Average ACT Score

Understanding Average ACT Test Score And How ACT Scoring Works

The ACT is a standardized evaluation in which test-takers receive a range of scores for the four ACT sections. It is important to note that some issues surround ACT scoring, and students should be privy about the issues.

Most importantly, ACT scoring policies, procedures, and practices are complicated, but they are fairly easy to understand once you learn how it works.

Here is a guide to the ACT scoring system.

What is the Average ACT Score?

The ACT test is graded on a scale of 1-36, and according to the 2022 ACT Research Publication, the current national average ACT score is 20.8. Numerous states’ composite averages fall above or below this national benchmark mainly due to testing participation rates. Typically, states that require all students to take the ACT tend to have lower averages than states that don’t. This makes sense because only the best students tend to take the exam in states that don’t require it. Thus, skewing these states’ averages.

It is vital to point out that a good ACT score will depend on the college or university the student intends to join. If you score high, you increase your chances of the college and university options you can join.

Therefore, a good score will depend on your goals, grades, extracurricular and the colleges you want to enroll in. A passing ACT score for someone might be your passing score.

On the four sections, you will receive a scaled score, which is between 1 and 36. An average of the scores will give the composite score which appears in the results report. An avg ACT score means students score in the range of 20-21 on the test, putting them in the middle of the pack.

As a result, student results will be 50% higher than that of others and 50% lower than that of other test-takers. Over the past five years, these have been the average ACT scores for each test:

English ACT Section: 19.9
Math ACT Section: 20.2
Reading ACT Section: 21.2
Science ACT Section: 20.6

A good ACT score will correspond to the requirements of the test taker’s college of choice. If the score is high, you will enjoy more benefits like more options and chances of being accepted to prestigious institutions.

Getting a score of 23 will make you’re a strong candidate for the most prestigious institutions since it is above the national average. But the result might not render you eligible for some of the most selective universities and colleges.

What is the National Average ACT Score?

According to the ACT National Profile Report, 1.67 million students nationally took the ACT test in 2020. This figure is slightly down from prior years, but the nationwide average scores are similar to prior years.

The ACT National Profit Report states that the national average ACT scores in 2020 were:

ACT Test Section	Score:
English	19.9
Math	20.2
Reading	21.2
Science	20.6
Composite Score	20.6

Average ACT Score by State

Each state prioritizes the ACT test slightly differently. Some states encourage all students to take it while others leave it optional for students to decide whether they want to pursue the test. Thus, the participation rate differs drastically from state to state.

Here is a chart of the average ACT scores by State in the US.

State	Participation Rate	Average Composite Score
Alabama	100	18.8
Alaska	33	20.1
Arizona	71	19.1
Arkansas	100	19
California	19	23.3
Colorado	25	23.7
Connecticut	19	25.9
Delaware	11	24.2
District of Columbia	33	23.1
Florida	46	20.6
Georgia	43	21.7
Hawaii	82	18.5
Idaho	28	22.7
Illinois	31	24.7
Indiana	25	22.6
Iowa	68	21.1
Kansas	82	20.4
Kentucky	100	19.5
Louisiana	100	18.7
Maine	5	24.9
Maryland	19	23.8
Massachusetts	18	26
Michigan	17	24.6
Minnesota	92	21.3
Mississippi	100	18.2
Missouri	78	20.7
Montana	100	19.9
Nebraska	100	19.9
Nevada	100	17.9
New Hampshire	12	25.7
New Jersey	23	24.4
New Mexico	56	19.3
New York	20	24.9
North Carolina	100	18.8
North Dakota	94	19.6
Ohio	100	19.9
Oklahoma	100	18.7
Oregon	42	21
Pennsylvania	15	23.7
Rhode Island	11	24.8
South Carolina	76	18.4
South Dakota	70	21.7
Tennessee	100	19.3
Texas	38	20.2
Utah	100	20.2
Vermont	23	23.3
Virginia	19	24.4
Washington	20	22.9
West Virginia	38	20.9
Wisconsin	100	20.1
Wyoming	100	19.7
National	49	20.6

Which state has the highest average ACT Score?

When looking at which states consistently score high on the ACT test, it’s also important to look at their participation rate. For example, Connecticut is consistently among the highest scoring states, but only has an 19% participation rate.

That being said, the state with highest average ACT score is Massachusetts with an average score of 26. Connecticut and New Hampshire are in a close second and third place with average composite scores of 25.9 and 25.7, respectively.

Average ACT Score by College, University, & School

Colleges use the ACT test results as a benchmark to accept new students. Most Universities have a minimum acceptable score that students must achieve in order to get accepted into college.

These requirements differ from school to school and state by state, so it’s important to look at public universities and private colleges separately.

Average ACT Score by Public Universities

Here is a chart of the Average ACT Score for the 100 Public Universities:

College / University	School Enrollment	25th Percentile Composite ACT Score	75th Percentile Composite ACT Score
Arizona State University-Tempe	51,164	22	29
Auburn University	29,776	24	30
Boise State University	24,121	21	26
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	26,053	20	27
California State University-Fresno	25,325	16	22
California State University-Fullerton	40,905	19	24
California State University-Long Beach	37,622	20	26
California State University-Los Angeles	28,531	15	20
California State University-Northridge	41,319	17	22
California State University-Sacramento	31,255	17	23
Clemson University	24,387	27	31
Colorado State University-Fort Collins	33,083	22	28
East Carolina University	29,131	20	24
Florida Atlantic University	30,208	21	26
Florida International University	56,718	22	27
Florida State University	41,362	26	30
George Mason University	35,984	24	30
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	29,376	30	34
Georgia State University	32,816	19	26
Grand Valley State University	25,049	21	26
Indiana University-Bloomington	43,710	25	31
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis	29,791	19	26
Iowa State University	36,158	22	28
Kennesaw State University	35,846	21	26
Kent State University at Kent	28,972	21	25
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	30,861	23	28
Michigan State University	50,019	23	28
Missouri State University-Springfield	23,697	21	26
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	34,432	26	31
Ohio State University-Main Campus	59,837	27	31
Ohio University-Main Campus	29,369	22	26
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	25,295	22	28
Old Dominion University	24,375	18	25
Oregon State University	30,896	22	28
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	47,119	25	30
Portland State University	26,693	19	25
Purdue University-Main Campus	42,699	25	31
San Diego State University	35,158	23	28
San Francisco State University	29,758	18	24
San Jose State University	35,835	19	26
Stony Brook University	25,989	26	31
Texas A & M University-College Station	67,929	25	30
Texas State University	38,666	20	26
Texas Tech University	36,996	22	27
The University of Alabama	38,563	23	32
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	28,321	24	30
The University of Texas at Arlington	46,497	20	27
The University of Texas at Austin	51,525	26	33
The University of Texas at Dallas	27,642	26	32
The University of Texas at El Paso	25,078	16	22
The University of Texas at San Antonio	30,768	20	25
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	27,809	17	22
University at Buffalo	30,648	24	28
University of Arkansas	27,558	23	29
University of California-Berkeley	41,891	30	34
University of California-Davis	37,380	25	32
University of California-Irvine	35,242	25	32
University of California-Los Angeles	44,027	29	34
University of California-San Diego	35,772	27	33
University of California-Santa Barbara	25,057	28	33
University of Central Florida	66,059	24	29
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	37,155	23	28
University of Colorado Boulder	35,338	25	30
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	24,839	21	27
University of Connecticut	27,578	26	31
University of Delaware	23,774	25	29
University of Florida	52,669	28	32
University of Georgia	37,606	26	31
University of Houston	45,364	23	27
University of Illinois at Chicago	30,539	20	26
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	48,216	26	32
University of Iowa	32,166	23	28
University of Kansas	27,625	23	28
University of Kentucky	29,465	22	28
University of Maryland-College Park	40,521	29	33
University of Massachusetts-Amherst	30,340	26	31
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	46,002	30	33
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	51,848	26	31
University of Missouri-Columbia	30,844	23	29
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	26,079	22	29
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	30,471	19	24
University of New Mexico-Main Campus	26,221	19	25
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	29,911	28	33
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	29,317	22	26
University of North Texas	38,276	21	27
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	28,527	23	29
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	28,642	27	32
University of South Carolina-Columbia	34,731	25	30
University of South Florida-Main Campus	43,540	24	29
University of Utah	32,800	22	29
University of Virginia-Main Campus	24,360	29	33
University of Washington-Seattle Campus	46,166	27	32
University of Wisconsin-Madison	42,977	27	31
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	24,988	20	25
Utah State University	27,679	21	27
Virginia Commonwealth University	30,675	21	27
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	34,440	25	30
Washington State University	30,614	20	26
Wayne State University	27,064	21	28
West Virginia University	28,406	21	27
Average Composite Scores	34,819	22.9	28.4

Average ACT Score by Private College & Universities

Here is a chart of the Average ACT Score for the 100 Private Colleges:

College / University	School Enrollment	25th Percentile Composite ACT Score	75th Percentile Composite ACT Score
Adelphi University	7,978	22	27
American University	13,858	26	30
Azusa Pacific University	9,926	21	27
Barry University	7,358	17	20
Baylor University	17,059	26	31
Belmont University	8,012	24	29
Boston College	14,628	31	33
Boston University	33,355	29	32
Brigham Young University-Idaho	51,881	20	25
Brigham Young University-Provo	34,334	27	32
Brown University	10,095	31	35
California Baptist University	9,941	19	25
Campbellsville University	7,207	18	24
Carnegie Mellon University	13,869	32	35
Case Western Reserve University	11,824	30	33
Chapman University	9,392	25	30
Columbia University in the City of New York	30,454	31	34
Concordia University-Wisconsin	7,288	20	26
Cornell University	23,016	31	34
Creighton University	8,654	25	30
Drexel University	24,190	24	30
Duke University	16,130	31	35
Duquesne University	9,190	24	29
Emory University	14,263	30	33
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus	7,846	20	25
Fordham University	16,037	27	31
George Washington University	27,973	29	32
Georgetown University	19,005	30	34
Gonzaga University	7,506	26	30
Harvard University	31,120	32	35
Hofstra University	11,131	24	29
Howard University	9,392	22	28
Illinois Institute of Technology	7,164	25	31
Indiana Institute of Technology	7,871	17	23
Johns Hopkins University	25,151	33	35
Lehigh University	7,017	29	32
Liberty University	75,044	21	27
Lindenwood University	10,025	20	25
LIU Brooklyn	6,982	19	27
LIU Post	8,499	21	26
Loyola Marymount University	9,618	26	31
Loyola University Chicago	16,673	24	29
Marquette University	11,426	24	29
Maryville University of Saint Louis	7,689	21	27
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	11,466	33	35
MCPHS University	7,208	22	28
Mercer University	8,653	25	30
New York Institute of Technology	7,403	21	27
New York University	51,123	29	33
Northeastern University	21,489	32	34
Northwestern University	22,008	32	34
Nova Southeastern University	20,793	23	28
Pace University-New York	12,986	21	27
Pepperdine University	7,710	26	31
Princeton University	8,273	31	35
Quinnipiac University	10,200	23	27
Regent University	9,488	19	27
Regis University	8,341	20	26
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	7,592	28	32
Rice University	7,022	33	35
Rochester Institute of Technology	16,584	26	32
Saint Joseph's University	8,085	23	28
Saint Leo University	13,099	20	25
Saint Louis University	14,581	25	31
Santa Clara University	8,629	28	32
Savannah College of Art and Design	13,163	21	27
Seattle University	7,278	24	29
Seton Hall University	9,801	24	28
Southeastern University	7,163	18	24
Southern Methodist University	11,789	28	32
St John's University-New York	21,340	22	29
Stanford University	17,534	32	35
Suffolk University	7,201	21	26
Syracuse University	22,484	25	30
Texas Christian University	10,489	25	30
The New School	10,389	24	28
The University of Tampa	8,895	22	27
Tufts University	11,449	31	34
Tulane University of Louisiana	12,384	30	33
University of Chicago	16,227	32	35
University of Dayton	10,882	24	29
University of Denver	11,434	25	30
University of La Verne	8,159	19	25
University of Miami	17,003	28	32
University of New England	8,281	21	26
University of New Haven	6,984	21	27
University of Notre Dame	12,467	32	34
University of Pennsylvania	25,367	32	35
University of Rochester	11,648	29	33
University of San Diego	8,905	26	30
University of San Francisco	11,063	22	28
University of Southern California	45,687	30	34
University of St Thomas	9,878	24	29
University of the Cumberlands	10,097	19	25
University of the Incarnate Word	8,603	17	23
Vanderbilt University	12,592	32	35
Villanova University	10,967	30	33
Washington University in St Louis	15,303	32	34
Webster University	12,736	21	26
Yale University	12,974	32	35
Average Composite Scores	14,584	25.4	29.9

What College or University has the highest average ACT score?

There are many colleges and universities with extremely high ACT test scores, but the three colleges with the highest average ACT scores of 33 and 35 in the 25th & 75th percentiles respectively are:

Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Rice University

Many other private universities boast impressive ACT test scores as well. For instance, the average ACT score for Harvard is 35 while the average ACT score for Stanford is 35 as well.

How is the ACT Test Scored?

Scoring for the English, Reading, Math, and Science sections is pegged on multiple-choice questions. The test-taker will earn a point for every correct answer they get, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer or omitted questions. ACT raw score for every section is determined through the number of questions the student will correctly answer in the section. For instance, in the English section, where there are 60 questions, the raw score is 60.

Your raw score will then be translated to a scaled score ranging between 1 and 36. The highest possible scaled score is 36, and the test-taker will receive a scaled score for every section. The scaled scores average the test taker’s composite ACT score for the four multiple-choice sections.

For those students taking the writing section, two readers will grade your essay based on four domains of development and support, ideas and analysis, language uses and conventions, and organization. The readers will give the essay scores between 1 and 6 in the four domains, and 6 is the highest score.

To get the test taker’s writing domains subscore, an average of the scores is calculated, and the range will be between 2 and 12. Interestingly, the readers’ scores differ by over a point, and then a third reader will grade the essay to resolve the disagreement.

Is the ACT Test Graded on a Curve?

You may be wondering whether the ACT is graded on a curve. Interestingly, in contrast to common belief, the ACT is not curved, and as a result, the performance of other test-takers will not impact your ACT score. Most importantly, even if the test takers at a particular time get low scores, there will be no redistribution or raising of the score to get a balanced ACT bell curve.

In essence, this means your ACT score will always be as you scored on the test, and there is no decrease or increase based on others’ results to get a normal distribution.

ACT Inc., the test creators, will account for any difficulty variations across test dates through equating. This process ensures ACT scaled scores from various test administrations show the same ability level irrespective of when or with whom the student takes the test. Therefore, there is no advantage of taking the test in one administration over the other. There is no harder or easier ACT date as the ACTs will be equated to get a uniform scale score for all administrations.

Why are ACT Scores Average Percentiles Important?

An ACT percentile rank is a comparison of your ACT score with those of other test-takers. The percentile tells the number of test-takers you scored higher than or equal to. Students will receive a percentile rank for the composite score and the four subject area scores.

The percentile rankings are vital because they help universities and colleges compare your performance with those of other applicants. However, the ACT score varies depending on the college one wants to join and thus is more significant than the percentile rank. Institutions have an average ACT score range for admissions that don’t change often, and they base admission decisions on these. The range is 50% middle, or the 75^th and 25^th percentile scores.

What it Means to Score above the Average ACT Score

The avg ACT score is around 20.8, and therefore, if you get a 21, you will be in the middle percentile. A 24 or higher score is good and will place you in the 74^th percentile, making you stand out among test takers. But to get into Ivy League colleges, you should get a perfect score which is a 36.

However, even if you score better than three-quarters of test-takers, you still have to convince admission committees to join these prestigious colleges through different aspects of your application.