The question I get most often after a student gets their ACT results isn’t “how do I improve?” It’s “is this good enough?” And the honest answer is always the same: it depends entirely on where you’re applying. A 28 is excellent for many schools and below the typical range at others. Here’s how to make sense of the numbers and set a target that actually means something for your list.
How the ACT Is Scored
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. As of 2025, your composite score is the average of three sections: English, Math, and Reading. The Science section is now optional and is reported separately — it no longer factors into your composite. This change means each of your three core sections carries more weight than it did before.
What Is the Average ACT Score?
According to ACT, Inc., the national average composite score for the graduating class of 2025 was 19.4. Scoring above that places you in the top half of all test takers. For most competitive four-year colleges, however, you’ll want to aim considerably higher.
What Is Considered a Good ACT Score?
Rather than chasing a single “good” score, it’s more useful to think in tiers based on where a score places you nationally:
- 33–36 (top 1–2%): Competitive for the most selective universities, including the Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, and similar institutions.
- 28–32 (top 8–12%): Competitive for highly selective public and private universities.
- 24–27 (top 20–25%): A strong score for many selective state flagships and competitive private colleges.
- 20–23 (above average): Competitive for a wide range of four-year colleges.
- Below 20: May limit your options at many four-year institutions, though many regional and open-admission schools remain accessible.
The Most Important Number: The Middle 50%
When researching colleges, the single most useful data point is the middle 50% ACT range — the band between the 25th and 75th percentile scores of students who actually enrolled. If your score falls within that range, you are competitive. If it falls above, your score is a genuine strength. If it falls below, your score may work against you.
A smart strategy is to aim for the upper half of the middle 50% range at your target schools. That positions you more favorably for both admission and merit-based scholarship consideration.
ACT Score Ranges at Top Colleges
Here are the middle 50% ACT composite ranges for a selection of well-known schools, based on the most recently available Common Data Set figures from each institution:
| School | Middle 50% ACT Range |
|---|---|
| MIT | 35–36 |
| Stanford | 34–35 |
| Harvard | 34–36 |
| Yale | 33–35 |
| Princeton | 34–35 |
| Columbia | 34–35 |
| Duke | 33–35 |
| Northwestern | 34–35 |
| Vanderbilt | 34–35 |
| Carnegie Mellon | 34–35 |
| University of Notre Dame | 33–35 |
| University of Michigan | 31–34 |
| Georgetown | 31–35 |
| University of Virginia | 32–35 |
| Ohio State | 26–32 |
Sources: Common Data Set filings from each institution. Middle 50% ranges reflect the most recently reported enrollment data. Always verify current figures on each school’s official admissions page.
A Note on Test-Optional Admissions
Many colleges continue to offer test-optional admissions, meaning you are not required to submit an ACT score. However, a strong score can still work in your favor — particularly for merit scholarships, competitive programs, and out-of-state applicants. If you do submit scores to a test-optional school, make sure your composite lands at or above the school’s middle 50% range. Submitting a score well below the typical range is unlikely to strengthen your application.
It is also worth noting that a growing number of selective schools have reinstated standardized testing requirements, including MIT, Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Dartmouth, and Brown. Stanford and Cornell have more complex or school-specific policies — always check the current testing policy on each school’s official admissions page before applying, as requirements have continued to evolve.
ACT Superscoring
ACT now allows students to submit a Superscore — a composite built from your best section scores across multiple test dates. According to ACT, Inc., among students who tested two or more times in the class of 2025, the average Superscore improvement was 2.4 points. Many colleges accept and consider ACT Superscores, so it is worth checking each school’s policy and planning your test dates strategically.
How to Set Your Target Score
The most effective approach is to work backwards from your college list:
- List 8–12 schools you are seriously considering
- Look up the middle 50% ACT range for each school on its official admissions page
- Identify the highest upper-end score on your list — that becomes your target
- Aim for the top of that range, not the bottom
This gives you a concrete, personalized goal instead of chasing a vague standard of what “good” looks like.
How to Improve Your Score
The most efficient path to a higher ACT score is focused practice by section and question type — spending your prep time on the specific areas where you are losing the most points. Targeted drilling builds both accuracy and pacing, which matters on a timed test. FreeTestPrep.com has free drills for every ACT section:
Putting It in Perspective
A good ACT score is one that makes you competitive at the schools you actually want to attend. The national average of 19.4 is context, not a goal. Build your target from the middle 50% ranges of your specific colleges, prep by section toward that number, and remember: your score is one piece of a larger application. It matters — but it’s not the whole story.