Average GPA and Class Rank at Top Colleges

Building your college list involves balancing many factors—your academic interests, your desired campus culture and location, and, of course, a balanced mix of reach, target, and safer schools. But, how do you determine which schools are “in range” to ensure a wise application strategy?

Understanding and comparing key data points like high school grades and test scores for admitted students can be your first step, as long as they know where to look!

With all of the buzz this application cycle surrounding updated testing requirements at many schools, we have updated our “Average SAT Scores at Top Colleges” blog from February 2024 to include information on average GPAs and the percentage of incoming college freshmen who were in the top 10% of their graduating class (for those schools reporting rank).

As we’re all aware, strong test scores can help set you apart from the crowd as they serve as a benchmark to gauge your performance relative to your peers, on a national scale. But what may be considered a competitive score at one school may not be at another, depending on the school’s selectivity.

With many top colleges returning to requiring standardized testing scores this cycle, we have refreshed our chart and included a few additional key data points to help guide you. This renewed emphasis on test scores means it’s crucial for applicants to understand what kind of SAT scores can set them apart — or even help them meet the baseline expectations at highly selective universities.

We curated the below lists based on the U.S. News & World Report rankings for the top 25 national universities in the U.S., along with the top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges. Keep in mind, the SAT scores below represent the “middle 50% of scores,” meaning 25% of students scored lower and 25% of students scored higher; the GPA is the incoming class’s average and the % reflects the percentage of students who were in the top 10% of their class, from schools that report rank.

As always, our goal at Top Tier Admissions is to demystify the college admissions process and empower you to navigate your journey with confidence. Let’s dive in!

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES: AVERAGE GPA, SAT SCORES, AND THE TOP 10%

(Class of 2027 data unless otherwise noted.)

Rank	Schools	SAT Comp	EBRW	Math	GPA	TOP 10%
1	Princeton University (NJ)	1510-1560	740-780	760-800	3.94	NA
2	MIT (MA)	1520-1570	730-780	780-800	NA	NA
3	Harvard University (MA)	1460-1570	740-780	760-800	4.2	94%
4	Stanford University (CA)	1500-1560	740-780	770-800	3.9	96%
5	Yale University (CT)	1470-1560	740-780	760-800	NA	97%**
6	California Institute of Technology*	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
6	Duke University (NC)	1510-1560**	NA	NA	NA	NA
6	Johns Hopkins University (MD)	1530-1570**	750-780	780-800	3.95**	99%**
6	Northwestern University (IL)	1500-1560	730-770	760-800	NA	94%
10	University of Pennsylvania	1500-1560	730-770	770-800	3.9	94%
11	Cornell University (NY)	1480-1550	720-770	760-790	NA	82%
11	University of Chicago	1220-1600**	740-770	770-800	4.32	97%
13	Brown University (RI)	1520-1570**	740-770	760-800	NA	92%**
13	Columbia University (NY)	1520-1560**	730-770	760-780	NA	95%
15	Dartmouth College (NH)*	1480-1520**	710-770**	730-790**	NA	93%**
15	University of California, Los Angeles*	NA	NA	NA	4.6**	NA
17	University of California, Berkeley*	NA	NA	NA	4.5	NA
18	Rice University (TX)	1510-1560**	730-770	770-800	NA	91%
18	University of Notre Dame (IN)	1470-1540**	710-760	730-780	NA	92%
18	Vanderbilt University (TN)	1500-1560	750-780**	780-800**	3.9	91%**
21	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)	1500-1560	730-770	770-800	3.91	92%
21	University of Michigan—Ann Arbor	1350-1530	670-750	680-780	3.9	NA
21	Washington University in St. Louis	1500-1570**	730-770	770-800	4.24	89%
24	Emory University (GA)	1470-1540	730-770**	760-800**	3.89**	84%
24	Georgetown University (DC)	1390-1530	730-770**	730-790**	NA	87%
24	University of Virginia	1410-1510	700-750	710-780	NA	85%
27	University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill	1390-1520**	680-750	690-780	4.5	76%**

LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES: AVERAGE GPA, SAT SCORES, AND THE TOP 10%

Rank	Schools	SAT Comp	EBRW	Math	GPA	TOP 10%
1	Williams College (MA)	1480-1550	730-770	740-790	NA	92%
2	Amherst College (MA)	1480-1550	690-770	670-780	NA	90%
3	Swarthmore College (PA)	1480-1540	720-770	740-790	NA	93%**
4	United States Naval Academy (MD)*	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
5	Bowdoin College (ME)	1470-1530	730-760	750-790	NA	86%
5	Pomona College (CA)	1500-1550**	740-770**	750-790**	NA	90%**
7	Wellesley College (MA)	1460-1540	720-770	720-780	NA	91%
8	Carleton College (MN)	1470-1530	710-770	710-790	NA	61%**
8	Claremont McKenna College (CA)	1450-1540	710-760	740-790	NA	71%
8	United States Air Force# Academy	1320-1470	650-730	660-750	3.8	47%
8	United States Military# Academy	1230-1430	610-710	610-740	4.0	43%
12	Harvey Mudd College (CA)	1490-1550	720-770	760-790	NA	83%
12	Vassar College (NY)	1450-1530	720-770	715-780	NA	79%
14	Barnard College (NY)	1470-1540**	723-770	730-780	NA	91%**
14	Davidson College (NC)	1360-1490	700-750**	710-780**	3.86	68%
14	Hamilton College (NY)	1460-1530**	700-770	710-780	NA	79%
14	Smith College (MA)	1430-1520	718-770	690-770	4,2	77%
14	Wesleyan University (CT)	1300-1500	660-750	630-760	NA	77%
19	Grinnell College (IA)	1440-1530	698-760	720-790	NA	64%
19	Middlebury College (VT)	1440-1550**	720-770	710-780	NA	NA
19	Washington and Lee University (VA)	1440-1520**	710-750	700-780	NA	81%
22	Colgate University (NY)	1480-1540**	710-750	713-780	3.94**	79%**
22	University of Richmond (VA)	1460-1530**	690-750	720-780	3.84**	56%
24	Haverford College (PA)	1440-1530	720-770**	740-780**	NA	94%**
25	Colby College (ME)*	1470-1530	NA	NA	NA	94%**
26	Bates College (ME)	1370-1475	710-750**	700-800**	NA	39%

AIM FOR MORE THAN “AVERAGE”

Keep in mind, most competitive applicants at the very top schools WILL have test scores and GPAs above these listed ranges and they’ll likely be in the top 10% of their high school class. BUT, also remember that fit is key. Do your research, review college class profiles and Common Data Sets to determine a wise and strategic college list based on data to ensure you end up exactly where you’re meant to be! You don’t have to do this alone. At Top Tier Admissions, we can help you analyze your data points, guide your research, and craft a strategic college list tailored to your goals and strengths. Let us take the stress out of the process and set you on the path to success!

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