Colleges you can get into with a 1540 SAT

Every school where a 1540 lands above, within or below the middle 50% of enrolled students' SAT scores.

Slide to a different score

1540

Slide to set your score

99%

of SAT takers

a 1540 is higher than

A 1540 is higher than about 99% of SAT takers. It lands inside the middle 50% at 53 colleges and above the middle 50% at 849 more.

Colleges for a 1540 SAT

Tap a row for the school's ranges and your verdict. Every column sorts.

Within range means 1540 falls inside the college's middle 50% SAT range.

Colleges where a 1540 SAT is within range

CA	3.6%	7,554	Yes	15101580	$13,807
MA	3.6%	7,601	Yes	15101580	$19,066
CT	3.9%	6,758	Yes	14701570	$23,777
NY	4.0%	8,973	Yes	15101580	$21,590
IL	4.5%	7,569	No	15101580	$14,860
MA	4.5%	4,535	Yes	15201580	$20,111
NJ	4.6%	5,709	Yes	15101580	$6,128
MA	5.2%	17,326	No	14401540	$30,915
RI	5.4%	7,226	Yes	15101580	$25,184
NH	5.4%	4,541	Yes	15001570	$29,519
PA	5.4%	10,650	Yes	15101570	$28,699
NC	5.7%	6,442	No	15001570	$29,612
TN	5.9%	7,208	No	15001570	$15,846
MD	6.4%	5,693	Yes	15201570	$18,809
ME	7.1%	2,407	No	14601550	$17,180
CA	7.1%	1,666	No	14901560	$19,285
ME	7.1%	1,873	No	14701550	$14,398
PA	7.5%	1,613	No	14901560	$23,149
IL	7.7%	9,201	No	15101570	$29,167
TX	8.0%	4,776	No	15101570	$13,370
MA	8.3%	2,076	No	14901570	$17,716
NY	8.8%	15,995	Yes	15001570	$28,690
NY	8.8%	3,264	No	14701560	$28,800
MA	9.0%	1,911	No	14901580	$23,367
NY	9.2%	28,663	No	14801560	$37,050
CA	9.6%	1,388	No	14701560	$28,849
CA	9.8%	20,443	No	14501550	$32,740
GA	11%	7,298	No	14701550	$22,585
VT	11%	2,738	No	14451550	$31,483
IN	11%	8,818	No	14551560	$26,780
MA	11%	7,061	No	14701560	$39,998
PA	12%	7,304	No	15001570	$31,944
MO	12%	7,857	No	15001570	$21,786
PA	12%	1,430	No	14601550	$25,314
CA	13%	921	No	15001570	$35,924
DC	13%	7,569	Yes	13901550	$40,815
GA	13%	967	No	14701550	$37,920
NY	14%	2,030	No	14501550	$28,985
NY	14%	3,180	No	14301540	$28,786
VA	14%	1,881	No	14301540	$23,781
MA	14%	2,300	No	14601560	$25,496
GA	14%	18,785	Yes	13701540	$12,116
IA	15%	1,729	No	14101540	$17,648
MA	16%	10,085	No	14401540	$41,704
CT	16%	3,067	No	14151540	$30,177
VA	17%	17,597	No	14101540	$21,565
NY	19%	2,444	No	14501550	$39,343
MN	20%	2,086	No	14501560	$25,407
MA	21%	2,544	No	14201540	$27,579
OH	37%	6,437	No	14301540	$41,190
CA	38%	1,113	No	14401540	$36,294
NY	40%	6,331	No	14101540	$29,278
MO	72%	6,817	No	12901550	$13,310

Showing the 60 closest; narrow with filters.

Sort by

CA · 3.6% admitted · 7,554 undergrads
15101580
MA · 3.6% admitted · 7,601 undergrads
15101580
CT · 3.9% admitted · 6,758 undergrads
14701570
NY · 4.0% admitted · 8,973 undergrads
15101580
IL · 4.5% admitted · 7,569 undergrads
15101580
MA · 4.5% admitted · 4,535 undergrads
15201580
NJ · 4.6% admitted · 5,709 undergrads
15101580
MA · 5.2% admitted · 17,326 undergrads
14401540
RI · 5.4% admitted · 7,226 undergrads
15101580
NH · 5.4% admitted · 4,541 undergrads
15001570
PA · 5.4% admitted · 10,650 undergrads
15101570
NC · 5.7% admitted · 6,442 undergrads
15001570
TN · 5.9% admitted · 7,208 undergrads
15001570
MD · 6.4% admitted · 5,693 undergrads
15201570
ME · 7.1% admitted · 2,407 undergrads
14601550
CA · 7.1% admitted · 1,666 undergrads
14901560
ME · 7.1% admitted · 1,873 undergrads
14701550
PA · 7.5% admitted · 1,613 undergrads
14901560
IL · 7.7% admitted · 9,201 undergrads
15101570
TX · 8.0% admitted · 4,776 undergrads
15101570
MA · 8.3% admitted · 2,076 undergrads
14901570
NY · 8.8% admitted · 15,995 undergrads
15001570
NY · 8.8% admitted · 3,264 undergrads
14701560
MA · 9.0% admitted · 1,911 undergrads
14901580
NY · 9.2% admitted · 28,663 undergrads
14801560
CA · 9.6% admitted · 1,388 undergrads
14701560
CA · 9.8% admitted · 20,443 undergrads
14501550
GA · 11% admitted · 7,298 undergrads
14701550
VT · 11% admitted · 2,738 undergrads
14451550
IN · 11% admitted · 8,818 undergrads
14551560
MA · 11% admitted · 7,061 undergrads
14701560
PA · 12% admitted · 7,304 undergrads
15001570
MO · 12% admitted · 7,857 undergrads
15001570
PA · 12% admitted · 1,430 undergrads
14601550
CA · 13% admitted · 921 undergrads
15001570
DC · 13% admitted · 7,569 undergrads
13901550
GA · 13% admitted · 967 undergrads
14701550
NY · 14% admitted · 2,030 undergrads
14501550
NY · 14% admitted · 3,180 undergrads
14301540
VA · 14% admitted · 1,881 undergrads
14301540
MA · 14% admitted · 2,300 undergrads
14601560
GA · 14% admitted · 18,785 undergrads
13701540
IA · 15% admitted · 1,729 undergrads
14101540
MA · 16% admitted · 10,085 undergrads
14401540
CT · 16% admitted · 3,067 undergrads
14151540
VA · 17% admitted · 17,597 undergrads
14101540
NY · 19% admitted · 2,444 undergrads
14501550
MN · 20% admitted · 2,086 undergrads
14501560
MA · 21% admitted · 2,544 undergrads
14201540
OH · 37% admitted · 6,437 undergrads
14301540
CA · 38% admitted · 1,113 undergrads
14401540
NY · 40% admitted · 6,331 undergrads
14101540
MO · 72% admitted · 6,817 undergrads
12901550

Showing the 60 closest; narrow with filters.

How to read a college's SAT range

Enrolled, not admitted. The middle 50% counts students who showed up in the fall, so it can run a little below the admitted range.
Totals are section sums. The Scorecard publishes section ranges; the true total-score 25th percentile is usually a bit higher.
Test-optional skews high. Only students who sent scores are counted — read the range as the bar for a score worth sending.
Under ~15% admitted changes the question. There, SAT position alone doesn't predict admission.

Aiming higher than 1540? Pick the target.

Choose a school above, set its 75th percentile as your target, and Study Scout builds the daily plan to get there.

Get my study plan

Free for 5 days. Cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing.

FAQ

Is a 1540 a good SAT score?

A 1540 is higher than about 99% of the students who take the SAT. Whether it is good enough is a question about your list, not about the number: use the tabs above to see which schools it puts you inside, at the top of, or below.

What colleges can I get into with a 1540 SAT?

53 colleges in our dataset have a middle-50% range that contains 1540, and at 849 more it sits above the range entirely. Both lists are above, and every school links to its own page with section ranges, admit rate and test policy.

Do these lists include test-optional colleges?

Yes. At a test-optional school the range counts only the students who sent a score, so it reads a little high — treat it as the bar for a score worth sending. Each college page shows that school's current test policy.

More: SAT score lookup by college · colleges by state · 1530 SAT · 1550 SAT

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data release June 10, 2026. SAT ranges are the 25th–75th percentiles of enrolled first-year students (Fall 2024 entering class, IPEDS). Total-score ranges are the sum of the section percentiles. Applicant counts and year-over-year trends come from the NCES IPEDS Admissions survey; schools report about eighteen months after they admit a class, so the newest complete year is not the current cycle. Ranked lists cover schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates — and, for the trend lists, at least 1,000 applicants in both years — because below those floors one strong year reads as a huge swing. Percentile: College Board, SAT Understanding Scores (SAT User percentiles, 2024 edition; approximate).