I scored a lot higher on the ACT than the SAT, so I am choosing to send in my 29 instead of the 1230 I got on the SAT. But, because I’ve seen ACT ranges differ on each website I go on, I thought I would ask this forum what you guys think the ranges for each of these colleges and if a 29 fits. Does a 29 seem in the range for the schools I am planning to apply?
University of Michigan
Michigan State
Grand Valley
Northeastern University
New York University
UCLA
USC
Not for Umich, Northeastern, NYU, UCLA, or USC. You will want to have around a 33 for some of those top schools.
The mid 50% for Northeastern is 31-34, so it is low. It would also be low for USC. What is your UW GPA? EC’s etc.
Are you a CA resident? Otherwise there is no financial aid for OOS students at UCLA.
@dontskipthemoose Really for NYU? From everything I’ve seen, it seems like 29 is the average.
UCLA’s range for the 25th and 75th percentile is 29-34 so you are just at the 25th percentile.
USC’s range for the 25th and 75th percentile is 30-33 so you are below the 25th percentile.
For the best chances, you want to be at or above the 50th percentile for test scores but again test scores are only part of your application. If you have an outstanding overall application, test scores may not have a detrimental impact to your chances. It will also depend upon intended major.
All you have to do is check the common dataset for each school.
@TomSrOfBoston I’ve seen that be the average for Northeastern too, which I always thought was weird cause it seemed high compared to their other stats. UW gpa is a 3.78, and EC’s are too many to just name in this comment, but I have a lot of volunteer things related to what I’m planning to go into which I think can be seen as a strength.
@allycat231 a 29 is at the 25th percentile for NYU. Also, you should also note that for public schools like Umich and UCLA, the standards will be higher for oos applicants. While UCLA’s mid 50% ACT might be 29-34, oos applicants will need to be closer to the 34.
@Dontskipthemoose ohh okay that makes sense. I’m in state for umich so I’m not as concerned, but I’ll keep that in mind for UCLA.
For some of these schools (NYU in particular) it depends on your major. The Engineering and Liberal Studies programs seems to be more forgiving in test scores than applicants to Stern or CAS. But as a general observation, for NYU and Northeastern, you will want to get your score up to about a 31 to have a decent shot, and for USC and UCLA, you will need to get it to a 32+. Not sure about in-state for UMich but I would still retake the ACT to be safe. Good luck!
@Dontskipthemoose For OOS applicants, usually the stats need to be higher, but CA is the exception. Because UCLA and some of the other CA publics get so so many in state applicants, the bar is actually a bit lower for OOS kids.
According to the college’s common data sets (you can google that), a 29 ACT is at the 75th percentile for Mich St, around the 25th percentile for UMich. Grand Valley did not list the middle 50, but given the distribution, it is likely at or above the 75th percentile. MSU and GV look like good matches, the rest reaches. NYU, NEU, USC (OOS), UCLA (OOS) all likely to be significantly more expensive than any MI public school (in-state).
If you check the common data set directly from the school you have the accurate ranges.
Are you planning on full pay for these schools? And which major?
Nope, UCLA expects significantly higher stats from out-of-state and international applicants (and I would expect other UCs to do the same). Look at the “Quartiles - Admits” box here:
https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof16.htm
ACT, admitted freshmen, Fall 2016:
27 - 34 California
32 - 34 Out of State
32 - 34 International
SAT, admitted freshmen, Fall 2016:
1790 - 2220 California
2060 - 2270 Out of State
2100 - 2260 International
So a 29 ACT might work if you were a California resident with a high GPA (the UCs put particular weight on GPA). But an OOS or international applicant would have little to no chance with a 29 ACT.
NYU ACT scores, according to common data for 15-16: 65% of NYU enrolled students had between a 30-36 on ACT, 34% between a 24-29. Given your ACT is on the top of the lower range, you would have a shot but these are enrolling student numbers, so NYU will admit a higher % of 30-36 applicants, knowing they’ll lose a portion to other schools.
Now, your GPA puts you in the top ~30% for enrolled students, so that helps balance your application. And it will depend on which UG school you apply to: Tish, Tandon, Stern tend to be a bit more competitive (or, for Tish, value other talents sometimes). For A&S you’re probably an ok match/low-reach with NYU, but it is certainly not an acceptance you could count on.
Ditto USC, but with it being a bit higher reach for you. It’s a 75/25 break between enrolled students with a 30-36 and those with a 29 or below. 60% have 3.75 or above. And again, Dornsife numbers will probably be slightly lower overall as Marshall and Viterbi will have a higher % of students in the upper range.
So, the take-away is neither is impossible, probably about 30-45% of the students that enroll at those schools have equal to or below your combination ACT and GPA stats, but they also have to turn away a lot of applicants with those numbers as well.
And, of course, the caveat: can you and/or your family afford those schools. They are two of the most expensive “all in” schools in the US.
But with the other schools on your list, you seem to have a good range with a few you have a very good chance of getting into.
(also, UCLA bar is not lower for OOS kids, according to recent audits, although, like NYU and USC, engineering applicants raise the LAS numbers a small bit, but with 100k+ applications, no one OOS should count on UCLA even with top stats.)