Harvard doesn't have a minimum SAT score cutoff, but admitted students generally have scores around 1500-1580, with the 25th percentile often around 1490-1500; however, rare exceptions exist for students with exceptional talents or hooks, potentially with scores in the 1400s, though this isn't typical. Your overall application, including essays, activities, and context, matters more than just the score.
While anything above the national average of 1050 is technically “good,” competitive applicants generally need scores closer to 1470–1580. Ivy League schools in particular expect scores near the top of this range, with Harvard and Dartmouth at 1580 on the high end.
🧠 Mark Zuckerberg – Also achieved 1590/1600 (so close to perfect!) 🧠 Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder) – Claimed to have scored a perfect 1600.
Harvard University stands among the most selective institutions in the world, and its SAT score distribution makes that abundantly clear. With an average SAT score of 1550 and a middle 50% range stretching from 1500 to 1570, you are competing in one of the most elite academic environments on the planet.
at more than 130, a number gleaned from his reported SAT score. A circulating screenshot shows Fox News has pegged the number at 155, citing Sociosite, a junk website.
SAT Score Percentiles
Now, most Ivy League schools have SAT score ranges somewhere between 1440 and 1580. Sure, some students get in with scores around 1440 or 1500, but from what we've seen, the real advantage starts around 1550.
His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college Bryant chose, but he did not officially visit any campuses. In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans for his high school play as well as his later accomplishments.
Bill Clinton
The 42nd president of the United States scored a 1032—12 points above average—on his SAT. Still, Clinton excelled at Georgetown University, where he majored in Foreign Service and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Later, Clinton attended Yale Law School and earned a Juris Doctor in 1973.
Bottom Line: You need to score a 1560+ average SAT score and/or 35+ average ACT score to be competitive for the Ivy League.
Frequently Asked Questions about What's a Good SAT Score for Ivy League Schools? Q1: Is 1450 good enough for the Ivy League? It's below average for most Ivies but not disqualifying if the rest of your application is exceptional.
Half the applicants admitted to Cornell University who submitted test scores have an SAT score between 1480 and 1560…. However, one-quarter of admitted applicants achieved scores above these ranges and one-quarter scored below these ranges.
While no Ivy League college publishes a hard cutoff, their admissions profiles tell a consistent story. Students who are admitted usually fall somewhere between 1480 and 1570 on the SAT. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and MIT tend to sit at the higher end; Cornell, Dartmouth, and Brown trend slightly lower.
There's no absolute SAT requirement at Princeton, but they really want to see at least a 1500 to have a chance at being considered.
The national average SAT score for the class of 2024 was 1024. This means your 1540 is roughly 490 points above the mean. This places you solidly in the 99th percentile, outperforming the vast majority of test-takers. For competitive universities, such a score signals academic excellence and strong college readiness.
Let's dive into some surprising NBA trivia! 📚 LeBron James scored an 870 out of 1600, while Kevin Durant outperformed him with a score of 1010 out of 1600.
Harvard (1500–1580), MIT (1520–1570), and Stanford (1510–1570) admit students with almost exclusively 1500+ scores. Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, and Northwestern cluster around 1470–1570. Even selective non-Ivies like Rice and Vanderbilt expect 1510–1560. Public flagships show more range.
Lady Gaga's IQ is widely rumored to be around 166, placing her in the "exceptionally gifted" or genius category, though this is an estimation often cited in celebrity lists, not a officially verified number from a public test. This high estimate is supported by her early academic achievements, like attending a summer program for the top 1% of students, and her demonstrated creative and musical genius as a composer and performer, notes Us Weekly and Brainmanager.io.
He was a national merit scholar when he graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and enrolled at Harvard University in the autumn of 1973.