vanderbilt | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| USC | YES | YES | YES |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | YES | YES | YES |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | YES | YES | YES |
| Tufts | YES | YES | YES |
Top-Ranking Liberal Arts Colleges
| Use the scroll bar on the right to view all the entries. Remember that policies are subject to change; please check school websites wherever you plan to apply. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts SAT/ACT Superscore? | Allows Score Choice? | Test-Optional Admissions? | |
| Wellesley | NO | NO | YES |
| Williams | YES | YES | YES |
| Carleton | YES (SAT only) | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| Smith | YES (SAT only) | YES | YES |
| Amherst | YES | YES (Recommends all scores) | YES |
| Swarthmore | YES | YES | YES |
| Bowdoin | YES | YES | YES |
| Pomona | YES | YES | YES |
| Claremont-McKenna | YES | YES | YES |
| Harvey Mudd | YES | YES | YES |
| Vassar | YES | YES | YES |
| Barnard | YES | YES | YES |
| Colby | YES | YES | YES |
| Middlebury | YES | YES | YES |
| Oberlin | YES | YES | YES |
Reporting Superscores: What To Know
The list above is a great guide for quick reference, but you need to keep sight of the many nuanced factors that may impact your own decision making — for college search, test prep, and college application strategies:
- If you do decide to request a college superscore your SAT or your ACT, you’ll need to submit the entire score report for each test date you want the school to use when calculating your superscore.
- Remember that some colleges — even if they allow superscoring — require or recommend students report all test results, for all their test attempts, which means some colleges may see how many times you've taken the SAT, and see all of your scores..
- **Test-optional policies **may be in flux at some schools and scheduled to phase out in the near future — information that's usually on the admissions pages of the school website.
- It's common for applicants to report scores to test-optional schools to boost their applications — making it important to consider your own best strategy when applying to selective test-optional colleges.
- If a college allows superscoring, the benefit you get from superscoring your test may be limited — by the fact that other applicants will get a similar score boost.
How To Navigate Score Reporting Policies and Options for Admissions
Navigating the College Board’s and ACT’s reporting options — alongside colleges’ individual requirements — can be a lot to sort out!
However, there are many ways superscoring, other score options, and various college score reporting policies can inform crucial steps in your own college journey.
1. Score Reporting Policies and Your College List
Many students and families will only think about a college’s score reporting rules when it comes time to apply. But it can be helpful to consider these policies earlier, when still shaping your list of safety, target, and reach schools.
Ask yourself:
- Is the school test optional?
- If it is test optional and highly selective, is opting not to submit scores a favorable option? (Do you know what percentage of admitted students opt to submit test scores at this college?)
- How do your scores compare to the scores submitted by the average admitted student?
For a test-optional college, it’s rare to find out from the school website what percentage of admitted students are submitting test scores. A better approach is to check the school’s most recent Common Data Set (CDS) — often found via Google or AI search. The CDS will often report what percentage of students submitted test scores at test-optional schools and indicate average test score ranges for admitted students as well, broken down by SAT and ACT.
You can also use the average test scores of admitted students as a guide to identifying safety, target, and reach schools for your college list and for setting test goals. Tools like Crimson’s College Admissions Calculator can help.
If you don’t plan to take the SAT or ACT, prioritize test-optional or test-free colleges and focus on earning a strong GPA and pursuing courses that emphasize math concepts and rigorous evidence-based reading and writing skills.
2. Align Test Prep Strategies with Score Reporting
- Use information about applicants’ average test scores at your top-choice schools to guide your own targets for a good SAT score or a good ACT score.
- Get quick feedback on your current SAT/ACT subject-matter skills and test-taking skills by taking a practice test (here’s one) or using a SAT or ACT test prep manual.
Also be sure to factor in how colleges handle score reports:
- Do they require or recommend sending all scores?
- Do they superscore?
- Will lower scores hurt your application?
These factors provide useful guidance, for how many times you take the test, for how early in high school to begin testing, and for trying to gauge how much an outlier low score might disadvantage your applications, or not.
3. Being Strategic When Submitting Scores
Submitting high scores will always boost your applications — but if you have lower scores, the right strategy is not so obvious. At schools that recommend submitting all test scores, as with test-optional schools, you’ll have to weigh if submitting your scores, when it's optional, is going to help or hurt your case.
If your situation feels complex or unclear... Be sure to confer with your Crimson strategist.
Not working with Crimson yet? Consider scheduling a free consultation — it only takes a minute — to learn more about service options.
Your Crimson strategist can help you feel confident you’re weighing all factors and all options available, and choosing the best options — based on your strengths and each individual school and program you’re applying to.
✅A Superscoring Strategy Checklist
We covered a lot! So what do you do next?
This 10-point checklist offers a quick reference for the longer term — making it easy to stay on top of all your superscoring related decisions and strategies each step of the way...
Check if your target colleges accept superscores.
Why? To understand how your scores will be evaluated.
Find each college's score reporting policy (Score Choice allowed? All scores required?).
Why? To avoid surprises when it's time to submit scores.
Look up average SAT scores for admitted students at your target schools.
Why? To benchmark your current or expected scores vs. peers.
Take a full-length SAT practice test to identify current performance levels.
Why? To establish your baseline and prep needs.
Decide if and when to retake the SAT based on superscoring policies.
Why? To improve weaker sections with less downside risk if you unexpectedly score lower on stronger ones.
Use your highest section scores from multiple tests to estimate your superscore.
Why? To project your best possible reported score.
Plan your test prep strategy based on weakest subject area and target score.
Why? To make prep time efficient and focused and get the greatest benefit for your efforts.
Consider whether to submit or withhold scores at test-optional schools.
Why? To submit only when it helps your application.
Search for Common Data Sets to see how many applicants submit scores.
Why? To gauge how 'optional' testing really is at each school.
Talk to a college admissions advisor to finalize your testing plan.
Why? To get expert insights tailored to your circumstances and goals.
Final Thoughts
Figuring out which colleges accept superscoring is an important but sometimes confusing step for students and families when trying to manage SAT or ACT challenges and strategies.
Beyond knowing which top schools accept (or don't accept) SAT and ACT superscores, you’ve discovered that policies can vary from school to school — with different degrees of nuance. You also learned that these insights can help guide your college search process, testing timeline, prep strategy, and final score submissions.
This means students and families have to navigate many factors and options, such as Score Choice and Superscore, the fact that some schools require students to report all scores, and whether or not to submit test scores when applying to test-optional schools.
Do you need help figuring out the next steps on your college journey?
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