So I worked my butt off to raise my ACT from a 27 to a 30 and I was really proud of it. But it seems like it’s not even good enough, so many people on here think that’s an awful score and are disappointed by it. It makes me less proud of my score, which is so weird because it’s in the 95th percentile so I feel like it is a good score! But maybe not. I’m applying to schools ranging in the top 30 to top 50, do I have a chance with a 30?
A 30 on the ACT is a huge accomplishment which you should be proud of! Don’t compare yourself to other people on the site.
It honestly depends on where you are applying, some schools can have lower acceptance rates where a 30 is in the average score range. At other schools, it may be a bit low.
Where did you apply?
How’s your GPA?
Extracurriculars?
Your standardized testing play a huge role in admission, but other things make up getting accepted as well.
In a nutshell, yes. Check each school’s individual acceptance data. What type of schools are you looking at?
Top 50 universities might be tough, but the LACs in the 35-50 range can be matches for a 30 ACT. My D only applied to LACs for the most part and was waitlisted/rejected at only those with less than a 25% acceptance rate. Her matches were primarily with those in the 30-40% acceptance rate. She had a 30ACT (31 superscore I think), 2070 SAT, very high GPA.
It’s a good score in the real world. Here on CC ACT 30 = ACT 22, though.
Fortunately, colleges are in the real world, assuming your other numbers and ECs are also as good, you’ll be in good shape at 30-50 level schools.
Here on CC it seems like the vast majority of focus is on Top 20 universities and Top 10 LACs. The conventional wisdom is those schools are fighting over the top 20,000 students or so, which would be 33 and up.
yeah it really depends on your other stats and colleges. A 30 is a good score, but be mindful that just because you are in the 95th percentile, it doesn’t mean much if the colleges you are applying to have averages of 30 or above.
My GPA is a 4.0 UW and a 4.7 W and I’ve taken many Honors and AP classes. I’m in many extracurriculars and leadership roles such as NHS, ASB and other volunteering clubs
Your GPA looks really good which is a great test of how good of a student you are rather than a test taker and that I’m pretty sure holds more weight. Also yes a 30 is a good score many people would die to have that. Lastly I would look at the average ACT scores for the schools you’re looking at and decide if you need to improve it. You certainly can with practice I went from a 26 to a 33, so it’s not impossible.