A 1200 SAT score is inside the middle 50% SAT range at 108 of the 192 colleges on The Test Advantage that report an SAT range, more than any other score we checked. It is above the range at 35 more, so 143 colleges are realistic. Only 49 list a 25th percentile above 1200.
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With a 1200, most colleges on the list will see your score as normal or better. What changes from school to school is where you sit inside the range. For the national picture, see what is a good SAT score. Below are the colleges where 1200 fits, the selective ones where it fits but will not carry you, and the schools just above your score.
Moving from 1200 to 1300 turns 60 more colleges into likely admits. Take one full-length adaptive SAT section free and find the module that costs you points.
Start 1-day free trial →What colleges accept a 1200 SAT score?
We checked all 265 college profiles on The Test Advantage. Each one shows the college's middle 50% SAT range from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Half of the reported students scored inside that range. 192 profiles list a range.
| Fit at 1200 | Rule | Colleges |
|---|---|---|
| Likely | 1200 is above the 75th percentile | 35 |
| In range, upper half | 1200 is above the middle of the range | 62 |
| In range, at the middle | 1200 is the middle of the range | 2 |
| In range, lower half | 1200 is below the middle of the range | 44 |
| Reach | 1200 is below the 25th percentile | 49 |
At 64 in-range colleges, a 1200 is at or above the middle score. Of the 108 in-range colleges, 100 are public and 71 admit at least 75% of applicants.
The table lists the 14 colleges where 1200 sits closest to the middle of the range. Colleges that admit fewer than half of applicants get their own table further down.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Where 1200 falls | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State University | 1120 to 1280 | Middle | 90.1% | $16,836 |
| University of Toledo | 1100 to 1300 | Middle | 92% | $17,249 |
| Louisiana Tech University | 1100 to 1310 | Lower half | 86.4% | $11,864 |
| Ohio University | 1090 to 1290 | Upper half | 85% | $21,637 |
| Old Dominion University | 1100 to 1280 | Upper half | 90.4% | $14,638 |
| Rowan University | 1110 to 1310 | Lower half | 77.7% | $22,408 |
| University of New Hampshire | 1090 to 1330 | Lower half | 88.2% | $23,805 |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa | 1081 to 1293 | Upper half | 86.6% | $15,664 |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 1098 to 1330 | Lower half | 87.5% | $17,747 |
| Texas Tech University | 1090 to 1280 | Upper half | 72.7% | $19,070 |
| University of Kansas | 1070 to 1300 | Upper half | 93.5% | $18,059 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 1100 to 1270 | Upper half | 78.4% | $23,331 |
| University of Kentucky | 1070 to 1290 | Upper half | 92.9% | $18,851 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 1120 to 1240 | Upper half | 87% | $13,530 |
Three large state universities also have 1200 in range: the University of Iowa (1130 to 1330), the University of Missouri (1150 to 1330) and Iowa State University (1120 to 1360).
Which colleges are in range at 1200 but still hard to get into?
Seven colleges have 1200 inside the range but admit fewer than half of applicants. At all seven, 1200 falls in the lower half. At three of them, 1200 is the 25th percentile.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Where 1200 falls | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Central Florida | 1200 to 1350 | Lower half | 40.1% | $10,411 |
| Howard University | 1090 to 1320 | Lower half | 41.3% | $50,539 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 1200 to 1370 | Lower half | 41.6% | $18,976 |
| University of South Florida | 1130 to 1320 | Lower half | 43.2% | $9,812 |
| Texas Christian University | 1140 to 1350 | Lower half | 44.5% | $36,660 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 1100 to 1400 | Lower half | 47.5% | $3,033 |
| Purdue University | 1200 to 1480 | Lower half | 49.9% | $14,600 |
Plan for these as reaches. Your score fits on paper, so your grades, course choices and essays will decide most of these applications.
Which colleges are just above a 1200?
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These 13 colleges have a 25th percentile between 1210 and 1260. A gain of 60 points or less puts each one in range.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 1210 to 1460 | 65.1% | $16,504 |
| University at Buffalo | 1210 to 1380 | 74.2% | $20,995 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | 1210 to 1450 | 88.2% | $18,749 |
| University of Connecticut | 1210 to 1440 | 52.4% | $25,097 |
| Miami University-Oxford | 1220 to 1390 | 75.4% | $28,384 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | 1230 to 1340 | 64.2% | $20,109 |
| Clemson University | 1240 to 1410 | 38.3% | $22,253 |
| Drexel University | 1240 to 1440 | 79.4% | $38,509 |
| Pennsylvania State University | 1240 to 1420 | 60.6% | $32,875 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 1240 to 1430 | 78.1% | $25,346 |
| University of Maryland-Baltimore County | 1240 to 1420 | 72.4% | $16,467 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 1250 to 1510 | 26.6% | $19,857 |
| Auburn University | 1260 to 1390 | 45.9% | $24,323 |
The group includes Penn State, the University of Colorado Boulder and UT Austin. Check the acceptance rates before you plan a retake. Colorado Boulder admits 78.1%, so a higher score could change your odds there. UT Austin admits 26.6%, so a higher score alone may not.
Is 1200 a good SAT score?
Yes. College Board's percentile tables put a 1200 at the 81st percentile in the nationally representative group, a research sample of U.S. 11th and 12th graders. Among students who took the SAT in the last three school years, 1200 is the 75th percentile, so about 3 in 4 of them scored the same or lower.
For more detail, read is 1200 a good SAT score or use the SAT percentiles chart. If you scored a little lower, compare the list of colleges that accept an 1100.
What changes if you raise 1200 to 1300?
We ran the same 192 colleges at 1300. The likely list grows from 35 to 95.
| Score | Likely | In range | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200 | 35 | 108 | 49 |
| 1300 | 95 | 71 | 26 |
At 1300, 60 more colleges become likely and the reach list drops by 23. All 13 colleges in the "just above" table move into range. See the full list in what colleges accept a 1300 SAT score. For the plan, read how to get a 1300 on the SAT and our 1200 to 1300 study plan.
The free SAT study plan generator takes your test date and weekly hours and gives you a week-by-week schedule toward 1300.
How do you study to move past 1200?
Start with algebra. In The Test Advantage's October 2026 SAT Math Question Bank, 71 of the 106 questions are Algebra (34) or Advanced Math (37). The other two domains have 29 together, plus 6 practice variations.
College Board says each SAT section has two modules, and your work on the first decides whether the second is harder or easier. Accuracy on Module 1 matters at 1200 as much as at any score.
- Study the free Quadratic Equations lesson notes.
- Then study the Systems of Two Linear Equations lesson notes.
- For reading, use the Main Idea lesson notes.
- Practice Digital SAT-style questions in the free June 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank with a free account. Every bank is listed on the SAT question bank page.
- Create a free account and take one full-length adaptive SAT section free to see your scaled score. No account yet? Try 5 sample questions from any test in the practice test catalog.
Should you send a 1200 to colleges?
Check where 1200 falls in each college's range. At 64 colleges on our list it is at or above the middle, so it supports your application. At the 44 where it is in the lower half, it is still a normal score for an admitted student. Below the 25th percentile, it may not help.
Each college sets its own testing rules, and the rules can change each year. The College Scorecard data does not include them, so read each admissions page before you choose. The free College Finder helps you build a balanced list by score, cost and location.
How we built this page
Verified 2026-10-13. We fetched all 265 college profiles at thetestadvantage.com/colleges and read each SAT range, acceptance rate and net price. We checked all 192 SAT ranges against the College Scorecard API the same day, and every one matched. The College Scorecard says it last updated its data on June 10, 2026. Each range adds the college's Reading and Writing and Math percentiles, so it estimates the total score range. Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Percentiles come from College Board. Question counts come from The Test Advantage's own bank. Numbers are per the college profile on The Test Advantage, and a college's own site may show a newer range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What colleges accept a 1200 SAT score?
Of the 192 colleges on The Test Advantage that list an SAT range, a 1200 is inside the middle 50% range at 108 and above it at 35. Colleges where 1200 sits near the middle include Appalachian State University, the University of Toledo, the University of Kansas and the University of Kentucky.
Which colleges are in range at 1200 but still hard to get into?
Seven colleges have 1200 inside their range but admit fewer than half of applicants: the University of Central Florida, Howard University, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, the University of South Florida, Texas Christian University, CUNY Baruch College and Purdue University. At all seven, 1200 is in the lower half of the range.
Which colleges are just above a 1200?
Thirteen colleges have a 25th percentile between 1210 and 1260, including Penn State, the University of Colorado Boulder, Clemson University, the University of Connecticut and UT Austin. A gain of 60 points or less puts each one in range.
Is 1200 a good SAT score?
Yes. College Board's percentile tables put a 1200 at the 81st percentile in the nationally representative group of U.S. 11th and 12th graders, and at the 75th percentile among students who took the SAT in the last three school years.
What changes if you raise 1200 to 1300?
Across the same 192 colleges, likely colleges rise from 35 at 1200 to 95 at 1300, and reach colleges fall from 49 to 26. All 13 colleges whose 25th percentile sits between 1210 and 1260 move into range.
Should you send a 1200 to colleges?
At 64 in-range colleges on our list, 1200 is at or above the middle of the range, so it supports your application. Below a college's 25th percentile it may not help. Testing policies are set by each college and are not in the College Scorecard data, so check each admissions site.