Colleges That Superscore the ACT, Checked on Their Own Sites

By Cedrick Reese, TutoringForAct.com

Checked against each college's admissions site on September 26, 2026

Quick answer

These are the colleges that superscore the ACT, checked one by one on their own admissions sites: of 60 we checked, 40 superscore it and 11 don't. For 9 more, the admissions pages didn't say, so they're left out of the list rather than guessed. Policies change, so confirm on each college's site before you send scores.

Jump to a section

How we checked each college
ACT superscore policies at 51 colleges
What superscoring means
If your college doesn't superscore
Colleges we couldn't confirm
What other guides say
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Sources and how this page is built

How we checked each college

Every policy below comes from the college's own undergraduate admissions pages, read on September 26, 2026. We didn't copy third-party lists. Each college name links to the page we used. When a page only mentioned superscoring for scholarships, or didn't mention it at all, we marked the policy as not stated instead of assuming.

The middle 50% column is the 25th to 75th percentile ACT Composite of enrolled students who submitted scores, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. The college list is the same 60 schools we use on the score pages, from the Ivy League to regional universities, so it's a sample, not every college in the country.

ACT superscore policies at 51 colleges

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51 colleges shown.

ACT superscore and test policy, checked on each college's admissions site
College (official source)	ACT superscore	Test policy	Middle 50% ACT	Note
Arkansas State University	Superscores	Required	18 to 24	Uses an ACT superscore of 19 for automatic admission
Auburn University	Superscores	Optional	26 to 31	Test-preferred: scores recommended
Brown University	Superscores	Required	34 to 35
Clemson University	Superscores	Optional	28 to 32
Columbia University	Superscores	Optional	34 to 35	Required from the 2027-28 cycle, for fall 2028 entry
Cornell University	Superscores	Required	33 to 35	Required from fall 2026 entry
Dartmouth College	Superscores	Required	33 to 35	Superscore uses English, Math and Reading
Georgia Institute of Technology	Superscores	Required	30 to 34	Uses highest English, Math and Reading across dates
Harvard University	Doesn't superscore	Required	34 to 36	Evaluates your highest composite
Indiana University-Bloomington	Superscores	Optional	27 to 33
Johns Hopkins University	Superscores	Required	34 to 36
Kansas State University	Superscores	Optional	20 to 27
Louisiana State University	Superscores	Optional	24 to 30	Required if weighted GPA is under 3.5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Superscores	Required	34 to 36	Computes a superscore from the full sittings you report
Michigan State University	Doesn't superscore	Optional	25 to 31	Uses the highest composite; doesn't combine sittings
Missouri State University (Springfield)	Superscores	Optional	19 to 26	Required if GPA is under 3.0
Northwestern University	Doesn't superscore	Optional	33 to 35	No ACT superscore in the 2025-26 policy; SAT is superscored
Ohio State University (Columbus)	Superscores	Required	28 to 32	Columbus campus
Oklahoma State University	Superscores	Optional	20 to 27	Accepts the ACT-issued superscore only
Princeton University	Doesn't superscore	Optional	34 to 35	Highest ACT composite; required from the 2027-28 cycle, for fall 2028 entry
Purdue University (West Lafayette)	Superscores	Required	27 to 34	Scores expected; exceptions if you couldn't test
Rice University	Superscores	Optional	34 to 35	Testing recommended
South Dakota State University	Superscores	Optional	19 to 25	Test-flexible admission criteria
Southeast Missouri State University	Superscores	Optional	15 to 20
Stanford University	Superscores	Required	34 to 35
Texas A&M University-College Station	Doesn't superscore	Optional	25 to 31	Highest total from a single test date
The University of Alabama	Superscores	Optional	24 to 31	Required below a 3.0 GPA; for everyone from fall 2028
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Superscores	Required	25 to 31	Tests by December 2026 for fall 2027
The University of Texas at Austin	Doesn't superscore	Required	27 to 33	Uses the highest score from one test date
University of Arkansas	Superscores	Optional	21 to 28	Optional only with a 3.2+ GPA
University of Central Arkansas	Superscores	Optional	19 to 25	Optional with a 3.0+ GPA
University of Chicago	Superscores	Optional	34 to 35
University of Florida	Superscores	Required	29 to 33	Superscore uses English, Math and Reading
University of Georgia	Superscores	Required	29 to 34	No test-optional pathway
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Doesn't superscore	Optional	30 to 34	Report highest composite and subscores; no recalculated total
University of Maryland-College Park	Superscores	Optional	32 to 35	Policy stated through fall 2027
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Superscores	Optional	31 to 34
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	Doesn't superscore	Optional	26 to 31	Optional through fall 2027; uses composites
University of Mississippi	Superscores	Optional	21 to 29	Scores recommended for nonresidents under a 3.2 GPA
University of Missouri-Columbia	Superscores	Optional	23 to 30	Homeschool applicants must submit
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Superscores	Optional	28 to 34	Optional with a weighted GPA of 2.8+
University of Notre Dame	Superscores	Optional	33 to 35	Required from fall 2028 entry
University of Oklahoma (Norman)	Superscores	Optional	23 to 29
University of Pennsylvania	Superscores	Required	34 to 36	Hardship waiver available
University of Southern Mississippi	Superscores	Optional	20 to 29	ACT-issued superscore only; GPA-based pathways
University of Virginia	Doesn't superscore	Optional	32 to 35	Superscores the SAT, not the ACT; fall 2026 policy is latest stated
University of Wisconsin-Madison	Doesn't superscore	Optional	29 to 33	Optional through spring 2028
Vanderbilt University	Superscores	Optional	34 to 35	Required from fall 2029 entry
Washington University in St. Louis	Superscores	Optional	33 to 35
Wichita State University	Doesn't superscore	Optional	17 to 25
Yale University	Superscores	Required	33 to 35	Required from the 2026-27 cycle

What superscoring means

A superscore averages your best English, Math and Reading scores from different test dates. ACT calculates one automatically once you've tested more than once since September 2016, and Science isn't part of the superscore Composite (ACT superscore FAQs). Some colleges use ACT's own superscore report; others recalculate from the section scores you send.

Work out your own superscore from each test's section scores.

If your college doesn't superscore

11 colleges on our list use a single sitting or your highest composite instead. A few details from their own pages:

Harvard University: Evaluates your highest composite.
Michigan State University: Uses the highest composite; doesn't combine sittings.
Northwestern University: No ACT superscore in the 2025-26 policy; SAT is superscored.
Princeton University: Highest ACT composite; required from the 2027-28 cycle, for fall 2028 entry.
Texas A&M University-College Station: Highest total from a single test date.
The University of Texas at Austin: Uses the highest score from one test date.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Report highest composite and subscores; no recalculated total.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Optional through fall 2027; uses composites.
University of Virginia: Superscores the SAT, not the ACT; fall 2026 policy is latest stated.
University of Wisconsin-Madison: Optional through spring 2028.

At these schools, a retake only helps if the new sitting beats your best single composite. See how many times you can retake the ACT for limits and typical gains.

Colleges we couldn't confirm

These colleges' admissions pages didn't state an ACT superscore policy for admission when we checked, so they aren't in the table: Duke University, Eastern Kentucky University, Iowa State University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, University of Memphis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of South Carolina-Columbia. Some mention superscores only for scholarships. Contact the admissions office if it matters for your plans.

What other guides say

Several well-known lists cover far more colleges than ours, including PrepScholar, The Princeton Review and Compass Education Group. They're a useful starting point, but policies shift from cycle to cycle, and several colleges on our list changed their testing rules for fall 2027 or fall 2028. That's why this page only includes policies we read on the college's own site this month, and links each one.

Frequently asked questions

Which colleges superscore the ACT?

Of the 60 colleges we checked on their official admissions sites, 40 superscore the ACT, including Arkansas State University, Auburn University, Brown University, Clemson University, Columbia University, Cornell University. See the table for the full list and each college's source page.

Do Ivy League schools superscore the ACT?

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn and Yale say they superscore the ACT. Harvard evaluates your highest composite, and Princeton uses the highest ACT composite. Check each admissions page, since policies change.

Does superscoring include ACT Science?

Not in the superscore Composite. ACT averages English, Math and Reading, and several colleges, including Dartmouth, Florida and UNC, say their superscore uses those three sections.

Should I retake the ACT if my college superscores?

It can help, because a better section score on any test date counts. ACT reports that students who first score between 13 and 29 raise their Composite by about one point on average when they retest.

Why isn't my college on this list?

We only list colleges whose official admissions pages state a policy. Our list covers 60 colleges; for others, check the admissions office's testing or FAQ page.

Sources and how this page is built

How this page is built

Research current as of: September 26, 2026

Cedrick Reese compiled this list for TutoringForAct.com by reading each college's own undergraduate admissions pages on September 26, 2026, recording its ACT superscore rule and current test policy, and linking the exact page used. Colleges whose pages were silent or only covered scholarships were left out rather than guessed. The middle 50% ranges come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Every policy is rechecked before each application cycle, and a college is removed if its page stops stating a policy.

Sources

ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp., which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this site. ACT policies, fees and score tables change; check ACT.org before you register or apply.