What Is a Good ACT Score? Percentiles, Benchmarks and College Ranges (2026)

Last updated: 1 November 2026. Every figure below was re-read on ACT.org, college Common Data Sets and each prep provider’s own site that day. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

THE SHORT ANSWER

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What counts as a good ACT score?

ACT gives a direct answer on its own score guide: “a good ACT score is one that meets or exceeds the average score of students admitted to the colleges you’re applying to.” That puts the emphasis where it belongs, on your list rather than a national number, and leaves three yardsticks worth measuring against:

• Against the country. Your national rank: the share of recent ACT-tested graduates who scored at or below you. Useful context, almost no predictive value for any specific college.
• Against college readiness. ACT’s subject benchmarks predict your odds of passing real first-year courses. This is the closest thing to an absolute floor, and it is per section rather than composite.
• Against your list. The middle-50% range of admitted students at the colleges you are applying to. The only yardstick that decides anything.

What the ACT composite actually measures now

This changed recently, and it changes how you should read older scoring guides. Under the enhanced ACT:

• Your Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading only, rounded to the nearest whole number; ACT says fractions below one-half round down and one-half or more round up (ACT score guide). ACT began removing Science from the Composite for national online testing in April 2025, and from September 2025 every ACT test, national, international and state, used the new calculation.
• Science is optional. ACT lists section scores as English, Math, Reading and Science (optional). Sitting Science gives you a Science score and makes a STEM score possible, but it does not move your Composite.
• Writing is optional, scored 2–12, and does not affect your Composite. ACT describes the writing score as the rounded average of four domain scores (Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use and Conventions); its national ranks put the average at 6.1 for 2024–26 graduates.
• STEM and ELA scores are reported too: STEM is the average of Math and Science, and ELA the average of English, Reading and Writing, if you took it.

The practical consequence is that a “good” composite is now built from three sections rather than four, so a weak section carries a third of the weight rather than a quarter. If your Math is dragging, it is dragging harder than it used to.

The average ACT score, and what it hides

ACT reports that the average Composite for the high school graduating class of 2024 was 19.4, with 36% of US graduates tested (ACT averages by state). Its newer 2026–27 national ranks, based on ACT-tested graduates from 2024 to 2026, give a slightly lower mean Composite of 19.1, with a standard deviation of 6.1.

Two caveats make the average less useful than it looks. The pool includes every student who sat the test, among them large numbers taking it in school under state mandates, which pulls the average down relative to students applying to selective colleges. In 2024, states that tested every graduate, such as Alabama (18.0) and Kentucky (18.6), averaged far below states where only a few percent sat it, such as California (26.5). And the composite now rests on three sections, so comparisons across the 2025 change are not strictly like for like.

Use the average to answer “am I above average?” and nothing else. For “will this get me in?”, use the benchmarks and your own college list.

ACT score percentiles: the official 2026–27 national ranks

Your national rank is the percentage of recent graduates who scored at or below you. ACT updates the table each year; this is the version used for tests taken from September 2026 through August 2027, based on ACT-tested graduates from 2024 to 2026.

Source: ACT, National Ranks for Composite scores, 2026–27 reference (graduates 2024–2026), read 1 November 2026. Scores of 9 and below rank at the 1st percentile.

Two reading notes. The ranks are for a single sitting; many students report a superscore built from several test dates, so far more than 1% of applicants report a 34 or higher. And sections are not equally hard to score well on: an English 28 ranks at the 90th percentile, while a Reading 28 ranks at the 85th. If you want a section-level view, ACT publishes ranks for every section on the same page.

ACT also publishes its own plain-language bands on its score guide, which are worth seeing because they are the test-maker’s framing:

ACT’s bands overlap at 20 and skip 29, so treat them as indicative rather than precise.

ACT’s College and Career Readiness Benchmarks

These are ACT’s own benchmarks, and they are the most useful numbers on this page. A benchmark is the section score at which ACT’s research says you have a 50% chance of earning a B or higher, and about a 75 to 80% chance of a C or higher, in the matching credit-bearing first-year college course. ACT says it set them using data from hundreds of US colleges.

Source: ACT College and Career Readiness Benchmarks, read 1 November 2026.

What makes them more actionable than a percentile is that they are per subject: a composite of 22 built on English 26 and Math 18 clears the English benchmark and misses Math by four points, which tells you exactly what to work on and warns you that you may be placed into a non-credit math course in your first semester.

The benchmarks are not evenly spaced. English at 18 sits below the national average composite, while Science at 23 and STEM at 26 sit well above it. In the class of 2024, ACT says 51% of tested graduates met the English benchmark, 29% Math, 40% Reading and 30% Science. If you are in grade 8, 9 or 10, ACT also publishes PreACT readiness benchmarks: for example, a fall grade 10 Math score of 19 is on track for the grade 11 benchmark of 22.

What score do you need for your target school?

The number that matters is the ACT range of students a college actually admitted. Colleges publish it every year in their Common Data Set (CDS), section C9, as the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. Two examples from the 2025–26 data sets, read on the colleges’ own sites on 1 November 2026:

Sources: MIT Institutional Research and University of Michigan Office of Budget and Planning, Common Data Set 2025–26, section C9.

Read these the way admissions officers do. A quarter of admitted students sit below the 25th percentile by definition, so being under a range is not disqualifying; being over it is not an offer. Note the last column too: at Michigan fewer than one in five entrants sent an ACT at all, so the range describes a small, self-selected group. ACT’s own position on the floor is that there is no universal minimum, and that many colleges accept students scoring 18 to 20, particularly less selective and open-admission schools.

Then replace these examples with your own. Search “[college name] common data set”, open the latest year, and go to section C9. Looking up six to ten colleges takes about twenty minutes and gives you the only targets that apply to you. If a college lists no ACT figures, it may be test-optional or test-blind; its admissions site will say which.

Is your score good enough? Quick answers

Is 16–19 a good ACT score?

It is around or just below the national average: a 16 ranks at the 41st percentile and a 19 at the 58th on ACT’s 2026–27 table. On ACT’s benchmarks it can clear English at 18 while falling short on Math, Reading and Science. Workable at open-admission and many regional colleges, and this is the band where preparation pays off most, because the percentile curve is steepest here: going from 16 to 19 lifts you 17 percentile points, while going from 30 to 33 lifts you 4.

Is 20–23 a good ACT score?

Above average: a 20 ranks at the 63rd percentile and a 23 at the 77th, and ACT calls 20–23 competitive at many mid-tier colleges. At the top of this range you are meeting the Math and Reading benchmarks of 22. A strong GPA does real work at colleges whose range starts around 24.

Is 24–27 a good ACT score?

Yes: 80th to 89th percentile, and ACT itself calls 24–28 a strong score for more selective colleges. This is the range where one weak section is usually the whole story, so a targeted retake under superscoring is the efficient move rather than broad revision.

Is 28–30 a good ACT score?

Strong: 91st to 94th percentile. Competitive at selective colleges and in range for many top-50 universities. A 30 is roughly equivalent to an SAT score of about 1370, according to ACT’s concordance, and clears every subject benchmark including STEM at 26 if your sections are balanced.

Is 31+ a good ACT score?

Excellent. A 31 ranks at the 96th percentile and 34 or above at the 99th, which puts you in range at the most selective universities, as the MIT and Michigan ranges above show. At this level the score has stopped being your constraint and the rest of the application is doing the deciding.

Should you take ACT Science?

Because Science no longer counts toward the Composite, many students now ask whether to skip it. ACT’s own answer is that it is optional; the decision depends on your plans:

• Take it if you are applying to engineering, science or other STEM programs, or to any college that asks for it. Science is required for a STEM score, and the STEM benchmark (26) is the one ACT links to calculus, chemistry and physics readiness.
• It matters less if you are applying to non-STEM programs at colleges that only consider the Composite.
• Check before test day. Policies are set college by college, and they are still settling after the change. Read each college’s testing page, and if in doubt, sit Science: it costs you nothing on the Composite, and a strong Science score helps a STEM application.

Students on r/ACT raise the same worry repeatedly: a 35 composite with a 24 or 27 in Science, and whether to send it. The consistent advice in those threads is that Science matters mainly for STEM applicants, and that the college’s own testing page, not a forum, is where to settle it.

Superscoring, and why it changes your retake math

ACT defines your Superscore as the average of your highest section scores across all your ACT test dates, and says many colleges accept it. Where a college uses it, retaking is low-risk: your existing best sections stay on the board, so you can walk into a sitting concentrating on the one section that is holding your composite down.

Under the three-section composite that is more powerful than it used to be: lifting one of three sections moves the composite more than lifting one of four did. The catch is that superscoring is a college-by-college policy. A college that only considers your best single test date gives you no credit for the approach, so check each college’s testing page before you book.

Work out your own target score in five steps

A national average cannot tell you what to aim for. This can, in about half an hour:

1. List your colleges, safeties included. Six to ten is workable.
2. Record each one’s 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores from its Common Data Set (section C9) or admissions site. Keep both numbers, not the midpoint.
3. Take the highest 75th percentile on your list as your composite target. Clear that and you are at or above the range everywhere else.
4. Split it into section goals and check them against the benchmarks: English 18, Math 22, Reading 22, Science 23. If a section goal falls below its benchmark, raise it.
5. Sit one full-length official practice test under real timing. The gap between that and your section goals is the size of the job, and it tells you whether free practice will close it.

How to raise your ACT score

Start with ACT’s own free material, which is more substantial than most students realize: a free study guide, study tips, video lessons and a full-length official ACT practice exam through its free test prep page. ACT Academy, which older study plans still recommend, has been retired; if a plan points you there, it was written before the change.

After you get a score, ACT’s score guide also points to My Answer Key, which shows the questions you missed so you can target them. For strategy rather than materials, we cover the section-by-section approach in our ACT tips and tricks guide.

What paid ACT prep costs

Magoosh prices read on act.magoosh.com/plans on 1 November 2026. Magoosh plans do not auto-renew.

The guarantees are narrower than the headlines suggest. Magoosh’s +4-point guarantee applies after you complete its premium program and only if your previous score was 30 or below; its 7-day refund is the simpler safety net. Prep Expert’s 4-point guarantee is tied to its class format and to completing the course work. Kaplan’s terms change by product, so read them before you buy. All of them require you to finish the program, which is the condition most students miss.

Magoosh ACT is the budget option with a points guarantee: video lessons, a large question bank and official ACT practice tests from $129. It is the sensible paid step once you have worked through ACT’s free official material.

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If you want live classes on a fixed timetable, Prep Expert ACT is the one to compare; our Prep Expert review covers its guarantee in detail. If you want the deepest content library and the best-known name, Kaplan ACT prep is the default choice.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the average ACT score?

ACT reports that the average Composite for the high school graduating class of 2024 was 19.4, with 36% of US graduates tested. Its 2026-27 national ranks, based on graduates from 2024 to 2026, give a mean Composite of 19.1. Anything above about 20 is above average.

What percentile is a 24 on the ACT?

On ACT’s 2026-27 national ranks a Composite of 24 is at the 80th percentile, meaning it is as high as or higher than 80% of recent ACT-tested graduates. A 28 is at the 91st percentile and a 30 at the 94th.

Does the ACT still have a Science section?

Science is optional. ACT lists section scores as English, Math, Reading and Science (optional), and your Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading only. ACT began the change for national online testing in April 2025 and applied it to all ACT tests from September 2025. Science still produces its own score and feeds the STEM score.

Is 24 a good ACT score?

Yes. A 24 is at the 80th percentile nationally and sits in the band ACT itself calls a strong score for more selective colleges. Whether it clears each subject benchmark depends on how your sections break down.

What are the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks?

They are the section scores ACT says give you a 50% chance of a B or higher, and about a 75 to 80% chance of a C or higher, in the matching first-year college course: English 18, Math 22, Reading 22, Science 23, plus 26 for the STEM score and 20 for the ELA score.

What is an ACT superscore?

ACT defines your Superscore as the average of your highest section scores across all of your ACT test dates. Many colleges accept it, which makes retaking lower-risk, but policies vary, so confirm on each college’s own testing page.

What is the lowest ACT score colleges will accept?

ACT’s answer is that there is no universal minimum, and that many colleges accept students scoring between 18 and 20, particularly less selective and open-admission schools. Scores are one part of a review that also weighs GPA, coursework, activities, essays and recommendations.

What ACT score do you need for Harvard or the Ivy League?

There is no published cutoff, but the most selective colleges admit students near the top of the scale. MIT’s 2025-26 Common Data Set shows a 25th-75th percentile ACT Composite of 34 to 35. Look up each Ivy’s own Common Data Set or admissions profile for its range, and note how many admitted students sent an ACT at all.

What is a good ACT Math score?

ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark for Math is 22, the score linked to a 50% chance of a B in college algebra. On the 2026-27 national ranks a Math score of 22 is at the 74th percentile, 25 at the 84th and 28 at the 93rd. STEM applicants should also aim for the STEM benchmark of 26, which averages Math and Science.

What ACT score do you need for scholarships?

There is no single number: merit scholarship thresholds are set by each college and state program, and many now use GPA as well as or instead of test scores. Check the scholarship page of each college on your list; where a score threshold is published, it is usually well above the national average.

Should I take the ACT Science section?

Take it if you are applying to STEM programs or to a college that asks for it: Science is needed for a STEM score. It matters less for non-STEM applicants at colleges that look only at the Composite. Check each college testing page before test day.

Do STEM and ELA scores matter?

They can, for specific programs. The STEM score is the average of math and science, and the ELA score the average of English, reading and writing, if you took the writing test. Engineering and science programs sometimes look at STEM specifically, and ACT publishes benchmarks of 26 for STEM and 20 for ELA.

Is the ACT easier than the SAT?

Neither is easier in any objective sense. The ACT gives you less time per question and now has an optional Science section excluded from the composite. The SAT is digital and section-adaptive, with a calculator allowed throughout Math. Sit one official practice test of each under real timing and compare.

Related: if you are considering a prep course to raise your score, our Prep Expert review covers its ACT course, the 4-point guarantee and cheaper alternatives.

Related guides

• ACT to SAT conversion: convert an ACT composite to its SAT equivalent using the official tables.
• What is a good SAT score?: the same three yardsticks on the 400–1600 scale.
• SAT vs ACT: which test suits you, with the current structure of both.
• When do SAT scores come out?: 2026–27 release dates.
• ACT tips and tricks: a section-by-section approach built on ACT’s own advice.
• ACT test dates: every 2026–27 national date with registration deadlines and fees.
• How long is the ACT?: section timing and breaks on the enhanced test.