A 1300 SAT score is above the middle 50% SAT range at 95 of the 192 colleges on The Test Advantage that report an SAT range, and inside the range at 71 more. That makes 166 realistic colleges. Only 26 list a 25th percentile above 1300. But 14 of the in-range colleges admit fewer than half of applicants.
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A 1300 clears the score bar at most colleges on our list. At the most selective state flagships, your score fits, but the acceptance rate is the hurdle. For the national view, start with what is a good SAT score. Then use the lists below to sort your colleges.
Moving from 1300 to 1400 puts Ohio State, Rutgers and the University of Florida in range. Take one full-length adaptive SAT section free and see which module costs you points.
Start 1-day free trial →What colleges accept a 1300 SAT score?
We checked all 265 college profiles on The Test Advantage. Each profile shows the 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 one.
| Fit at 1300 | Colleges | Acceptance rate under 50% |
|---|---|---|
| Likely (above the 75th percentile) | 95 | 1 |
| In range (25th to 75th percentile) | 71 | 14 |
| Reach (below the 25th percentile) | 26 | 22 |
Of the 26 colleges whose range starts above 1300, 22 admit fewer than half of applicants. Of the 95 likely colleges, only 1 does. So at 1300, acceptance rate starts to matter as much as score.
The table lists 14 in-range colleges where 1300 sits closest to the middle of the range. All of them admit at least half of applicants.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Where 1300 falls | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor University | 1200 to 1400 | Middle | 51.3% | $41,104 |
| Miami University-Oxford | 1220 to 1390 | Lower half | 75.4% | $28,384 |
| University at Buffalo | 1210 to 1380 | Upper half | 74.2% | $20,995 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | 1170 to 1400 | Upper half | 78.2% | $16,264 |
| The University of Alabama | 1170 to 1400 | Upper half | 76.7% | $22,420 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | 1160 to 1410 | Upper half | 65.1% | $18,267 |
| University of Arizona | 1150 to 1420 | Upper half | 86.1% | $16,674 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | 1230 to 1340 | Upper half | 64.2% | $20,109 |
| University of Utah | 1190 to 1380 | Upper half | 86% | $16,200 |
| University of Delaware | 1190 to 1370 | Upper half | 70.6% | $17,799 |
| Texas A&M University-College Station | 1150 to 1400 | Upper half | 57.4% | $21,315 |
| University of Connecticut | 1210 to 1440 | Lower half | 52.4% | $25,097 |
| University of Massachusetts-Lowell | 1180 to 1370 | Upper half | 83% | $17,163 |
| Michigan State University | 1180 to 1360 | Upper half | 84.8% | $19,680 |
At 48 of the 71 in-range colleges, a 1300 is in the upper half of the range. At 22, it is in the lower half. 14 of the 71 have an average net price under $15,000 a year.
Which colleges have 1300 in range but are still selective?
These 14 colleges have 1300 inside the range but admit fewer than half of applicants. Several are large state flagships.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Where 1300 falls | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | 1270 to 1410 | Lower half | 24.2% | $11,297 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 1250 to 1510 | Lower half | 26.6% | $19,857 |
| University of Georgia | 1270 to 1480 | Lower half | 37.7% | $13,936 |
| Clemson University | 1240 to 1410 | Lower half | 38.3% | $22,253 |
| University of Central Florida | 1200 to 1350 | Upper half | 40.1% | $10,411 |
| Howard University | 1090 to 1320 | Upper half | 41.3% | $50,539 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 1200 to 1370 | Upper half | 41.6% | $18,976 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 1300 to 1470 | Lower half | 41.7% | $17,303 |
| University of South Florida | 1130 to 1320 | Upper half | 43.2% | $9,812 |
| Texas Christian University | 1140 to 1350 | Upper half | 44.5% | $36,660 |
| Auburn University | 1260 to 1390 | Lower half | 45.9% | $24,323 |
| Syracuse University | 1270 to 1440 | Lower half | 45.9% | $38,793 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 1100 to 1400 | Upper half | 47.5% | $3,033 |
| Purdue University | 1200 to 1480 | Lower half | 49.9% | $14,600 |
Florida State University has a range of 1270 to 1410, so a 1300 fits, but it admits 24.2% of applicants. The same is true at UT Austin (26.6%) and the University of Georgia (37.7%). Plan for these as reaches. Strong grades and hard classes will matter as much as the score.
Which colleges are just above a 1300?
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These 11 colleges have a 25th percentile between 1310 and 1360. A 1300 is below each range, but by 60 points or less.
| College (profile) | Middle 50% SAT | Acceptance rate | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State University | 1310 to 1480 | 60.6% | $17,339 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 1310 to 1500 | 58.2% | $24,406 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 1310 to 1520 | 42.4% | $14,355 |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 1310 to 1500 | 59.7% | $22,383 |
| Fordham University | 1320 to 1480 | 59.3% | $44,338 |
| University of Florida | 1320 to 1480 | 24.2% | $6,541 |
| University of Miami | 1320 to 1480 | 18.9% | $37,244 |
| Stony Brook University | 1330 to 1500 | 49% | $18,784 |
| Binghamton University | 1340 to 1500 | 38.6% | $21,620 |
| George Washington University | 1350 to 1500 | 47.1% | $36,586 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 1360 to 1530 | 15.6% | $13,138 |
Ohio State (60.6%) and Rutgers (58.2%) admit more than half of applicants, and both have a 25th percentile of 1310. Others, like the University of Michigan at 15.6%, stay hard at any score.
Is 1300 a good SAT score?
Yes. College Board's percentile tables put a 1300 at the 91st percentile in the nationally representative group. That group is a research sample of U.S. 11th and 12th graders. Among students who took the SAT in the last three school years, 1300 is the 85th percentile.
See the full breakdown on is 1300 a good SAT score or the SAT percentiles chart. You can also compare the lists of colleges that accept a 1200 and colleges that accept a 1400.
What changes if you raise 1300 to 1400?
We ran the same 192 colleges at 1400. The reach list shrinks from 26 to 11.
| Score | Likely | In range | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 | 95 | 71 | 26 |
| 1400 | 136 | 45 | 11 |
At 1400, all 11 colleges in the "just above" table move into range. That includes Ohio State, Rutgers, the University of Florida and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The plan for that jump is in how to get a 1400 on the SAT. If you are still below 1300, start with how to get a 1300 on the SAT.
To see how many weeks the jump might take, use the free SAT study plan generator. Enter your test date and weekly hours, and it builds the schedule.
How do you study to move past 1300?
At 1300, check the two smaller math domains and the hard questions. In The Test Advantage's October 2026 SAT Math Question Bank, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis has 14 questions and Geometry and Trigonometry has 15. Ten of those 29 are tagged Hard. That makes them worth a direct check.
College Board says each section has two modules. Your first module decides whether the second module is harder or easier. So a strong first module sends you to the harder second module.
- Work the free Reading Data lesson notes and the Percent Change lesson notes.
- Then try the Right-Triangle Trigonometry lesson notes.
- On the English side, the free Transitions lesson notes cover choosing the right linking word.
- Work questions by domain in the October 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank. Browse every bank 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 1300 to colleges?
At 143 of the 192 colleges, a 1300 is either likely or in the upper half of the range. There it supports your file. At the 22 where it is in the lower half, and at the 26 reaches, weigh it college by college. Each college sets its own testing rule, and the rules change. They are not in the College Scorecard data, so check each admissions site.
A balanced list at 1300 could hold a few likely schools, several in-range schools that admit at least half of applicants, and a few selective reaches. The free College Finder can help you sort by cost, location and score.
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 its data was last updated June 10, 2026. Each range adds the college's Reading and Writing and Math percentiles, so it estimates the total score range. 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, so a college's own site may show a newer range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What colleges accept a 1300 SAT score?
Of the 192 colleges on The Test Advantage that list an SAT range, a 1300 is above the range at 95 and inside it at 71. Colleges where 1300 sits near the middle include Baylor University, Miami University in Ohio, the University at Buffalo, Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Alabama.
Which colleges have 1300 in range but are still selective?
Fourteen colleges have 1300 inside their range but admit fewer than half of applicants. They include Florida State University (24.2%), UT Austin (26.6%), the University of Georgia (37.7%), Clemson University (38.3%), NC State, Auburn, Syracuse and Purdue. Treat them as reaches.
Which colleges are just above a 1300?
Eleven colleges have a 25th percentile between 1310 and 1360, including Ohio State, Rutgers New Brunswick, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, UMass Amherst, the University of Florida and the University of Michigan. A 1300 misses each range by 60 points or less.
Is 1300 a good SAT score?
Yes. College Board's percentile tables put a 1300 at the 91st percentile in the nationally representative group of U.S. 11th and 12th graders, and at the 85th percentile among students who took the SAT in the last three school years.
What changes if you raise 1300 to 1400?
Across the same 192 colleges, likely colleges rise from 95 at 1300 to 136 at 1400, and reach colleges fall from 26 to 11. All 11 colleges with a 25th percentile between 1310 and 1360, including Ohio State and the University of Florida, move into range.
Should you send a 1300 to colleges?
At 143 of the 192 colleges, a 1300 is likely or in the upper half of the range, so it supports your application. At lower-half and reach schools, think harder. Testing policies are set by each college and are not in the College Scorecard data, so check each admissions site.